In my 35 years of corporate experience, I’ve lived through
nine iterations of performance management.
At best, some have accurately captured, reported and calibrated my
performance. I’ve also observed that leaders
in some top-down organizations feel a need to weed out bottom performers and marginalize
the efforts of the middle 80%. At the
same time, they’re not quite sure how best to reward top performers.
As the workforce and the workplace changes, progressive
organizations are looking at doing away with traditional performance ratings
and the performance appraisal process.
Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, asserts, “Businesses thrive
on agility, speed, passion and alignment.
The process of driving and measuring performance has to do the same.” The Forbes article (link below) provokes the
question, “do we really need a
performance appraisal system?”
While pondering that thought, here are a few key points to
consider:
·
Do you have a feedback rich organizational
culture? If not, it is high time to
create one. Incorporate feedback models
into every aspect of organizational life, including performance discussions,
360 reviews (including peer-to-peer and employee to manager), and talent
review. Invite and appreciate the gift
of feedback.
·
Separate performance discussions from
development discussions. Managers who listen
with an open mind are more highly regarded than those who prescribe development
without accurately diagnosing both performance and motivation. Development discussions are not constructed
in such a way so as to “fix” performance.
·
Expect that performance discussions are a part
of regular one-on-one conversations, and that performance discussions are a
two-way street. Have your employees
provide you feedback as well; you’ll be amazed at how impactful that feedback
can be. Don’t discount group feedback;
I’ve seen mentoring circles and peer feedback sessions be very beneficial!
·
Assume positive intent – and if someone isn’t performing
up to standard, don’t assume you know the reason. ASK.
You may be part of the problem.
·
Challenge pay-for-performance plans. Few things in corporate life demotivate and
demoralize workers more than being “leveled” or “calibrated” against others’
performance.
For more thought-provoking questions, follow the link below
to the Forbes article.
No comments:
Post a Comment