TRUTHS that will change your perception of performance management forever – and insights to help you make the shift to SOCIAL PERFORMANCE.

Traditional performance management models often leave management frustrated and employees demotivated.Savvy managers understand that appraisal scores offer little value to the company or the employee—and employees loathe subjective performance appraisal processes that rate them on a mere handful of the myriad of factors that drive results for the organization.

These systems, while very popular, are not always driving the value expected, according to Josh Bersin, principal analyst at Bersin & Associates. His research reveals that 53 percent of managers think their talent management software failed to help them create a performance-driven culture in their organization.

Indeed, the challenges to traditional performance management models have been well documented, from measuring competencies to linking together compensation and evaluations to simply keeping the system relevant amid the rapidly changing demands of today’s business world. The answer is Social Goals.

“‘Social’ is the word that is transforming almost every talent practice. In 2012, we will see an explosion in social recruiting, social performance management, social recruiting, social rewards and recognition, social learning, and social career management.” —Josh Bersin, principal analyst at Bersin & Associates.

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IntroductionWith Social Goals, any company can collaborate on goals to drive greater team productivity. Social Goals is revolutionizing goal setting and attainment with a transparent, interconnected approach to corporate goals and accountability.

Rather than getting employees to record information after the dust settles on a project and holding a debriefing session to air out what was done right and wrong, Social Goals works the way you do—in real-time. Social Goals aligns with the agile performance management model, a model that offers dynamic and continuous feedback rather than sterile appraisals at quarterly or annual intervals.

“Our groundbreaking research in 2011 discovered that companies which regularly revisit their goals (quarterly or even more often) dramatically outperform those which create annual cascading-goal programs. The dynamic nature of global business makes it necessary for performance management to become ‘agile’ and ‘real-time.’”— Josh Bersin, principal analyst at Bersin & Associates

This eBook explores the myths and truths around modern performance management models—truths that will set you free to pursue a more effective way to drive engagement and productivity across your organization.

“Until input (thought) is linked to a goal (purpose) there can be no intelligent accomplishment.” — Paul G. Thomas, an executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience

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Myth: Management systems should be designed for managers. Truth: Management systems should be designed for employees.

Traditional management systems are designed with the needs of management in mind—and that’s a large part of why traditional performance management systems are broken and failing. If the goal is to help employees improve, then the performance management system has to be designed to match the realities of the modern workforce, which moves faster and more often works from remote locations. Today’s workforce is dynamic, and so must management systems be.

“It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanationsare explanations, promises are promises—but only performance is reality.” —Robert Bacal, author of “Performance Management”

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TRUTH 1

Myth: Performance reviews should be about competencies. Truth: Performance reviews should be about contributions and results.Measuring competencies is largely subjective. What’s more, managers have far less day-to-day interaction with employees than coworkers do, making performance appraisals based on competencies even less accurate (and often demotivating for employees who are driving results that aren’t measured in these reviews). Performance reviews should take into account contributions and results.

“Appraisals are where you get together with your team leader and agreewhat an outstanding member of the team you are, how much yourcontribution has been valued, what massive potential you have and,in recognition of all this, would you mind having your salary halved?” —Guy Browning, British humorist who deals with office politics and social climbing

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TRUTH 2

Myth: Business goals should be private. Truth: Public goals engage the workforce.In your personal life, you might keep some goals private—because they are private. But there’s no benefit in keeping organizational goals tucked away in a digital drawer. Goal gurus agree that sharing goals with others increases the chances of reaching those goals. This is especially true in a business setting. Making goals public via Social Goals engages the workforce and breeds a team-oriented culture in your organization.

There’s a lot of talk in the business world about engagement vs. empowerment. Making business goals public both engages the workforce in your mission and empowers them to find innovative ways to execute it.

Ultimately, management sets the overarching business goals. Savvy managers are working with employees to figure out the best way to accomplish those goals as a team rather than laying out a list of rigid priorities.

“Creative thinking is not a talent. It is a skill that can be learned. It empowerspeople by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork,productivity and where appropriate profits.” —Edward de Bono, physician, author, inventory and consultant who coined the term lateral thinking

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TRUTH 3

Myth: Managers should assign goals to employees. Truth: Managers should cast vision on the end goal—but employees should be allowed to create and share intermittent goals with their team and work together to accomplish the tasks.The most successful organizations are home to employees who are committed to the work they are doing. Engaging employees with Social Goals helps them make a personal connection with the work. When managers assign blanket goals to employees, it robs them of a certain level of autonomy to employ critical thinking skills to map out milestones and solve challenges to the end goal. By allowing employees to set milestones on the roadmap to corporate goals, you not only drive buy-in–you also drive passion.

“With out passion you don’t have energy, with out energy you have nothing” —Donald Trump

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TRUTH 4

Myth: All goals need timelines and metrics. Truth: Some goals move too fast for dates and a “let’s get it done” mentality can dilute the quality of the work.Some believe deadlines help employees avoid procrastination, stay accountable and drive focus. There is some truth in that, but there is also the reality that the pace of work and how employees tackle goals has forever changed. Everything is moving faster. Dating goals then is, well, dated. In other words, putting hard and fast dates on goals doesn’t always match with the nature of goals in today’s competitive landscape. With Social Goals, some goals are dated while others are grouped into broader categories like “now,” “next,” and “some day.”

“A man on a mission is far different from a drone on a deadline.” —Unknown

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TRUTH 5

Myth: Employees should get feedback once a quarter or once a year. Truth: Employees should get feedback as often as it’s needed.Employees may need feedback several times a quarter or more—or less. Instead of monumental performance reviews, steady feedback along the way helps employees adjust more quickly and drives better results.

Think about it: an on-stage comedian gets immediate feedback—if the audience is not connecting with his routine he can switch it up. Employees need recognition for making the right decisions and guidance when they meet with obstacles. Waiting a quarter or a year makes it difficult for employees to shift the momentum. Social Goals offers more immediate feedback.

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” —Ken Blanchard, American author and management expert

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TRUTH 6

Myth: Employee feedback should come from management. Truth: Employees want more feedback from their coworkers than their manager.

Coworkers understand the daily grind and how the work of teams and departments interconnect, setting the stage for more valuable, actionable feedback. Social Goals empowers coworkers to recognize the work of their peers, or speak out if they have advice on how to accomplish a priority faster, better or more efficiently.

“My peers say I have made a difference. That means more to me thanwinning an Oscar” —Conrad Hall, Oscar-winning cinematographer

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TRUTH 7

Myth: Goals should only be shared among members of departmental teams. Truth: Every team across an organization should be able to view the goals of other teams and departments.Sharing goals only among members of departmental teams creates silos. By contrast, allowing every team across an organization to view the goals of other teams and departments fosters a culture of collaboration and drives self-management toward the overall goals of a corporation. Social Goals makes goals transparent across the organization

“The purpose in life is to collaborate for a common cause; the problem is nobody seems to know what it is.” —Gerhard Gschwandtner, American businessman

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TRUTH 8

Can you see how traditional performance management models put you—and your employees—in a box? The social enterprise and agility performance models a growing reality. Those companies that make the shift now will be reap the rewards later. But one of the missing links in the social enterprise has been Social Goals.

WorkSimple is the new way to drive performance. Individuals, small teams and large global organizations alike use WorkSimple as a better way to share goals, work together, get and give feedback, and make others shine.

Conclusion