Gone are the days when performance reviews were dreaded, avoided and looked at with suspicion and exasperation! Performance reviews are now a part of a more comprehensive and encompassing process called as ‘Performance Management’, and it has come a long way and it continues to evolve! 

The traditional approach was mostly closed, confidential and an annual affair. There was a heavy reliance on the personality inventories and the process usually was a one-way approach where only supervisors used to provide feedback around individual’s performance; objectives were not very clear and it was less concerned about the individual’s development areas. However, the process has improved with time and the process became more objective and open. Self-appraisals and two-way dialogues took centre-stage along with discussions around accountability and development. With the advent of technology, the process became more organized and integrated with other systems. Recent years have seen this process emerging as a strategic approach bearing a direct impact on the business outcomes. The future seems to be even more exciting with ‘Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics’ quickly paving their way into the core HR processes and performance management is not left untouched.  

The sketch-note below attempts to paint a quick picture of how ‘Performance Management evolved over all these years- what were the major trends of a particular era and what developments happened in the next phases.  

Referred Links:

The Performance Managment Revolution
Research: Rhucha and Arunima