How Agile Performance Management Changes the HR Landscape

Featured blog by Debbie Fletcher, Independent Technology Writer

What is performance management?

According to the HR council, performance management is “a process where managers and employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work objectives and overall contribution to the organisation”. It’s a process that’s supposed to happen continually throughout the year, providing employees with ongoing monitoring and feedback. However, traditional performance management systems haven’t always been this effective, making performance reviews a time consuming and challenging task for HR teams to keep on top of…

What did performance management used to look like?

Performance management was a concept made popular in offices all over the world in the early 1950s, resulting in the traditional annual performance plan and appraisal process that we’re all familiar with today. For the most part, employees could expect to be told what to do, when to do it and even how to do it, and were either rewarded or chastised for their ability to deliver.

However, the culture of teamwork, empowerment and participation in the 1970s and 1980s began to show that traditional performance management systems were too antiquated to keep up with this new way of working. By the dawn of the internet and an acceleration in technology throughout the nineties and noughties, it had become clear that a more connected, instantaneous and collaborative form of performance management was required, resulting in the creation of what we now know as ‘agile’ performance management…

What is agile performance management?

Agile performance management is a system using technology (such as the kind provided by UpRaise.io) that allows employees to work quickly and easily, dividing tasks and objectives into smaller chunks with frequent reassessment and adaption of plans.

Cognoloy have identified that “the two most important features of Agile Performance Management are development focus and regular check-ins. This shift in focus recognises that:

1. A more skilled and capable workforce can perform at a higher level.

2. Just like on an elite sporting team, regular feedback, communication and coaching is needed to create high levels of performance”.

So, how does this change the HR landscape?

Well firstly, agile performance management has resulted in more frequent feedback. Using technology to ensure that praise and criticism comes when it needs to, not many, many months down the line, serves to heighten enthusiasm, engagement and efficiency in the workplace, and also allows for constructive criticism to be delivered in a manner that’s timely and private.

Secondly, it’s changed the HR landscape by allowing for regular check-ins between managers and team members. By sidelining the idea of a once or twice yearly review, the regular monitoring of employees using tasks, alerts, message threads and conversations ensures that everyone stays on top of their objectives, upholds responsibility for achieving their goals and enables individuals to alert their managers if there are any problems in their way.

Finally, agile performance systems have increased our sense of social working. This has made collaborations easier and has provided individual team members with recognition for their work. After all, what’s more motivating than a public message posted by a colleague that celebrates your achievements?