Our Approach
The Need for Change, Performance Management is Broken
BROKEN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ERODES TRUST & ENGAGEMENT
Not only are current performance management practices not as effective as companies hope, they also may be negatively interpreted by the employee. Human interactions are complex as all people have different perceptions on a given environment or interaction. Lack of definition and lack of well-defined communication creates a culture of unfair pay practices and career advancement opportunities impacting innovation and business success leading to a range of systemic problems.
Performance Management programs have conscious and unconscious bias built-in; they are not fair and equitable. Social, behavioral, and neurological studies validate that humans are biologically conditioned to be biased.
Biases can cause decisions that are unfair and irrational, lead to systemic discrimination, limit innovation, and create a negative brand perception. Particularly within performance management, biases can lead to inconsistencies in goal difficulty and evaluation, coaching and stretch assignments and development opportunities, and rewards.
Given the potential negative impact of biases on employees, organization culture and performance we cannot just accept that bias is only human and natural. We need to mitigate bias proactively and intentionally, before it penetrates across people processes.
WE MUST DISRUPT THE NORM
Business has changed rapidly over the last decade and the pace of change has only been heightened by the pandemic and the rise of social media. “According to leadership expert Rand Stagen, in moments of fear (such as now), people typically react in one of three ways: They avoid the issue, they surrender their leadership position to others, or they rebel by disregarding the brutal facts” (Why Business Disruptors Thrive in Turbulent Times). We cannot be resistant to change and cling to the way things have always been done - DEI must be built into every aspect of a company - for the satisfaction of the employees themselves and the overall success of the company.
Our approach is built on strategies of trust, communication, self-reflection and equity sewn into the organization far before the performance management process begins. By creating a cohesive community foundation employers can learn how to be agile - navigating a growing diverse workforce by expanding and challenging their own views. We created the four disruptors - to lean in to change and grow stronger together.
These four disruptors enable a fair & equitable PM program. Even if you put just one of these four in place you will change things. It’s a journey, regardless of what stage your organization is at you can start/begin anywhere.