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Really Useful Performance Management

Sometimes it seems like we know we need performance management (after all, we have a review once a year. usually.) but we've forgotten why...

Biggest performance management challenge?

Lots of HR departments get it so wrong. They focus on compliance - making sure reviews happen - instead of on making performance management USEFUL for EVERYONE. Then not only will compliance take care of itself, but it'll also lead to better people performance. Which is the reason you're doing reviews, isn't it...?

So how do you make performance management useful for everyone? By focusing on what the different groups want to get out of it...

Employees want a system that shows them:

  • What they should be doing (and how well they're doing it)
  • What success looks like, and how it's measured)
  • That they'll be recognized for hard work
  • How their work contributes to the organization
  • What's in their development plan

Employees also want to benchmark; to get a clear idea of how they're doing compared to other team members...

Managers need:

  • Tools to help them manage teams effectively
  • A way to set goals for (and measure results of) team efforts
  • To be shown a clear picture of the team's strengths and weaknesses
  • A system to keep track of goal / career plan discussions and progress

HR & senior exec have to:

  • Have access to a picture of overall talent, not worry about individual reviews
  • Be able to make better people decisions (on things like succession planning, training and development, compensation...) based on robust data
  • Use all the collected information to a clear direction for the organization

Beyond the annual performance review...

Performance management isn't just about the annual performance review. Employees, managers and the exec all need access to review information, and to tools that let them use that information to track progress, make decisions, plan for the future... Really useful performance management starts with really useful performance reviews, but it doesn't end there!

 

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