Dive Brief:
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Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant and Founder of HR Bartender, shares her insight into a recent presentation on performance management given by Caroline Adams Miller, best-selling author, coach and speaker, at the 2016 WorkHuman conference. Lauby raises the interesting question: Is one type of goal (learning or performance) is better than the other?
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On the one hand, Lauby points out that in most cases, learning goals focus on the actual learning – specifically what is being learned. On the other side of the equation is the measurement of performance, which she says is "focused on an outcome." This outcome is heavily weighed on performance goals being met. Measuring performance often comes from taking an assessment or being given an award in recognition.
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The presentation, detailed on her blog, advises that there should be a coaching element in place to improve performance and goal achievement. Miller advises that "frequent feedback in the moment around very carefully specified goals and objectives" is what works best. Lauby adds that once the learning process begins, performance goals need to be added.
Insight
Lauby’s blog post brings up a critical point that too many workforce learning plans fail to address – that performance and learning must go together in order to produce recognizable results. There is no one without the other. Inspired by Miller’s presentation at the WorkHuman conference, there must be a disruption of the present day thinking of learning as secondary to performance. Employees should not be praised just for participation, but by being able to demonstrate their proficiency as a result of taking learning seriously.
This way of thinking challenges HR practitioners to take charge of learning initiatives by creating a culture of learning, and not just of performance reviews. Clear goals set for every individual can be fostered by a supportive and proactive learning environment.
