Posts by Susan Stitt

Inspiring Performance - Not Managing It!

Although the industrial age is long over, most organizations’ key people systems, processes and practices still have roots from that era. Traditional performance management processes are no longer relevant.  In fact, they deliver the opposite of the intended performance objective and de-motivate employees (see my article “Dirty Words in the Workplace – Performance Management!”).

The critical performance question business leaders would like to address is how to unleash potential in their organization.

Here are my Five Tips to Inspire Exceptional Performance :

1. Ditch your current performance management process.
2. Spend timediscussing your company’s vision, strategies, goals and values.
3. Focus on outcomes by being flexible about how, where and when work gets done.
4. Invest in developing GREAT people managers and leaders.
5. Put people first.  It’s really that simple.

It’s time to re-think how we work in organizations. I am passionately committed to helping organizations make significant changes for the better. What are you inspired to do?  To read the full article by Susan Stitt, please click here.

By Susan Stitt, Director/Human Resources Business Partner, AstraZeneca Canada

Dirty Words in the Workplace - Performance Management!

Thank you for the opportunity to submit a blog post to the new Juice Blog!

Dirty Words in the Workplace - Performance Management!

From every perspective - employee, manager, business leader and HR practitioner - performance management systems have become an antagonistic tool.  At many organizations, it is referred to as the annual de-motivation cycle.  And it’s a fitting label. 

Here are five reasons why I think “performance management” fails to achieve its intended goal:

1. Compensation has taken over. 
    
2. Performance ratings are labels that de-motivate everyone. 
    
3. Goal setting gone awry. 
    
4. Risk, rather than Performance is managed 
    
5. Form vs. Function.  

The bottom line is that organizations have lost their way with respect to performance management systems and forgotten their purpose.  Instead of inspiring performance, most systems de-motivate and disengage employees.

Where do we go from here?  Being aware of what’s gone wrong is the first important step!  Next time, I will share practical and easy-to-implement solutions that will call forth exceptional performance from your employees.  To read the full article by Susan Stitt, please click here.

By Susan Stitt, Director/Human Resources Business Partner, AstraZeneca Canada