HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER
Title: Why Performance Reviews Don’t Work
Competencies: performance management, performance appraisals, coaching
Who benefits: executives, managers, supervisors and ultimately, employees; students of management, leadership and organizational development
Consultant Usage: organizational level consultants
What’s it about? Watched Letterman the other night. Loved his “Top 10†list. Figured it was about time to create my own. So here are the top 10 reasons to love and support performance reviews in your organization. The list is extracted from UCLA professor Sam Culbert’s book, reviewed below the list:
10. Performance reviews consume time – this helps managers stay busy
9. Performance reviews ensure things stay the same – by doing what we have always done we know what we will get
8. Performance reviews ensure that managers talk to employees at least once a year – communication with the rank and file is important
7. Performance reviews increase communication among employees – nothing gets employees talking to each other faster than a performance review, especially when all reviews are all given within a short span of time
6. Performance reviews have a direct effect on productivity – true, productivity decreases, but consider how much more it might have decreased without the performance review
5. Performance reviews enhance the importance of the HR department
4. Performance reviews increase employee accountability – a well-constructed performance review will give the manager someone to blame when things go wrong
3. Performance reviews are critical to a manager’s success – managers are often measured on the number and quality (of writing) performance reviews they generate each year
2, Performance reviews generate motivations – employees who don’t like their reviews are highly motivated to leave the organization (or get revenge), and who needs troublemakers
and finally,
1. Performance reviews are healthy reminders of who is the boss, who has the power, who makes the decisions and who holds the gold
Sam Culbert is a UCLA professor of management. He is an angry man with an ego bigger than the UCLA campus. He writes in absolutes like “all managersâ€, “all people in HRâ€. There are a lot of “theys†in his book Get Rid Of The Performance Review. He writes as if he has all the answers and woe be it to those who would disagree. He writes in an intimidating manner about managers who intimidate employees. He raises doubts in my mind if he practices what he preaches.
That being said, he has some very important ideas about the failures of performance reviews in organizations. Performances reviews are very counterproductive, demotivating, and create toxic environments. Professor Culbert’s book explains why in depth. Despite my reservations about his style, his ideas are important and worthy of a read.
Several years ago I posted about a similar book, written in a more gentle fashion. Should you be interested in the topic in general, I will again recommend to you Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire and What to Do Instead.
Catch you later.
Bill Bradley
Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.
Performance management and coaching are not my deal but I appreciate the info and caveats about Culbert. Can you remember a book you mentioned recently that I told you I had to buy? I wrote down the title and writer but cannot find it. If you have it, please send again…it was before David and Goliath. thanks…