Don’t Just “Manage” Performance, Improve it
Just think: We live much of our lives through social media. We are able to react to things almost instantly, as they happen. But when we enter the workplace, it feels as if we are going back in time. We use performance management methods and tools that are mostly backwards-looking—written or oral reviews with occasional ad-hoc conversations. Remediation takes place months after a particular behavior occurs. Training interventions take so long to schedule they end up being irrelevant.
But good news is at hand. Performance management is coming to life through advanced digital technologies that are revolutionizing workforce management as we know it. Through analytics and machine learning, a new generation of workforce technologies is helping leaders guide workers in a timelier way—and helping people take a more active role in managing their own performance and careers. New tools and apps help people readily find learning sources and mentors, supporting just-in-time skill building, collaboration and real-time feedback.
Technology-enabled performance management is far more comprehensive and holistic. It’s focused on maximizing people development, improving the performance of individuals and the entire organization. It is the future of work.