Did any of you watch the link that Debbie McGrath sent on LinkedIn?  If not, I highly recommend that you see it. The video certainly makes you stop and think. Generational changes to the workforce combined with changes to how we work are affecting both our health and the look and feel of organizations and that has a profound impact on performance management.

The two statements that stood out for me were as follows:
1)       “30% of employers have fired an employee for surfing the web at work”
And
2)        “yet employees who surf the web are shown to be 9% more productive than those who don’t”

These statements reflect a serious disconnect. Perhaps we are holding on to old performance management practices without warrant.

Along similar lines, Tommy Weir writes about today’s changes in the most recent Kenexa Connection newsletter. Weir writes that companies must understand “Growth is no longer caused by your organization or concentrated in a few Western markets.” He writes, “Only businesses that redefine their talent strategy and approach will be successful. The legacies and histories that we once relied on are a prescription for failure.”

Thus, we must develop flexible performance management processes that account for employees working independently in a variety of locations.

We need people who have outstanding people skills and are able to see things from outside of their own perspective.

We need innovators and we need performance management systems that do not stifle these innovators.

We need performance management systems that can reflect the various types of teams we work with.

We need performance management systems that inspire trust in our employees.

If you have any extra time this week, I recommend you review these two pieces. Both will give you something exceedingly important to think about.

References:

Kronos. “How will you manage?” [www.youtube.com]. Obtained November 15, 2009.

Weir, Tommy. “Kenexa Connection: The CEO Shift” [www.kenexa.com]. Vol. 9, Iss. 4. October 2009.