Rate your performance management system in two minutes
Determine how mature your performance management process is with this 12 question quiz. Inspired by the thought leadership and experience our people scientists build into the platform, we’ll help you identify what’s working well and what can still be improved, plus tips on how to get there.
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Your performance culture results
Thriving
Your performance management process is working well. However, it is important to pinpoint how you can optimize your current strengths, and double down on the things that are working. Below, learn about your company’s specific performance DNA and how you can keep improving your culture.
Your performance culture results
Striving
Your organization seems to be achieving business goals, but something feels broken or missing from your performance management process. Below, you can learn a bit more about your company’s specific performance DNA and what you might need to optimize.
Your performance culture results
Coasting
You likely feel like your company has great culture and you are an avid fan and promoter of your performance management process. However, something in the process is not leading to the outcomes the business needs. Below, learn more about your company’s specific performance DNA and what you can do to help reach those targets.
Your performance culture results
Struggling
Don’t worry, you are not alone! A large majority of individuals do not enjoy their company’s performance management process. Developing a good one is tricky and there are a lot of factors to consider. Below, you can learn a bit more about your company’s specific performance DNA and where you can start to improve your process.
Your organization’s approach is hindered
There’s a good chance that you people don’t understand what is included in the performance process or how outcomes are determined. At times, individual goals might appear to be disconnected from the team’s goals or people are working on conflicting priorities. Also, it’s likely that your company’s approach to managing performance is not enabling people to perform at their best.
Recommendations
Even though the trend has been for performance management to be more individual and personalized, process and accountability are still very important. So you might consider creating a formal performance evaluation cycle if
you don’t have one in place already.
To get employees to commit to their goals, it’s important to make goal-setting collaborative. For example, have managers speak to individuals about their goals on
a regular cadence. Learn more about setting goals here.
It’s crucial to determine what your standards
for success are and how they’re going to be measured. Then you can train your managers on how to communicate those standards to their people. People don’t need to know everything, but they want to know what it takes to
be successful and grow their career.
Your organization’s approach is objective driven
Everyone seems to be clear on what your company’s goals are and there’s a good chance that goals are followed closely. However, there’s likely some uncertainty around whether or not you know who’s contributing and who’s not. Unfortunately, this could mean that people feel like they are not getting what they need to improve and grow.
Recommendations
To get a more accurate and holistic view of people’s performance, try collecting performance data from multiple sources at multiple points in time. One way to do that is to request feedback from an employee’s peers who aren’t
on their immediate team but have worked cross functionally with that employee. Over time, you’ll see who is collaborating well and who might be achieving success at the expense of others.
Your organization’s approach is consistently aligned
You’re doing a great job of creating a consistent process that takes people into account. Also, it seems like there’s a great deal of alignment around the company’s key objectives. However, accountability and praise conversations might feel clunky, if they’re happening at all. This might lead to people not getting the feedback or recognition they want (and maybe even need) despite good intentions.
Recommendations
Rather than leaving it up to chance, you might try a structured, “mad libs” approach to feedback. Giving people a common framework for how to give and receive feedback encourages a culture of courage and collaboration. See
examples here.
Try creating a culture of recognition by making it easy for people to commend each other on great work. This could
mean software platforms with recognition features or special stationary that’s used only for handwritten notes of appreciation.
Embed good coaching questions and feedback resources into performance conversations.
Consider using performance tools that provide just-in-time manager training within their workflow.
Your organization’s approach is well-developed
There’s a good chance that your people leaders work closely with their direct reports on setting clear expectations and then help them to meet their goals. Unfortunately, some people might be underperforming and not developing, despite the extra help. Simultaneously, there might be high-performing people in your organization that are being overlooked.
Recommendations
Even though the trend has been for performance management to be more focused on individual development, accountability is still very important. You might consider creating a formal performance improvement plan that helps coach
lower-performing employees into other roles that will better utilize their strengths.
To get a more accurate and holistic view of people’s performance, try collecting performance data from multiple sources
at multiple points in time. Over time, you’ll see who is collaborating well and who might be achieving success at the expense of others.
Your organization’s approach is best in class
Congratulations! It sounds like your organization creates a workplace that has clear expectations, development opportunities, and accountability. There’s a good chance people feel like they are treated equitably and they’re getting the feedback they need to develop further.
Recommendations
Do not rest on the success of your current approach or past accomplishments. Continue pushing for a workplace that honors the unique performance objectives of every person and does so in a fair and equitable way.
Share your success stories and learnings on People Geek Answers–the community needs to learn from you!
Your organization’s approach is yielding scattered success
You should congratulate yourself on creating a culture that makes people feel like they can get accurate feedback applicable to improving their performance and reaching their objectives. But at times, individual goals might appear to be disconnected from the team’s goals or people are working on conflicting priorities.
Recommendations
To get people more committed to their goals, it’s important to have managers speak to them about their goals. By making goal-setting collaborative people aren’t given expectations that they never feel completely accountable
for. Learn more about setting goals here.
You might try creating visibility into what people are
working on and give them the tools to track their progress over time. This might be through regular self-reflections and meeting with managers, goal tracking software, or weekly standups.
Your organization’s approach is unclear
There’s a good chance that your culture allows people to develop in whatever ways that will help them be successful and held accountable when they aren’t. Unfortunately, it might also feel like employee’s fates are at the mercy of a manager’s judgements — that the criteria for success is arbitrary or performance review decisions are made in a “black box.” It’s likely that these feelings of unfairness arise, in part, from unclear expectations.
Recommendations
You might find success with creating a standardized and centralized way of tracking and measuring how performance is being handled across your organization. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever individualize or make exceptions,
but you want to be intentional about how those exceptions are made and have visibility for when they happen.
To get people more committed to their goals, it’s important to have managers speak to them
about their goals. By making goal-setting collaborative people aren’t given expectations that they never feel completely accountable for. Learn more about setting goals here.
Your organization’s approach is not future focused
People in your organization who are producing above-average results are likely seeing the recognition and praise they deserve. Meanwhile, those that underperform are dealt with accordingly. Unfortunately, this might mean your process feels punitive or backwards-looking rather than fair, future-oriented, and developmental.
Recommendations
It’s crucial to determine what your standards for success are and how they’re going to be measured. Then you can train your managers on how to communicate those standards to their people. People don’t need to know everything,
but they want to know what it takes to be successful and grow their career.
Helping your managers shift from “boss” to “coach” is an important part of making your performance management process more motivating
and developmental. To lead this transformation, embed good coaching questions and feedback resources into their performance conversations. Consider using performance tools that provide just-in-time manager training within
their workflow.
To create a more developmental process, try giving people the ability to get feedback that’s not tied to their formal evaluation or compensation. You might not decide to decouple evaluation
from development completely, but you can start by having separate conversations and channels specifically for development. Learn more about separating measurement and development conversations here.
Your organization’s approach is supportive but unfocused
It’s likely that your organization is very team-oriented and your managers are equipped to help people improve. On the other hand, this positive culture isn’t necessarily tied to a set of clear goals that people are held accountable for. Great work might go unnoticed if it’s not on everyone’s radar.
Recommendations
You might try creating visibility into what people are working on and give them the tools to track their progress over time. This might be through regular self-reflections and meeting with managers, goal tracking software,
or weekly standups.
Recognition doesn’t always mean cash and prizes. Often times it’s public praise from peers and leaders. Try making it easy for people to call each other out for great work. This could mean
software platforms with recognition features or special stationary that’s used only for handwritten notes of appreciation. More examples here.
Your organization’s approach is goal oriented
Your culture might be described as one where people know what the goals are and each person is held accountable for their part. However, your process might feel punitive or backwards-looking rather than future-oriented and developmental. So it might feel like reaching goals is all that matters, regardless of how those goals are accomplished.
Recommendations
To get a more accurate and holistic view of people’s performance, try collecting performance data from multiple sources at multiple points in time. Over time, you’ll see who is collaborating well and who might be achieving
success at the expense of others.
To create a more developmental process, try giving people the ability to get feedback that’s not tied to their formal evaluation or compensation. You might not decide to decouple
evaluation from development completely, but you can start by having separate conversations and channels specifically for development. Learn more about separating measurement and development conversations here.
Your organization’s approach is inconsistent
It seems that your performance management process does a good job of recognizing people who contribute to the company’s goals, as well as developing people who need extra help. Unfortunately, your people might not feel like the rules around performance decisions are consistently applied.
Recommendations
To get a more accurate and holistic view of people’s performance, try collecting performance data from multiple sources at multiple points in time. Over time, you’ll see who is collaborating well and who might be achieving
success at the expense of others.
It’s crucial to determine what your standards for success are and how they’re going to be measured. Then you can train your managers on how to communicate those standards
to their people. People don’t need to know everything, but they want to know what it takes to be successful and grow their career.
You might find success with creating a standardized and centralized way of
tracking and measuring how performance is being handled across your organization. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever individualize or make exceptions, but you want to be intentional about how those exceptions are made and
have visibility for when they happen.
Your organization’s approach is fair and transparent
People understand how their work links to goals of the organization and they feel that the performance review process is fair and transparent. They are held accountable to these goals and standards and the right people are rewarded and recognised for their good work. However, there may be more of a past, measurement focus, rather than future, developmental focus, to your performance management process.
Recommendations
To create a more developmental process, try giving people the ability to get feedback that’s not tied to their formal evaluation or compensation. You might not decide to decouple evaluation from development completely, but
you can start by having separate conversations and channels specifically for development. Learn more about separating measurement and development conversations here.
Helping your managers shift from “boss” to “coach” is an important part of making your performance management process more motivating and developmental. To lead this transformation,
embed good coaching questions and feedback resources into their performance conversations. Consider using performance tools that provide just-in-time manager training within their workflow.
Rather than leaving
it up to chance, you might try a structured, “mad libs” approach to feedback. Giving people a common framework for how to give and receive feedback encourages a culture of courage and collaboration. See examples here.
Your organization’s approach is disconnected
Your performance management process seems fair, transparent, and people understand what standards they are being measured against. Unfortunately, people still don’t feel like they are held accountable or recognised for great work. In addition, there’s a good chance that they feel like their goals are disconnected to the goals of the organization.
Recommendations
To get people more committed to their goals, it’s important to have managers speak to them about their goals. By making goal-setting collaborative people aren’t given expectations that they never feel completely accountable
for. Learn more about setting goals here.
Helping your managers shift from “boss” to “coach” is an
important part of making your performance management process more motivating and developmental. To lead this transformation, embed good coaching questions and feedback resources into their performance conversations. Consider
using performance tools that provide just-in-time manager training within their workflow.
Recognition doesn’t always mean cash and prizes. Often times it’s public praise from peers and leaders. Try making
it easy for people to call each other out for great work. This could mean software platforms with recognition features or special stationary that’s used only for handwritten notes of appreciation. More examples here.
Your organization’s approach is focused on development
It sounds like your performance management process is future-focused, developmental, and has individual growth as a core focus. Unfortunately, people might not always feel like the development is aimed at the company’s objectives. At times, the lack of follow through can make accountability and praise feel inconsistent.
Recommendations
It’s crucial to determine what your standards for success are and how they’re going to be measured. Then you can train your managers on how to communicate those standards to their people. People don’t need to know everything,
but they want to know what it takes to be successful and grow their career.
You might find success with creating a standardized and centralized way of tracking and measuring how performance is being handled
across your organization. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever individualize or make exceptions, but you want to be intentional about how those exceptions are made and have visibility for when they happen.
You
might try creating visibility into what people are working on and give them the tools to track their progress over time. This might be through regular self-reflections and meeting with managers, goal tracking software,
or weekly standups
Your organization’s approach is focused on results
It seems like you have a clear and transparent performance management process where the right people are rewarded and recognized. Yet, even though people have a good understanding of their individual performance, they’re not given many development opportunities to improve upon their impact. So it might feel like your process is all about measuring past interactions instead of developing people to reach future goals.
Recommendations
To get people more committed to their goals, it’s important to have managers speak to them about their goals. By making goal-setting collaborative people aren’t given expectations that they never feel completely accountable
for. Learn more about setting goals here.
Helping your managers shift from “boss” to “coach” is an
important part of making your performance management process more motivating and developmental. To lead this transformation, embed good coaching questions and feedback resources into their performance conversations. Consider
using performance tools that provide just-in-time manager training within their workflow.
Rather than leaving it up to chance, you might try a structured, “mad libs” approach to feedback. Giving people a common
framework for how to give and receive feedback encourages a culture of courage and collaboration. See examples here.
Your organization’s approach is unbalanced
Your people work closely with their managers to understand how they’re tracking against their goals and how their work connects to the organization’s objectives. Your process is future-focused with lots of conversations regarding development. Yet, when it comes to measuring performance, things might feel inconsistent. At times, good work goes unnoticed and shoddy performance is ignored.
Recommendations
To get a more accurate and holistic view of people’s performance, try collecting performance data from multiple sources at multiple points in time. Over time, you’ll see who is collaborating well and who might be achieving
success at the expense of others.
You might find success with creating a standardized and centralized way of tracking and measuring how performance is being handled across your organization. This doesn’t mean
you can’t ever individualize or make exceptions, but you want to be intentional about how those exceptions are made and have visibility for when they happen.
Recognition doesn’t always mean cash and prizes.
Often times it’s public praise from peers and leaders. Try making it easy for people to call each other out for great work. This could mean software platforms with recognition features or special stationary that’s used
only for handwritten notes of appreciation. More examples here.
Your results are based on your answers, but the best place to start when reviewing your performance management process is actual employee feedback.
Learn which questions to ask
Learn how we can help you create a high-performing culture
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Your results come with specific, research-backed suggestions to take action on your biggest weaknesses and opportunities.
So whether your process is struggling, striving or thriving, you’ll know what to do next.
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Did you know?
Research has found, on average 60% of people find performance management more negative than positive with a Net Promoter score of -60. That’s worse than cable companies, internet service providers, and insurance plans. Yikes!
Did you know?
Employees who are more satisfied with their organization’s approach to performance management are 1.3x more likely to meet their financial targets and 3x more likely to effectively manage change.
Did you know?
Researchers have consistently found that if the process is consistent and fair, employees are more satisfied. They can still be satisfied with the process, even if they don’t receive a bonus or promotion following their performance review.
Did you know?
Positive organizational results are shown to follow a performance evaluation if employees have had their performance review process explained thoroughly
Did you know?
Organizations that collect feedback from multiple sources and at multiple points in time have higher NPS for their performance management process.
Did you know?
Employees whose managers involve them in setting their goals are 3.6x more likely to be engaged.
Did you know?
Google’s Project Aristotle research focused on effective teams has found one core attribute of great teams: they create structure and clarity around goals.
Did you know?
High-performing organizations view the true purpose and objective of performance management to be enabling employees to do their best work.
Did you know?
Research has found that employees demonstrate 38% more discretionary effort at work when they report to managers who are good coaches.
Did you know?
A 2018 study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that creating a culture of feedback was the most critical driver of positive organizational and financial outcomes.
Did you know?
Only 45% of the 1.5 million employees that Culture Amp surveyed in 2019 agreed or strongly agreed with that statement. That means more than half of the employees surveyed on our platform feel uncertain—or worse—about how performance issues are handled within their organizations.
Did you know?
In 2019 Culture Amp found that the engagement survey question, “Generally, the right people are rewarded and recognized at my company” was the seventh highest driver for employee motivation.