Reference no: EM133041504
The Feedback Fix
How long do you wait for feedback after you post on social media? Weeks? Days? Not likely. You probably get feedback within minutes and within a day, it's old news.
Most of us are impatient for feedback. From video games that provide instant scores and standings, to schools that provide grades online immediately after tests are completed, to text messaging and social media sites, Millennials, in particular, have grown accustomed to instantaneous feedback. Author Dan Pink claims that "Millennials have lived their whole lives on a landscape lush with feedback, yet when they enter the workforce they find themselves in a veritable feedback desert ... it's hard to get better at something if you receive feedback on your performance just once a year."
What is HR to do? Most performance management systems are set up on a 1-year cycle, frustrating those who crave more frequent feedback. Condensing the process so, the cycle repeats more than once a year may make a workload that gives nightmares to any conscientious HR department. Can social media provide a solution? Possibly.
Spotify, Mozilla, and Hootsuite are among the companies that have turned to social performance management (SPM) systems to encourage better communication, recognition, and coaching in place of traditional performance management systems. Work.com is one SPM software company that allows workgroups to provide continuous real-time feedback and coaching with team members and managers. Individuals can ask questions such as, "How did you like my presentation?" or "What can I do differently next time?"5 Team members can reward each other with public online kudos or badges to recognize accomplishments. Feedback can also be confidential and anonymous, which can be useful when constructive criticism is necessary. Even if performance management systems continue to be on a 1-year cycle, HR can access an archive of the SPM activity, providing a comprehensive view of an employee's accomplishments and challenges for the full year.
- Would you appreciate having access to an SPM system as an employee?
- As a manager or an HR manager?
- How about in classes