10: Evaluating Individuals

Failure to Perform: Part 2

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Reach a goal concept with businessman running on a treadmill for money
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What are the researchers saying about performance incentive plans?

Daniel Pink is a world-renowned leading author on workplace motivation and performance. He has done some compelling research and has developed some very interesting insights on what really motivates us to perform. His studies were well-designed and replicated in North America and in other countries.

The research is very interesting and at times confusing. Sometimes money is a motivator and improves performance, but there are times money is not a motivator and actually leads to poorer performance. Many organizations, managers and HR departments do not truly understand the complex interaction of money as an incentive to employee’s behaviours. Here is a short video clip that does a great job at summarizing his motivational research.

Click here to find out want Daniel Pink’s money motivation secrets are.

Daniel Pink also provides us with three key insights on how to truly motivate individual performance. Some companies have one insight, some have two, but very few companies use all three of Daniel Pink’s insights to get the best performance out of their employees. How can HR lead the way and bring this type of research into business operations?

Discussion Questions

  1. After watching the video clip explain when money is a good motivator for individual performance and when is it not?
  2. What are the three key insights to motivation? Why is it so difficult for organizations to implement these key insights to obtain greater employee performance?

Monitoring Performance Matters

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Through the course of our Human Resources studies, we have learned that effective performance appraisal systems for employees depend on continuous feedback and constant monitoring. Good performance management on the part of the employer includes a process of employee engagement and should not be viewed as a singular, one-time only performance appraisal event.

High quality performance management systems, therefore,  require a very high level of commitment and involvement on the part of the employer. This can be difficult to implement, especially in a large workforce where employees are spread across all levels of the physical work-space. Most employers simply do not have the time or the resources that allow for such intense day-to-day performance management methods.

This is where technology can step in to provide much needed support. Humanyze, a U.S. based technology provider, has developed wearable technology that tracks employee speech levels, tone of voice and body movements. While seemingly intrusive, if implemented properly these devices allow for immediate feedback to employees about their own behavioural patterns. This type of self-monitoring may have an impact on performance levels, without the need for constant intervention on the part of an individual manager.

Click here to read an article on wearable technology.

Click here to read how wearable technology is linked to monitoring employee performance.

As noted in the second article, these devices allow for data analysis based on patterns of employee behaviours. The data analysis can be used to promote constructive changes in the workplace that create opportunities for increased performance resulting in increased productivity and reduced levels of stress.

All of these have a direct impact on the organization’s bottom line and, as we know, the better the bottom-line – the better the rewards for the organization’s humans.

Discussion Questions:

  1. From a Human Resources perspective, what benefits do wearable technology bring to support constructive performance management practices?
  2. What are the negative implications of wearable technology in the workplace?
  3. Would you be comfortable wearing monitoring technology in your current workplace?