Over the past few years, we have experienced a quiet revolution in the way people view performance management. The days of rigid annual appraisals and review forms may still linger, but those days are numbered. Organisations are realising the benefits of continuous improvement through ongoing assessment, instant feedback and continuous learning.

The problem with performance management as we know it is that traditionally we took a one-dimensional approach. Once a year you sit down, receive feedback from your line manager, then you get rewarded, or not, as the case may be. What happens next? In reality, most people will toss the review form the moment they leave the room, objectives will be forgotten, and constructive feedback won’t be acted upon as it was given out of context.

Organisations need a framework for promotion and reward as well as a formal platform to give constructive criticism and feedback. This is what the traditional performance management process delivers, however, we are now coming to realise that this is not the only consideration. If we want performance management to change behaviour and be used as a development aid, it needs to be more than just a platform for feedback and assessment, it needs to include an ongoing, individualised learning process.

This is the thinking behind SkillGate’s StepBeyond approach. Our suite of fully integrated performance management systems gathers feedback, monitors performance, and offers real development solutions.

Data is at the heart of the StepBeyond products, and our SuccessTargets system uses it to maximum effect. It draws on data gathered from other areas of the system to create a visual representation of an individual’s performance data. The visual ‘target’ enables you to understand, at-a-glance, each member of staff’s actual skill level against the skill level required for their role, their believed potential for improvement, the effort they put into improvement, and their workload capacity. This information is used to develop effective and individualised development and learning plans via other SkillGate products. As SuccessTargets updates in real-time, the information presented will always be up to date allowing you to track and evaluate progress on an ongoing basis.

Other StepBeyond products that support the SuccessTargets approach include;

• Annual Appraisal system – mirrors your existing appraisal programme
• 360° feedback – gathers feedback from clients and colleagues
• CoachAssess – allows you to record formalised one on one training
• Check-ins – anytime performance notes, objectives and reviews
• SkillsAudit – formalised skills and target grading
• Succession Profiler – focus on critical roles, assess internal readiness, and build succession plans

All the StepBeyond products are fully integrated with the SkillGate LMS. SmartCafé Solutions use the intelligence gained from the StepBeyond products to deliver customised and relevant training solutions to every member of staff. This means real and immediate training can be found to answer all training needs identified by the performance management process.

Managers also receive targeted information and advice about their teams. TeamCafé provides each manager with information about the urgent issues facing each member of their staff and suggests ways they can support every individual based on the learning solutions they have received. This puts managers at the very centre of the performance management process.

So, what is the future of performance management?

The future of performance management puts growth and maximising potential front and centre.

Ongoing performance monitoring, continuous feedback, regular assessment, consistent check-ins to support understanding and wellbeing, and the strategic use of data-driven insights will become the norm.

Managers and growth, rather than assessment, will be placed at the heart of the process, and performance management programmes will focus on developing individuals every day rather than once a year.

Does this sound like the future of performance management for your organisation? Then what are you waiting for? Take a leap. StepBeyond.