Making it Stick: How to make sure your new Performance Management System catches on and stays! Large projects often fail and there potential is never realized: People don’t get onboard and eventually resources dry up and leaders begin to push for abandoning the project. How can you make sure that your new custom performance management system will be a success? There are 8 guidelines to keep in mind when planning and implementing your new systems rollout…. Leading the Charge: How should you introduce the new performance management system to the company? A one-and-done e-mail to the staff will not suffice! Effective Change Management will require getting people actively involved in the process: Everyone should be working towards the common goal of adopting the new system Resist the urge to push the project forward without making sure that people see the reasoning and value of the change, and are ready to use the new system. Effective Change Management: Increases success rate of Organizational Change by 96% Makes projects 6 times more likely to meet and exceed expectations Make the Case: Convince people that the new performance management system is a good idea! People are naturally averse to change even when they know its for the best! Neuroscience tells us that change triggers stress…. Stress triggers fight or flight hormones! Therefore the case for your new system should have both a rational and emotional appeal. The Rider and the Elephant: An analogy about rational thinking and emotional response by Chip and Dan Heath, in their book “Switch” The Rider is the rational side, diligently processing facts, providing direction and analysis The elephant is the emotional side, but it ultimately does the work of moving the rider from place to place You can explain anything to the rider, but if the elephant decides its going another direction, then its impossible to stop You need to appeal to appeal to both the rider and the elephant Even if people see the reasoning behind your proposed changes, they wont stick if their hearts aren’t in it Start with the Business Side: Appeal to the rider! Ask what the old performance management system cost in actual dollars and cents Gauge the amount of time and resources spent on the current system What is the opportunity cost of not making the change? Analysis by CEB Inc. found that the average manager spends 200 hours a year planning for and conducting annual performance reviews Average employee spends 20 hours a year planning and participating in performance reviews With 4,000 employees and 500 mangers, at an average rate of $50/hour, that’s 8.5 million dollars invested in performance Is your company getting a good return on this investment? Now Appeal to the Elephant: Your pitch needs a tangible representation of the need for change! Consider adding…. Quotes from your focus groups Videos of your people sharing their thoughts on the current approach A huge pile of paper that represents one ...

1. Making it Stick:
How to make sure your new Performance Management System
catches on and stays!
Large projects often fail and there potential is never realized:
People don’t get onboard and eventually resources dry up and
leaders begin to push for abandoning the project.
How can you make sure that your new custom performance
management system will be a success?
There are 8 guidelines to keep in mind when planning and
implementing your new systems rollout….
Leading the Charge:
How should you introduce the new performance management
system to the company?
A one-and-done e-mail to the staff will not suffice!
Effective Change Management will require getting people
actively involved in the process:
Everyone should be working towards the common goal of
adopting the new system
Resist the urge to push the project forward without making sure
that people see the reasoning and value of the change, and are
ready to use the new system.
Effective Change Management:
Increases success rate of Organizational Change by 96%
Makes projects 6 times more likely to meet and exceed
expectations

2. Make the Case:
Convince people that the new performance management system
is a good idea!
People are naturally averse to change even when they know its
for the best!
Neuroscience tells us that change triggers stress….
Stress triggers fight or flight hormones!
Therefore the case for your new system should have both a
rational and emotional appeal.
The Rider and the Elephant:
An analogy about rational thinking and emotional response
by Chip and Dan Heath, in their book “Switch”
The Rider is the rational side, diligently processing facts,
providing direction and analysis
The elephant is the emotional side, but it ultimately does the
work of moving the rider from place to place
You can explain anything to the rider, but if the elephant
decides its going another direction, then its impossible to stop
You need to appeal to appeal to both the rider and the elephant
Even if people see the reasoning behind your proposed changes,
they wont stick if their hearts aren’t in it
Start with the Business Side:
Appeal to the rider!
Ask what the old performance management system cost in actual
dollars and cents
Gauge the amount of time and resources spent on the current
system
What is the opportunity cost of not making the change?
Analysis by CEB Inc. found that the average manager spends

3. 200 hours a year planning for and conducting annual
performance reviews
Average employee spends 20 hours a year planning and
participating in performance reviews
With 4,000 employees and 500 mangers, at an average rate of
$50/hour, that’s 8.5 million dollars invested in performance
Is your company getting a good return on this investment?
Now Appeal to the Elephant:
Your pitch needs a tangible representation of the need for
change!
Consider adding….
Quotes from your focus groups
Videos of your people sharing their thoughts on the current
approach
A huge pile of paper that represents one years annual reviews
Share your findings from the research you conducted earlier,
and emphasize the human side of the equation.
Pull your people into your vision of the future and give them a
plan of what to expect!
Plan the Change:
Conduct an Impact Assessment to asses the changes that the
new system will have on your organization
Role Changes
Will the new system change the expectations for certain roles in
the company?
Manager Expectations
How will managers be success be determined now?
Skill Gaps

4. What new skills will managers need to be trained on?
Employee Empowerment
Get employees comfortable with asking for feedback
Beware of Change Fatigue:
When employees go through too many changes at once,
turnover, project failure, productivity loss, absenteeism and
disengagement increase!
Time your rollout so that no one group of employees must
endure too many changes at once
Create Your Plan and Gather Your Champions:
A great change plan will contain the following:
The who (Stakeholder groups that will be effected)
The what (The type of change activity, like planned
communications or events)
The when (The right time to reach each group with content or
engagement)
Build a coalition of advocates to support your change efforts
Someone from each major stakeholder group
They will be well versed in the new system and the process of
getting there
Their mission will be to promote enthusiasm in their groups
They will share information with their people and also provide
you with feedback

5. Expect your new approach to encounter resistance
Resistance shows up in variety of ways
-Fear of loss
-Uncertainty
-Surprise
Resistance also expresses itself through
-Change fatigue
-Fear of incompetence
-Fear of increased workload
Expect Resistance:
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It is always wise to pay special attention to “the boss.”
Meet leaders where they are and build a plan
pace your progress, and maintain your resolve
Be diplomatic and creative make sure they understand the real
costs to your business
Many organizations suffer being over-managed and under-led
Most organizations have historically underinvested in building
great leaders
Defend against the Naysayers:
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6. Defend against the Naysayers (Cont.)
Defend against the Naysayers (Cont.)
Peel your own onion to get at the root of manager concern
There is need of a paper trail to document behavior and
performance problems
We tend to rate people too leniently and to downplay
Avoid the potential pitfall by documenting issues as they arise
Majority of organizations still use a traditional system
Organizations should reward equitably in new and innovative
ways
Attention certainly doesn’t hurt their employer brand
Currently, forward-thinking organizations try to drive
organizational performance
Positive exposure is essential for innovative programs
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Build your Courage
Organizations should get ready for the journey
Leaders should take time to educate themselves
Managers should know their stuff
Knowledge is key to building your confidence and courage
Organizations need courage to move forward
Managers should understand things that does not work
Organizations should try new things
Leaders should create trust from the employees to lead the way

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