Jan
24
    
Posted (Sanjay Dholakia) in Performance Management on January-24-2008

Learning and talent management first moved from the realm of a support function to a mission critical application when we all figured out how to apply the technologies to everyday business problems. To make these applications even more “mission-critical” and to derive the greatest benefit, we have to figure out how to make these processes and technologies truly part of “everyday” activity. The networking dynamics in the “Web 2.0” world offer one great way to move in this direction.

To read an article on performance management and Web 2.0, click here
Excerpts about the article

“…All of this is a paradigm shift. Traditional talent management is controlled for the employee. When a worker undergoes a traditional performance review, he or she gets feedback. A rating of some kind is typically assigned, and instructions for development are delivered. In most cases, performance appraisals are rigid and conducted in a sort of broadcast method. Very little, if any, of the experience is self-directed.

Joining Web 2.0 tools to traditional performance management practices such as the annual review, 360-degree assessments and training, etc. gives employees a sense of independence. They can evaluate their competencies and take actions to improve productivity in a networked way, with peers, managers and colleagues providing support. In this way, Web 2.0 tools and traditional talent management technology mesh, and workers can seek out organizational experts and communities of practice as needed.

Talent executives easily can make a mistake attempting to integrate Web 2.0 and talent management. Integration can be a misnomer. A better way to think about the relationship between Web 2.0 tools and talent management is to ask how your organization can tap Web 2.0 to enhance employee performance…”

To read an article on performance management and Web 2.0, click here


 
Jan
10
    
Posted (Karen Hickey) in Performance Management on January-10-2008

Employee engagement is important, and yet another survey links employee satisfaction to the bottom line. This is a new research report from Wharton.

How Investing in Intangibles — Like Employee Satisfaction — Translates into Financial Returns

Contrary to management theories developed in the Industrial Age, employee satisfaction is an important ingredient for financial success, according to a new research paper by Wharton finance professor Alex Edmans. …he examines the stock returns of companies with high employee satisfaction and compares them to various benchmarks … His research indicates that firms cited as good places to work earn returns that are more than double those of the overall market.

Companies on Fortune magazine’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” between 1998 and 2005 returned 14% per year, compared to 6% a year for the overall market, according to Edmans.
Sounds good to me!