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

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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.

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • 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Most companies assess employee performance using outdated methods: They evaluate workers once a year with a standardized assessment tool and ask employees to complete self-assessments.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.

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    N. R. 3 months ago
    NA
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    J. H. 7 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!
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    A. 7 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