It’s Time for Continuous Alignment
It’s Time for Continuous Alignment
November 13, 2023 •. Alan Paulin, CEO
Performance reviews, often dreaded by employees and managers alike, have long been criticized for their inefficiency and ineffectiveness. These annual check-ins are notorious for consuming substantial time, being prone to recency bias, and failing to provide timely guidance. What if I told you there's a better way to enhance employee performance and development? In this post, we'll delve into the problems associated with traditional annual performance reviews and introduce a more agile and effective alternative.
Annual Performance Reviews
I’ve been involved in more than 20 years of performance reviews, and talked with hundreds of people from dozens of companies about their experiences. Here are some of the problems I’ve observed over time with annual performance reviews:
Time-Consuming: Annual performance reviews are notorious for eating up valuable hours that could be better spent on other essential tasks. Managers and employees alike dedicate an inordinate amount of time collecting feedback, preparing for the review, and conducting the meeting.
Bias: Recency bias can be problematic in annual performance reviews, with too much emphasis on recent work. They can also suffer from other kinds of bias, including confirmation bias and attribution bias. All types of bias can diminish the accuracy of any assessment.
Out-of-Date Feedback: Feedback during an annual review isn't timely. Issues that could have been addressed earlier are often discovered too late or never discovered at all.
Stress and Anxiety: When performance assessments occur infrequently, it puts extreme pressure on everyone involved. “What if my manager hasn’t been happy with my performance and I wasn’t aware?” As we’ve seen before, this can lead to a lack of productivity and absenteeism.
Introducing Continuous Alignment
A better approach than annual performance reviews is a system that revolves around Continuous Alignment. At Flint, Continuous Alignment is our proactive approach that emphasizes ongoing feedback, open communication, and regular check-ins between employees and managers. Instead of relying on a single annual meeting, we’re moving towards frequent touchpoints that reinforce a culture of improvement and support throughout the year. Let's explore the benefits of using the Continuous Alignment approach:
Timely, Specific Feedback: With Continuous Alignment, employees receive timely feedback that is specific to their recent performance. When feedback is exchanged early and often, it gives people the opportunity to grow and course correct their behaviors.
Frequent Adjustments: Regular conversations create opportunities for employees to make adjustments to their work, resulting in increased productivity and effectiveness. Imagine learning a more effective technique near the beginning of a project, versus when the project was over.
Opportunities for Guidance: Continuous Alignment facilitates ongoing coaching and mentorship. Managers can address concerns, provide guidance, and help employees achieve their career development goals faster.
Career Development: Employees benefit from continuous guidance, making it easier to track progress and achieve their career development goals faster. Periodic conversations are also valuable in identifying changing career objectives, and updating plans to achieve them.
Save Time and Energy: By embracing Continuous Alignment, organizations can simplify or eliminate annual performance reviews, using the time to reflect on progress against long term goals, or improvements based on guidance from the year.
In the fast-paced, ever-evolving corporate world, the traditional annual performance review is becoming increasingly obsolete. Continuous Alignment offers a more effective way to foster employee development, increase productivity, and build a culture of open communication. By transitioning from the annual cycle to an ongoing process, organizations can provide their employees with the feedback and support they need to thrive and excel in their roles. It's time to embrace the future of performance management.
At Flint, we’re building a platform to help organizations achieve Continuous Alignment. Interested in learning more? Reach out at hello@flint.cc.
