Neel's highly inspirational presentation emphasizes that understanding the science of performance requires us to answer three crucial questions: 1. What is performance? 2. What drives performance? 3. What scales performance?

Regarding performance, Neel highlights the crucial difference between tactical and adaptive, demonstrating how many organizations focus solely on tactical performance. Quoting Deepak Malhotra, he points out that the issue eventually shifts from "the mouse being in a maze" to "the maze being in the mouse."

In discussing what drives performance, Neel reveals that the secret lies in "total motivation." With numerous insightful details, he outlines six types of motives and explains how the performance management ecosystem can either positively or negatively impact their balance. Indirect motives often decrease performance, while learning is the only sustainable way to enhance it. This principle extends to goals as well—learning goals consistently outperform performance goals. Moreover, ratings typically exacerbate the problem.

To scale performance, senior leaders must first change their own mindset, which often focuses solely on tactical performance. They must then systematically and scientifically link performance management, motivation, and performance to cultivate cultures where organizations can truly flourish. Finally, they should leverage available tools, including AI, to enhance the system.

Tamra's inspiring call to action during our session was simple yet powerful: "Colleagues in HR, have some courage to change!" Join us for a stimulating 90-minute workshop as Tamra shares her powerful insights from decades of work in HR and organisational transformation, across sectors!

With a laser focus on the appraisal process, Tamra's message was crystal clear: if you still use traditional ratings, normal distribution curves, or forced levelling, just stop! Now! It's simply not good enough to rely on outdated methods. Instead, Tamra offered invaluable insights from decades in the field on fostering fairness, providing developmental feedback, and making reward systems more effective and transparent.

This session is an absolute treasure trove of wisdom, packed with practical lessons, innovative ideas, and actionable strategies for transforming performance management. Trust us, you won't want to miss it!

Tamra is a globally recognized thought leader, author, and speaker celebrated for developing innovative and transformative approaches to maximizing organizational performance. With over three decades of strategic collaboration spanning diverse sectors, she has been at the forefront of reshaping HR practices and organizational paradigms. Formerly a Partner at EY, she founded PeopleFirm LLC in 2009, earning accolades such as Forbes Magazine's "America’s Best Management Consulting Firms" and establishing it as a prominent women-owned enterprise in Washington. She is the esteemed author of three influential books on performance management: "How Performance Management Is Killing Performance"; "Rethinking Performance Management"; and "FEEDBACK (and Other Dirty Words) Why We Fear It, How to Fix It".

Join us for an an exciting 60-minute workshop with Mark McAleer as he shares his most powerful insights from 20+ years in corporate HR roles and over 15 years in in HR consulting, across 8 sectors!

We embark on a revealing journey through the HR trenches to dissect the intricacies of performance management. Get ready for the gritty realities and hard-earned insights from the frontline of HR operations: from the challenges of objective setting to the pitfalls of assessments and feedback, from the practicalities of succession to innovations in L&D or pay! Brace yourself for an illuminating exploration of HR wisdom, including and beyond 9-box matrices, PiPs and PDPs! In summary, Mark emphasizes that performance management remains critical for organizational success. Yet, he concludes, "businesses often have exactly the performance management they deserve," which should be enough to make executives pay more than lip service to its urgent transformation.

Mark McAleer stands as a beacon of progressive thought in leadership development and business transformation, boasting a wealth of expertise in HR and talent management on a global scale. With a distinguished executive career traversing diverse sectors like ICT, telco, oil & gas, FMCG, marketing, and finance, Mark currently serves as the Organization Solutions Director at BDO. Additionally, he is Visiting Lecturer on the MBA program at Hult Business School.

Join us for an an insightful 60-minute discussion with Simon Schafheitle as we delve into the promises and perils of Data and AI in HR!

In our discussion, we first examine the broader challenges of performance management highlighted in recent academic research. Then, we deep dive into the technological advancements in AI and automation, uncovering the significant risks organizations encounter today, such as surveillance and algorithmic bias, and the potential rise in workload and stress. However, amidst these challenges, we also explore the exciting opportunities technology offers - from data-driven insights to personalized development or greater freedom from mundane and repetitive work.Simon offers us a plethora of concrete examples from real-world applications and companies and prompts us to consider how we can responsibly harness innovation to empower employees and propel organizational success. Digital gains, according to Simon, require analog wisdom.

Simon Schafheitle is Assistant Professor for Human Resource Management and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Twente, specializing in the impact of technology on organizational control and human trust relationships in digital work settings. He earned his PhD from the University of St. Gallen in 2020, focusing on 21st-century workplace architecture and trust dynamics. Simon has received prestigious awards for his innovative research and practical contributions to the field.

In this session, we explore innovative strategies for enhancing employee performance, including dynamic feedback systems, adaptable goal-setting methods, peer recognition programs, alternative performance review approaches, data analytics integration, and the influence of organizational design.

Throughout the discussion, Michele highlights a series stimulating examples from many highly innovative organisations, including Buurtzorg, SpaceX, Haier, Gore, Nucor, Ingersoll Rand, Oktogonen and others.

[ABOUT MICHELE ZANINI]
Michele is a co-author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller "Humanocracy," advocating for bold, entrepreneurial organizations that prioritize creativity and initiative over top-down power structures. With a background as a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company, he has extensive experience in large-scale transformation initiatives and research on emerging management practices. He is also a prolific writer for publications like the Harvard Business Review and a sought-after speaker at conferences worldwide.

This presentation explores the definition of pay and the connection between performance and compensation, highlighting the goals of performance pay, compensation components, and the ubiquitous nature of performance. It emphasizes the concept of holistic pay, which extends beyond monetary rewards to include impact and development opportunities. The presentation also addresses central compensation dilemmas faced by companies.

Moving on to "New Pay", it contrasts traditional pay structures with new approaches across seven dimensions, illustrated through examples. Finally, it discusses the dilemmas encountered on the New Pay journey and proposes a compass for addressing them, along with common challenges for all compensation approaches.

[ABOUT STEFANIE HORNUNG]
Stefanie Hornung is an influential freelance journalist renowned for her expertise in new management practices. She has deep insights into HR and is particularly recognized for her expertise in pay structures, having co-founded the New Pay Network and the New Pay Collective. She is a former key member of Europe's largest trade fair for HR management and has authored multiple books on compensation, contributing significantly to discussions on innovative pay models.

In a world where the average person spends over 100,000 hours working, where more than 80% of adults deeply identify with their job roles, and where employment still far too often creates significant unhappiness, the imperative is clear—we must ensure that work becomes a positive force for as many people as possible.

And we firmly believe that this requires leadership. Leaders, across the board, need to not only deepen their understanding of what constitutes good work and actively contribute to its realization, but they must also scrutinize their own role within organisational systems, and assess their own capacity for transformative change, both personally and institutionally.

Seizing the opportunity of the recent global HR Congress, we turned the spotlight on a pivotal group of leaders – those in HR. Why HR? Because, more than any other leaders, we believe HR leaders should be the custodians of good work. After all, HR is all about people, isn’t it? But, here’s the twist: when Antoinette and I delved into the data, to be perfectly honest, we didn’t really see it. Thus, we decided to kick off the Congress with a gentle provocation: we suggest the future of work is looking increasingly bleak, because leaders – particularly those in HR – find themselves increasingly stuck.

Please find more information and recordings from the HR Congress Horizons World Summit 2023 here: https://horizon.hr-congress.com/. A big thanks to organisers, speakers and participants for all the superb conversations! 

Please visit the Global Society for Good Leadership LinkedIn page and hr.leadershipsociety.world for more details, references and further materials.

What is new in performance management? Performance management has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent decades, with innovative organizations leading the way in redefining its principles and practices.

• One notable shift has been the move away from traditional, rigid performance appraisals towards more continuous and agile feedback systems. Forward-thinking companies recognize the importance of ongoing communication and development, fostering a culture of regular performance discussions rather than annual evaluations.

• Innovative approaches also emphasize human-centric strategies. Organizations are increasingly focusing on individual growth, aligning personal development goals with broader organizational objectives. This shift from a top-down to a collaborative approach empowers employees, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement in their performance journey.

• Another noteworthy aspect is the increasing emphasis on social and team-oriented practices. Rather than solely focusing on individual achievements, there is a growing recognition that many goals are achieved through teamwork and collaboration. As a result, performance management practices are adapting to incorporate team-based metrics and evaluations, encouraging a sense of camaraderie and mutual accountability and fostering a positive team culture where individuals are not only accountable for their own performance but also contribute to the success of the team as a whole.

• Additionally, technology plays a pivotal role in this evolution. The advent of data analytics and AI-driven tools allows for more objective and real-time performance assessments. These tools not only streamline the process but also provide actionable insights for continuous improvement and make it easier for employees to engage.

Antoinette's insights shed light on a critical question: Is Performance Management innovation truly working? Despite the transformative changes highlighted by Jon Ingham, a comprehensive review of academic research by Antoinette reveals a significant gap between innovative practices and tangible improvements.

• Goal Setting: Even with the introduction of OKRs, goal-setting remains highly prescriptive, often hindering rather than enhancing performance.
• Performance Feedback: Contrary to expectations, performance feedback fails to create a substantial impact on actual performance
• Ranking and Ratings: While intended to enhance performance, practices like ranking and ratings, have negative effects and contribute to "sorting" behaviours especially in the long-term
• Transparency: Excessive transparency, though intended to promote accountability, often leads to gaming behavior, undermining the genuine improvement of performance.
• Performance Evaluation: Despite ongoing innovations, performance evaluation consistently fails to delivering results, prompting a need for reevaluation.
• Meritocracy: Antoinette challenges the notion of meritocracy, emphasizing that small biases are perpetuated and amplified, preventing the realization of true merit-based systems.
• Pay for Performance: The link between pay and performance remains tenuous. Pay for performance often reduces both intrinsic motivation and actual performance, while generating high hidden costs.
• CEO Pay: Antoinette suggests that outrageously high compensation for CEOs may explain the persistence of performance-contingent pay, while much research demonstrates its ineffectiveness.