Performance management

Unfortunately, performance reviews are typically dreaded by employees and supervisors alike. It is no secret that performance reviews are filled with biases (see the Culture Amp blog post linked in the resources below). Therefore, this component of performance management gets a lot of attention when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations.

While identifying and addressing the biases in performance reviews is essential to maintaining a diverse workforce, it’s important to remember that performance reviews are only one component of performance management.

Performance management is a process that should be looked at holistically to achieve organizational change. Traditional performance management processes tend to have similar components, such as:

• Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals

  Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Relevant/Realistic and Time based

• Monitoring progress
• Evaluating results

Traditional models are also largely driven by compliance and risk aversion, such as employee/employer contracts and EEO laws and regulations. In Creating a Performance Management Process that Works, Jason Lauritsen offers the following reflection and asks us to rethink the traditional components of performance management.

I grew up in a small rural community surrounded by farmers. It could be argued that farmers are in the business of performance management. After all, their livelihood is dependent upon how well their crops grow and perform. The more successfully they manage the performance of their crops, the bigger the reward they reap at harvest time.

Obviously crops and humans are very different. But, I think there are some lessons we can learn from the farmer.

Farmers have goals for the crops they plant each year, and they also closely monitor and measure progress throughout the season. But, they will tell you that the really important work of farming is what they call ‘cultivation.’

Cultivation in farming is about removing obstacles and adding supportive elements that enhance the growth (i.e., performance) of the crops. They may irrigate to provide water.

They likely add treatments to ward off weeds or pests that would hinder performance. And that’s just the beginning of the ongoing work they do in support of the performance of their crops.

In my opinion, cultivation is what’s missing from traditional performance management. The idea is the same: Remove barriers and provide ongoing support to enable peak performance.

Lauritsen proposes the following Performance Management Process:

• Planning
• Cultivation
• Accountability

As opposed to compliance and risk aversion, the process above is highly focused on valuing individuals and removing barriers to success, which are building blocks for diversity, equity and inclusion.