What Does a Continuous Performance Management Plan Look Like?

Many organizations have noticed that having one yearly performance review is insufficient to help employees grow and be recognized. This realization has led to a continuous performance management model. Instead of one anxiety-driven annual appraisal, individuals are given consistent feedback. A continuous performance management plan has several facets.

“Leaders are made … and not born.”

Why the Need for Continuous Performance Management?

The need for ongoing performance management started with what some deemed the failure of the annual performance review:

• Time: Many believe yearly appraisals save time because they’re annual, but the planning and complexity of having just an hour a year to give an employee feedback can expend more time and energy
• Precision: One short slot may not highlight small wins across the year, and it cannot cover real-time areas of improvement
• Rapport: Employees want regular feedback. The annual review doesn’t allow managers and workers to build a relationship and establish trust like continuous performance management does
• Objectivity: Employees may feel yearly assessments are unfair and one-sided, glossing over accomplishments

What Does a Continuous Performance Management Plan Include?

A continuous performance management plan includes formalizing regular feedback meetings, establishing company culture guides and involving employees.

1. Implementing 1:1 Meetings

Continuous performance management includes weekly or monthly 1:1 meetings between managers and their employees.

Advocates of the traditional annual review may believe frequent 1:1 sessions are more time consuming. However, individuals may be more likely to wait for the 1:1 meeting to ask questions than ask their managers immediately, meaning fewer work interruptions and streamlined conversations.

To implement these continual check-ins, make them an organization-wide occurrence to encourage buy-in. Managers should know the value of continual feedback, which includes encouraging consistent employee growth and boosting morale.

2. Establishing a Company Culture Guide

Create an employee handbook with your organization’s history, mission, vision and ongoing performance culture. This guide should be part of your onboarding process and state the logistics and concept behind your 1:1 meetings.

Use the guide to mandate and prioritize recurring meetings, ingraining them into your organization’s culture.

3. Involving Employees in the Process

Allow employees to set and amend the agenda for feedback meetings. Employees can adapt the feedback to meet their individualized needs and address real-time issues.

Learn More About Continuous Performance Management

The Center for Leadership Studies has 50+ years of experience and 15 million leaders trained in the most widely adopted leadership model available. Our Situational Leadership^® methodology and courses equip leaders to engage in effective performance management conversations.

Contact us to learn how we partner with organizations to develop their teams.