Managing Change and Managing Performance. Make sure they’re connected!

Your rewards and recognition may be static and predictable but great organizations are not. Make sure your performance-related programs change with the times too.

Plato had it right — you get the behavior you reward.

That’s why whenever organizations implement a significant change they also need to consider how performance standards and performance management and reward programs may also have to be modified to reflect new expectations and encourage and promote new ways of working.

Be Proactive . . .

When things change, it’s no longer appropriate to wait for the annual review (some organizations have even eliminated these traditional tools) to discover that old performance measures and objectives set prior to the change are no longer relevant. When a change – especially a major change – is planned, these things have to be reviewed for each individual involved in the change effort or affected by it. This performance management review is an integral part of the change process, and it needs to occur before change is implemented so that new performance expectations can be considered, set, and managed in a timely way.

Remember:

• For each individual affected, consider how the change will affect performance expectations and established goals and objectives. If established performance criteria and commitments change – let those affected know.
• When it’s time to conduct a performance review after a change has occurred, split the review into two parts. Talk about performance before the change and after it. Doing this is both fair and appropriate. Remember, when two “contracts” have been in play, both need be “honored.”