According to a Gallup poll in the US last year, only 14% of employees “strongly agreed” that a performance review inspired them to improve.
Here in the UK, employees likely feel the same way.
Apple and Netflix have discarded formal reviews.
Microsoft has stopped ranking every employee.
As mentioned on Monday, General Electric used to do that during Neutron Jack Welch’s reign.
The practice lowered morale at Microsoft and created “a toxic work culture” (Morning Brew).
What’s better?
Imagine you’re a kid again.
One that loves playing football.
You’re in a match in the local park.
Your mates make up the team.
The team you’re playing are edging things in one or two areas of the pitch.
For example, their centre forward is quick.
They are frequently slipping through your midfield towards your goal.
What do you do?
Well, you could wait six months for a performance review that includes this particular match, which, by the way, you most certainly lost.
You could also do what kids in the park do and listen to the team leader on the field. .
By the way, when you’re playing in the park with your friends, you don’t usually have an official “Captain.”
There may be a star player everyone listens to, or more often, there are a number of “Captains” on the pitch giving instructions, depending on where they’re playing and their experience.
That way, the team can adjust to awkward situations in real-time.
For example, the goalie will likely yell at his defenders to move in behind the midfield whenever that lively opponent picks up the ball (something the victorious Spanish team did in every match in the recent Euros).
That’s why football is a team game.
In the world of work, informal catch-ups work better than annual reviews both for managers and their teams,
A manager and team member can discuss problems and issues as they arise.
Better, they can also head off things that could cause a problem in advance.
Input and support can be provided not just by the manager but also by other members of the team.
In this way, a team or company go down the field together.
Talking of team games,
In Japan, managers adapted tactics from the game of rugby to speed up the development of new products.
It’s proved highly successful.
In today’s fast-paced, fiercely competitive world of commercial new product development, speed and flexibility are essential. Companies are increasingly realising that the old, sequential approach to developing new products simply won’t get the job done. Instead, companies in Japan and the United States are using a holistic method—as in rugby, the ball gets passed within the team as it moves as a unit up the field.
From the New New Product Development Game by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka
We’re also excellent team players.
You’ll discover that when you buy this course.
It comes with three excellent bonuses.
Very best,
David O’Beirne