How do you experiment with new performance management methods?

1 Assess your current state

Before you start experimenting with new performance management methods, you need to assess your current state and identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement. You can do this by conducting a survey, a focus group, or an interview with your managers and employees to gather their feedback on the existing performance management system. You can also analyze the data and metrics related to performance, such as engagement, productivity, turnover, and customer satisfaction. Based on your findings, you can define your goals and objectives for experimenting with new performance management methods and prioritize the areas that need the most attention.

2 Research best practices

Once you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why, you can research the best practices and trends in performance management. You can look for case studies, articles, podcasts, or webinars that showcase how other organizations have implemented new performance management methods and what results they have achieved. You can also consult with experts, coaches, or consultants who can offer guidance and advice on how to design and execute your experiment. You can learn from the successes and failures of others and adapt their ideas to your own context and culture.

3 Choose a method and a scope

After you have done your research, you can choose a new performance management method that suits your goals and needs. There are many options to choose from, such as OKRs (objectives and key results), 360-degree feedback, peer coaching, real-time recognition, or gamification. You can also combine different methods or create your own hybrid approach. However, you should avoid changing too many things at once and overwhelming your managers and employees. Instead, you should start small and choose a specific scope for your experiment, such as a team, a department, a project, or a time period. This way, you can test the feasibility and effectiveness of your new method before rolling it out to the whole organization.

4 Communicate and train

Before you launch your experiment, you need to communicate and train your managers and employees on the new performance management method. You need to explain the purpose, the process, the expectations, and the benefits of the experiment. You also need to address any concerns or questions that they may have and solicit their feedback and suggestions. You need to provide them with the necessary tools, resources, and support to use the new method effectively. You can use various channels and formats, such as emails, newsletters, webinars, workshops, or videos, to communicate and train your audience.

5 Monitor and evaluate

During and after your experiment, you need to monitor and evaluate the impact and outcomes of the new performance management method. You need to collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, such as feedback, ratings, comments, surveys, interviews, observations, or performance indicators. You need to compare the results with your baseline and your goals and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the new method. You also need to involve your managers and employees in the evaluation process and ask them to share their experiences, opinions, and suggestions for improvement.

6 Adapt and scale

Based on your evaluation, you can decide whether to continue, modify, or stop your experiment with the new performance management method. If you decide to continue, you can adapt the method to address any issues or gaps that you have identified and make it more suitable for your organization. You can also scale the method to other teams, departments, or projects and expand its scope and reach. If you decide to stop, you can learn from your experiment and use the insights to inform your future performance management initiatives.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?