The performance management revolution is well and truly under way. What was once a trickle has become a flood, with many businesses opting to replace traditional performance management practices with the development-driven continuous performance model.
Despite this shift to the mainstream, there are still many organisations yet to transition towards continuous performance management. But with so much evidence to support the effectiveness of a more agile process, it begs the question:
When it comes to adopting the continuous performance management model - is it a case of when, not if?
That certainly seems to be the case for many businesses, starting with the large multinationals and filtering down. In fact, according to Deloitte’s 2017 Human Capital Trends research, as many as 79% of executives rate performance management redesign as a high priority, up from 71% the previous year.
Such widespread commitment to what is still a relatively new methodology is unusual - so, what’s driving it?
Timing
It isn’t such a long time since continuous performance management was seen as a disruptive force in the HR space. After all, it challenges many ingrained processes and long-held beliefs.
But countless success stories have completely flipped this idea on its head. These days, many firms would consider sticking with outdated and potentially damaging performance practises to be the riskier proposition.
Continuous performance management pioneers like GE and Adobe have irreversibly changed the way businesses view performance management. Now, with so much information out there on what ‘good’ looks like, there’s never been a better time to implement an agile performance management methodology.
Technology
One of the biggest factors driving so much performance management change is the technological innovation in this space that’s been seen over the past few years.
Back when the continuous model was first developed, the software to support it simply didn’t exist, which meant its implementation was a huge undertaking. Now, technology has caught up with HR thought leadership, ably supporting and even enhancing modern performance management best practise.
A cohesive, integrated performance management software solution allows businesses to extract maximum value from the process, all while saving key resources time on what was traditionally an extremely admin-heavy process.
Results
Ultimately, the real acid test for any new or changed process lies in the results it produces, and this is where continuous performance management has really shone.
According to one report, 90% of companies that have redesigned performance management have witnessed improvements in employee engagement, and a staggering 96% of companies polled believe their new process is simpler than the old. As well as this, 83% say that the quality of conversations between managers and employees has improved.
These figures are undeniably compelling, and when viewed alongside the other factors we’ve discussed it isn’t hard to see why so many businesses are looking to adopt the continuous performance model.
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