6 Predictions for the Future of Performance Management | Gartner

Firms continue to reconsider the purpose and value of performance management (PM). And given the shift in where, when, and how employees work, organizations must consider several implications as they reevaluate their PM. This article shares six ways how employers will shift PM over the next three to five years. The six insights range from “performance reviews and pay decisions will shift to be project-based” to “feedback and development will become more automated.” One insight that caught my attention is No.3: Performance ratings will reflect more context and empathy. Since context affects performance outcomes—and given that context continues to change increasingly—managers’ will be expected to consider contextual factors when evaluating performance. Said differently, managers will practice empathetic PM and ask questions such as: Did a top-performing employee take on a new-in-kind role on a project to learn new skills? Did an employee find it hard to focus on work because of a personal tragedy? Are teams struggling to achieve their goals due to recurring hiccups in collaboration technology? Empathy continues to be among the attributes of culture and leadership that matter most to employees and will need to permeate most talent practices.