$[9$:$44$ pm$,28/12/2023]$ Kashish: Nowadays companies are taking a page from social networking sites to make the performance evaluatios process more fun and useful. Accenture has developed a Facebook$-$style program called Performance Multiplier in which, among other things, employecs post status updates, photos, and two or three weekly goals that can be viewed by fellow staffers. Even more immediate: new software from a Toronto start: up called Rypple that lets people post Twitter$-$length questions about their performance in exchange fo anonymous feedback.

Companies ranging from sandwich chain Great Harvest Bread Company to Firefox developer Mozilla have signed on as clients. Such initiatives upend the dreaded rite of annual reviews by making performance feedback a much more real$-$time and ongoing process. A Stanford University professor argues that $"$if you have regular conversations with people, and they know where they stand, then ther performance evaluation is maybe unnecessary."

What Rypple's and Accenture's tools do is create a process in which evaluations become dynamic and more democratic. Rypple, for example, gives employees the chance to post brief, $140-$character questions, such as "What did you think of my presentation?" or "How can I run meetings better?" They queries arc c$-$mailed to managers, peers, or anyone else the user selects. Short anonymous responses are then aggregated and sent back, providing a quick$-$and$-$dirty $360-$degree review. The basic service is free.

But corporate clients can pay for a premium version that includes tech support, extra sccurity, and analysis of which topics figure highest in employce posts. Rypple's cofounders have also launched software called TouchBase that's meant to replace the standard annual review with quick monthly surveys and discussions.

Accenture's software, which it is using internally and hoping to sell to outside clients, is more aboul motivating employces than it is about measuring them. Their product has a similar look and feel to other corporate social networks. The major difference is that users arc expected to post brief goals for the weck on their profile page, as well as a couple for each quarter. If they do not, the lack of goals is visible to

$[9$:$44$ pm$,28/12/2023]$ Kashish: seir managers, who are also alerted of the omission by e$-$mail. By prompting people to docurent and djust their goals constantly, Accenture hopes the formal discussion will improve. Typically, in the past. nanagers and employees were scrambling to fill $[$evalution forms$|$ out in the $24$ bours before HR calls ying, "where's yours?$\text{'}$ Rypple reports that some two$-$thirds of the questions posted on its service come rom managers wanting feedback about their own performance. The biggest payoff of these social$-$retwork$-$style tools may prove to be better performance by the boss.

Questions

$002$a$.$ Based on the information given, discuss how well Performance Multiplier and Rypple meet the riteria for effective performance management: fit with strategy, validity, reliability, acceptability, and specific feedback.

$($CO $2,5$ marks$)$

$02$b$.$ Think of a job you currently hold, used to have, or would like to have. Imagine that this employer introduced Performance Multiplier or Rypple to your workplace. Describe one area of your performance you would like to seek feedback about and identify which people you would ask to provide that feedback.

What concerns, if any, would you have about using this system to seek feedback about your performance?