Performance Management - The Beginning

Image by Jinho.Jung via Flickr

I would like to start by quoting this:

"There are only three ways of improving performance. Firstly, you can actually improve performance. Secondly, you can cheat the system so that it appears performance is improved. Finally, you can simply lie about performance achieved."

Dr. Mike Bourne & Pippa Bourne - Balance Scorecard - Instant manager taking control of work and life

The above indicates how organisations how actually they strive to achieve performance on two extremes; one to actually work towards achieving performance or to cheat and lie to show they are performing.

It is not an easy thing to actually perform; particularly when organisations are so wrapped up in their day-to-day to the extent that they lost sight of the forest for the trees.

So how do we then assure that people and the organisation actually perform than to actually hide and cheat and lie about performance?

I attended a talk by a CEO of a technology company and he shared a very amusing anecdote about why companies are not able to achieve and realise their potentials:

"Being the CEO I am very proud and energetic when I announce every year to our employees about our aspirations and goals but also at the same time wondering why we have not been able to achieve our goals. Then it struck me that of the many who attended the announcement only one third was actually listening. The other two third were actually thinking about the work they need to go back to or about the food to be served.

Of the one third who listened, only one third of them actually understood what was announced.

Of those one third of the one third, one third actually were energised by the announcement, and finally one third of them actually acted on the announcement."

So in the end only a few of the many who actually do things, but the thing is do they really care?