Join getAbstract to access the summary!

How Performance Management Is Killing Performance – and What to Do About It

Join getAbstract to access the summary!

How Performance Management Is Killing Performance – and What to Do About It

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Everybody hates the annual performance management review. Here’s how to fix it.

Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Better performance management awaits, says HR consultant M. Tamra Chandler, who shows the way in this pleasure-to-read guidebook. She argues that performance management should focus on people – executives, supervisors and workers – and not just on processes. Her prose is clear, personal and funny, making this one of the best – and best-written – current HR books. Someone new to performance management could read Chandler’s thoughts and engage instantly, and seasoned veterans will get enough charts, graphs, real-world examples and online tools to satisfy their inner wonks. getAbstract recommends this guide as a valuable tool for any manager or HR professional. You’ll use it often.

Summary

Everybody Hates Performance Management

Most companies assess employee performance using outdated methods: They evaluate workers once a year with a standardized assessment tool and ask employees to complete self-assessments. Managers and employees loathe annual reviews and believe they undermine improved performance. Unfortunately, leaders and managers rarely alter the Performance Management (PM) process, because they don’t know how to replace it. To upgrade your PM system, launch a “Performance Management Reboot.” Successfully managing a PM Reboot requires, first, understanding what’s wrong with your current PM method. The other two crucial elements are instilling trust among your employees by relinquishing authority over the process and customizing your PM by tailoring its procedures to fit the precise, unique needs of your firm.

“The Eight Fatal Flaws”

Traditional performance management systems are unproductive because they suffer from eight inherently faulty characteristics:

  1. No proof exists that the traditional PM system helps employees work more effectively. Instead of boosting employee engagement, ordinary PM processes can depress...

About the Author

M. Tamra Chandler cofounded and serves as chief executive officer of PeopleFirm, a Seattle management consulting company.


Comment on this summary

  • Avatar
  • Avatar
    N. R. 2 years ago
    NA
  • Avatar
    J. H. 9 years ago
    One if the best written and summarized.

    It is dear to my heart that how every company hassles to the PM then splashed away from it because of no reason articulated in this book and summary. Thanks!
  • Avatar
    A. 9 years ago
    There is no news here - there is much better information on the web. This is what a certain segment of the management community has been saying for the past 5-6 years. Panacea type solutions are not helpful; each organization needs to chart its own unique path which must involve not only top-down decisions, but grass roots initiatives that empower employees. In particular, see David Rock's seminal piece on the SCARF model at http://www.strategy-business.com/article/09306?gko=5df7f

More on this topic

Related Skills

Advance Your Career
AI Transformation
Be Creative
Be Emotionally Intelligent
Become More Adaptable
Become More Productive
Career
Communicate Effectively
Develop the Organization
Digital Transformation
Consulting Industry
Drive AI Transformation
Enable Digital Organization
Enhance Customer Experience
Entrepreneurship
Execute Digital Operations
Lead Ethically
Lead Strategically
Live Well
Manage Corporate Communications
Manage Learning and Development
Manage Product Innovation
Manage Teams and Departments
Market Insights by Industry
Marketing
Navigate Leadership Challenges
Place Talent Strategically
Plan and Strategize Your Sales
Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Sales
Soft Skills
Understand Innovation
Understand Organizations
Workplace Skills
Drive Organizational Performance
Promote a Learning Culture
Communicate Corporate Strategy
Understand Organizational Culture
Define Product Strategy
Create Product-Market Fit
Promote Generational Inclusion
Drive Continuous Improvement
Foster Team Culture
Streamline Your Workflow
Build Digital Culture
Innovation
Engage in Intrapreneurship
Lead through Change
Design Incentive Structures
Drive Change Without Authority
Enhance Team Agility
Build Your Startup
Have Effective Meetings
Optimize Workforce Performance
Implement Executive Coaching
Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
Practice Servant Leadership
Support Internal Mobility
Manage Project Stakeholders
Lead Operational Planning
Embrace Change
Management
Organize Innovation
Develop Self-Awareness
Promote Customer Centricity
Executive Leadership
Facilitate Group Ideation
Foster a Culture of Innovation
Lead Yourself
Organize for AI
Promote Failure-tolerance
Strengthen Team Collaboration
Encourage Experimentation
Evaluate Employees
Integrate Customer Feedback
Manage Remuneration
Consulting Best Practices
Drive Employee Engagement
Leadership
Leverage Employee Resource Groups
Translate Strategy into Action
Build Psychological Safety
Leverage AI for Management
Understand Motivation
Innovate Strategically
Manage Your Leadership Impact
Reward Employee Contributions
Engage in Job Crafting
Launch Products
Manage Project Risks
Lead Remote or Hybrid Teams
Practice Transformational Leadership
Conduct Performance Reviews
Drive Project Management
Human Resources
Provide Feedback
Implement Agility
Manage Change
Plan and Execute Projects
Define Product Vision
Understand Organizational Change
Develop Self-Mastery
Implement Coaching Programs
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Master Collaboration
Develop Innovative Products
Leverage Ambidexterity
Personal Growth
Set Team Goals
Improve Team Performance
Drive Product Development
Manage Sales Teams
Develop Team Members
Communicate Strategically
Shape Organizational Culture
Drive Team Performance
Manage Performance
Set and Achieve Goals
Communicate Corporate Purpose
Enhance Employee Experience
Motivate Your Team
Manage People and Talent