Our work is ever-changing. But the way we collect feedback is stuck in the past.
BY REBECCA HINDS, ORGANIZATIONAL PHYSICIAN AND ENTREPRENEUR@REBHINDS
for Inc.
Photo: Getty Images
Performance reviews are broken. At many companies, they pack a one-two punch — they’re fear-inducing, and they’re also time sinks. Management guru Bob Sutton has said that if a typical performance review were a drug, “it wouldn’t be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it is so ineffective and has so many vile side effects.”
Gathering more actionable feedback.
One vile side effect is that performance reviews are often riddled with vague statements that aren’t actionable. Unfortunately, this lack of actionable feedback can disproportionately impact women. In their study of performance reviews, researchers at Stanford found that during performance reviews, women were more likely to receive vague feedback that lacked specific guidance.
Another problem with performance reviews is that they are almost always 1:1 — one person gives feedback to another person. This means that, when all is said and done, the person being assessed is presented with a mishmash of feedback that can be challenging to knit together.
