By Garry Davis 2016
For 25 years I have played every imaginable role in regards to performance review and management; nine of those years in Local Government. It is with this background that I question the current trend toward abandoning performance reviews or ratings.
I am not saying they can’t be improved, particularly in light of recent work in social neuroscience, Strengths Based Management and positive psychology, but I see real risks in ditching them.
The following rule has served me well:
“No aspect of a performance review should be a surprise”
Almost every article I see questioning the value of performance reviews will cite some statistic pointing to ‘high dissatisfaction’ or ‘low perceived return on investment’. They may even fuel this uncertainty by mixing in claims about the mysterious needs of a particular ‘generation’. It is ironic that the work of people like Bruce Tulgan, Managing Generation X (1995) show how little of this thinking is actually new.
In 2004 Robert W. Rogers, then President of Development Dimensions International (DDI) wrote ‘Realizing the Promise of Performance Management’, one of the most credible and pragmatic texts I have seen on the topic. Armed with several large-scale studies, Rogers draws straight-forward conclusions about eight key factors that will impair a performance management system.
He regards lack of champion/senior management support as ‘… the primary problem’! and I totally agree. In my experience, any failing in this regard precedes the rest of his list. My experience would suggest that supervisor skills and process auditing are also key risks.
We all know the symptoms; reviews that are not completed, late, meaningless, scant or worse; unfair, breach policy, contract or law.
These outcomes have a huge impact on employees who often feel powerless to question ‘management’ or ‘the system’. If this becomes the reputation of your performance management system you risk creating organisational learned helplessness. Trust me; this will kill your organisations culture and performance, often in unseen (passive aggressive) ways. Additionally, research into ongoing exposure to such work environments shows significant links to employee health issues.
‘Reviews must be meaningful and fair’.
So, what is my point? If you are questioning the effectiveness of your performance management system I suggest you take a very honest look at the root causes. Because failing to admit that any of these factors underlie the current reality will likely see any replacement fail for exactly the same reasons.
Does your organisation really take performance management seriously?
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