Since the days of infancy for the business industry,
performance management has always made an appearance. Introduced as a proper
management system back in the 1950s, it has progressed a lot, to keep up with
the tides of time and the ever-changing organizational culture.
But during this time of technological boom, where the flow
of information has been faster than ever, the traditional performance
management system has sort of fallen off. Hence, organizations have started
moving towards a newer system, a better system that utilizes all the
technological assets available to them and helps them further increase the
efficiency of performance management.
What is Agile Performance Management?
Agile performance
management or APM refers to a new collaborative and instant feedback-based
performance management system, which believes that the managers and the
employee in an organization are equals and should work together towards the
goals of the organization rather than consenting to the traditional hierarchical systems.
Faced with these social and fast-paced organizational
cultures that the world has been adopting, Agile
performance management incorporates the technological advances that allow
instant communication between peers and between the multiple levels of the organizational
hierarchy bridging the gap between the upper echelon management and the common
employee. This results in quick and efficient feedback and keeps performance
management in check.
Why is Agile Performance Management Better?
Some of the benefits
of Agile Performance Management that makes it better than your traditional
performance management system are:
Clear and Concise SMART Goals
Before we get into this, let us first look at what a smart
goal actually is. In an organizational structure, SMART is actually abbreviatedas Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Instant And Direct Feedback
Everyone likes to know if they did a good job or not. This
keeps them focused and motivated and helps them minimize problems and mistakes.
Not knowing what were the fruits that your work has reaped can be a little
frustrating and demoralizing to employees, as they cannot get any sense of
accomplishment.
But with Agile
Performance, you can provide the employees with instant positive and
constructive feedback. Positive feedback ignites a sense of accomplishment and
recognition in the employee and also provides them with a sense of purpose and
self-worth. With APM positive feedback can be provided instantly and publicly
which helps the employees build up a sense of positive competition amongst
themselves and a drive to work harder to gain recognition.
Although constructive feedback can be a little on the
harsher side sometimes, it is just as important for the growth of the employee
as positive feedback. While positive feedback recognizes the work done by the
employee constructive feedback helps them understand what’s expected of them
and how they can do their job in a more effective way.
Standing out
With instant feedback and recognition, an employee can stand
out amongst their peers and enjoy a certain social standing. Being able to be
recognized between a versatile group of individuals who all boost certain
skills and technical knowledge provides the employee with a sense of self-worth
and motivates them to do an even better job to stay in the spotlight and be a
superstar.
Shared Learning amongst Employees And Managers
As Agile performance
management is based on a collaborative style of doing things rather than a
hierarchical system. The managers are seen as thinking in the best interest of
the employees and help them directly by imparting knowledge regarding how to do
their duties and undertake responsibilities. This helps employees grow as
individuals and provides them with more opportunities to progress in the
organization as well.
Keeping track of the goals and regular
appraisals
Now the one thing that makes Agile Performance stand out the most against its ancient
counterpart is that APM focuses on regular appraisals of employee performance
throughout the year. Most companies that employ the old system performs annual
or semi-annual appraisals.
If you look at the statistics, research has proven that
companies who perform appraisals more frequently are likely to generate
30percent more revenue than your traditional organizations with their annual
appraisals.
Regular appraisals not only help in keeping the employee
motivated and focused but also helps the organization to keep track of their
goals and modify them for the long run if the need arises. This helps the
organization keep its goals relevant to the higher purpose that the
organization plans on performing.
Peer to peer feedback
Sometimes the structure of the organization is so
decentralized that the higher management cannot directly come in contact with
the employees. With APM you can perform surveys amongst a representative group
of employees to find out more about the problems and issues that should be
addressed. This helps greatly in forming conformity and unity amongst the
employee and the management. And allows the employee to understand that their
opinions and thoughts matter just as much as that of a manager’s. This helps in
keeping the employee motivated and give them a sense of responsibility and a
sense of meaning to their works.
Conclusion
After reviewing the benefits
of Agile performance management it is safe to assume that APM has
completely revolutionized the working of an organization. To keep up with the
currents of time any organization would need to get rid of some of their old
habits and culture and adapt to newer traditions. Only by keeping up with the
ever-changing culture and organizational structure consider to be a standard,
can an organization keep itself intact in this whirlpool of the financial boom.
Comments
Post a Comment