Catch the new wave

Performance

enablement
Strategic insights from Global HR Experts
PREFACE Catch the new wave: Performance enablement

“This isn’t working out,” says the new generation to the

former. Career Development and Performance
Enablement are the next big things.
Gone are the days when employees were comfortable with a slow-paced and
“follow-the-rules” type of career. Making up more than 70% of the global workforce,
Millennials and Gen Z are looking for vibrant environments where employers focus
on career development and performance enablement that positively contribute to
their growth.

As a result, companies have to understand the nuances of the ‘Modern’ workforce

and adapt accordingly. They expect companies to be more empathetic and open to
using new technologies that align with their career goals. Practices like Performance
Enablement can help companies do that while making sure that business goals are
not left in the dust.

According to Nasrullah, HR Director at DuPont, Millennials are the ones asking


the question:
If I spend five years in your organization, how will it shape my career?
When will I get my first promotion, and what will my journey look like?
Is there only one path to promotion, or can I skip some steps if I fully
showcase my talents and capabilities?
Will I be able to expand beyond my role and learn from other
departments as well?
To give you the most practical insights, Grove HR has partnered with inter-generational
experts and well-seasoned HR leaders across the region.

Combined with curated best practices from world-leading companies, this playbook will
help you learn from people who ‘have been there, done that’ and give you actionable
ideas to build your own competitive talent advantage.

1
TABLE OF CONTENT Catch the new wave: Performance enablement

CHAPTER 1
Why change? Transitioning from the
‘old’ way to the ‘new’ way
CHAPTER 2
How leading companies are changing
their employee performance practice
CHAPTER 3
Specific challenges for SMBs

in developing economies
CHAPTER 4
How to revamp performance

from management to enablement - Ft. HR Experts
1 The Good, Bad, and the Ugly of traditional 6 M anagers have to play a crucial role in bringing
performance management the transformation.

2 Real-time feedback is the norm in 
 7 Intergenerational collaboration: The Secret to a

Performance Enablement happy, high-performing, unstoppable workforce.

3 How learning is changing @The Workplace 
 8 Technology is Millennials’ bread and butter.
An evolution from classroom to social
9 HRIS system - the tool you need to boost
4 Internal team training results in better performance enablement
performance

5 Horizontal career growth

CHAPTER 5
Become a more empathetic organization

2
 Catch the new wave: Performance enablement

In order to build


a rewarding employee experience, 


you need to understand


what matters most to your people.

Julie Bevacqua
President, Co-Founder of Rise People

3
CHAPTER 1

Why change?

Transitioning from the “ old “


way to the “ new” way

4
CHAPTER 1 Why change?

Transitioning from the ”old” way to the ”new” way

With new expectations must come new practices.

Performance Enablement is one of the most important
ones - and probably the most misunderstood as well.

It departs from the old way of “Performance Management Systems” (or PMS) - a
practice that takes root in the industrial age where maximizing manufacturing output
was the name of the game.

In the informational age, one should see performance as something to be ‘enabled’

instead of ‘managed’. Indeed, most employees are not working on an assembly line
anymore. Instead, they collaborate across teams and use their creativity all day long.
Enabling that creative process has become more critical than trying to put a frame
around it.

But how can the new practice of Performance Enablement help your organization
compete more effectively in your markets? How can it help you become a talent
magnet? More importantly, how can HR professionals make the transition from the
‘old way’ of PMS to the ‘new way’ of Performance Enablement?

Let’s learn how some of the best-in-class organizations enable employees’

performance, see what kind of results they get, and understand how SMEs in
developing economies can adapt the approach to distance their competitors.
5
CHAPTER 2

How leading companies are

changing their employee
performance practice

6
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Employee performance has a direct effect on the

company’s growth. Keeping employees engaged is not a
one-person job anymore.

With Performance Enablement practices around the world picking up

speed, companies are starting to realize the importance and necessity
of it.

Leading the change, many companies have transformed and cracked

the code to high performing work culture using Performance
Enablement. They have understood that it is a holistic process and not
a quick fix. This has not only helped them keep employees engaged
but has also resulted in a substantial improvement in their growth.

To gain more insights and inspiration on how to take the leap, here are
4 case studies from 4 global giants who blazed the trail for us to
follow.

ding!

7
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Continuous feedback

8
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

GE - General Electric

Continuous feedback
General Electric has been in business since 1976, and so has its performance
review system. They made stack ranking famous in the '80s and '90s. When they
announced the transformation from employee Performance Management System
(PMS) to Performance Enablement, it shook the world!

The switch from 'management' to 'enablement' had a significant impact on GE’s

employee engagement. In comparison to the old system, there was a 5X spike in
productivity after the rollout of the new performance practice.

With over 30,000 employees, it wasn’t easy for GE to make this transition, but
they did it anyway. GE's new approach introduced new skills and methods that
made them a more robust, agile, and customer-focused organization.

The shift from “order and control” to “empower and encourage” was made possible
by developing a customized app. Dubbed PD@GE (Performance Development at
GE), the app enabled employees to exchange notes and documents, but most
importantly, to continuously share feedback to each other and enable
conversations around personal development.

GE took performance enablement even one step further by rolling out a feature
called “touchpoints” - that ensured that employees and managers indeed had
conversations about what to improve and took the feedback seriously. By
shortening the feedback and improvement loops, PD@GE has dramatically
improved not only employee satisfaction but also business results.

While not every company has the luxury to custom-build its own App, GE clearly
demonstrated that with the right technology and management philosophy, it is
possible to thrive while developing employees continuously.

9
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Honest reviews lead the way!

10
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Netflix
Honest reviews lead the way!
Over the years, Netflix has grown exponentially. So did its issues with performance
management.

With Patty McCord as Chief Talent Officer, Netflix decided to ditch the annual
performance review practice and replace it with real-time 360-performance reviews.

The practice was simple: write honest feedback to anyone, from interns to chief
executives in the company, about what to start, stop and continue doing.

To avoid fear of being ‘too honest’ in a review or feedback, Netflix made the wise
decision to decouple compensation reviews from performance reviews.

Indeed, in the old days, performance reviews were an input to compensation reviews.
Therefore, this naturally disincentivized employees to be honest and direct in their
feedback to peers or even managers.

Now, Netflix employees are free to share whatever feedback they think is relevant and
suitable without fears of punishment, which promotes a culture of transparency and
constant improvement.

Netflix has another employee retention practice called the - “Keeper Test,” which
forces managers to ask themselves the tough question “Which of my employees - if
they told me they were leaving in 2 months - would I fight hard to keep?” (Employees
are invited to do the same in reverse, asking their managers “If I were to leave in 2
months, how hard would you fight to keep me?”).

While controversial, this helped Netflix maintain a voluntary attrition rate of only
3-4% and an involuntary departure rate of 8% in a hyper competitive talent market.

To learn even more about Netflix performance review, read our full case study.

11
 CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

The 5-step checkpoint

12
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

IBM
The 5-step checkpoint
IBM performance review practices were mostly inspired from General Electric.
Although IBM didn’t call it ‘stack-ranking’ (but PBC for Personal Business
Commitments), it worked in a similar way.

At the beginning of the year, managers would set goals for their employees which
would then be assessed 12 months later. This made sense in a world where things
and competition moved slowly. But in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex,
Ambiguous) world, the model fell apart.

Nowadays, employees routinely change goals during a quarter and work on ad-
hoc projects that were totally unplanned in the beginning of the year. To keep up
with this new reality, IBM had to ditch the old way and adapt the new way:
Performance Enablement.

IBM decided to put in place a ‘checkpoint’ system that focused on employee

development, the achievement of short-term goals, and developing employees
continuously. Empowered with more regular feedback and development
conversations, IBM employees' satisfaction soared. Improvements ranged from
higher perceived accuracy in the evaluation to higher usefulness in the feedback
and higher satisfaction with manager discussions.

Figure 1 Higher levels of perceived evaluation accuracy

Evaluation
 74 %
accuracy index 55 %
Overall my value was evaluated 73 %
accurately in the new

employee evaluation system 58 %
I am evaluated
 82 %
accurately in terms of

my performance 58 %
I am evaluated
 74 %
accurately in terms of

my expertise 56 %
I am evaluatedaccurately in 66 %
terms of

my potential 49 %

13
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Figure 2 Higher levels of perceived usefulness of evaluation

Evaluation
 56 %
usefullness index 48 %
The evaluation hashelped me 58 %
recognize my strengths and
opportunities for growth 47 %
Now I have a clearer 59 %
understanding of

my manager’s expectations 54 %
Now I have a clearer 51 %
understanding of how to
improve my performance 44 %

Figure 3 Higher levels of satisfaction with manager discussions

Evaluation discussion
 56 %
satisfaction index 48 %
My manager clearly explained 81 %
the evaluation method and

my evaluation results 61 %
Now I have a clearer 74 %
understanding of

my manager’s expectations 56 %
Now I have a clearer 60 %
understanding of how to
improve my performance 41 %
Now I have a clearer 51 %
understanding of how to
improve my performance 41 %

New evaluation

Traditional relative rating

Note: 

The chart shows the percentages of employees who agree or strongly agree with
the statements. 


— Chart source • Inspireone.in

14
CHAPTER 2 How leading companies are changing their

employee performance practice

Performance = Compensation

15
CHAPTER 2 Why leading companies are drifting apart from

annual performance reviews

Facebook
Performance=Compensation
While keeping their consumers happy, Facebook is doing the same for its
employees. Facebook is setting benchmarks with its performance
review system that has performance assessment and 360-degree
review at the core. Loyal to their data-driven approach, Facebook has put
in place a calibration system and rating curves to determine the top-
performing employees and compensate them accordingly.

Ditching the annual performance reviews, Facebook conducts reviews

twice a year.
"We do it twice a year because the business moves very quickly and our product moves very
quickly, and if you wait a whole year, a lot of things have changed.”

— Lori Goler explains

Facebook also uses 360-reviews to capture reviews from only five peers and
provide diversity in the feedback given. This two-week review process focuses
on two main questions.
What was this person’s impact this year?
How can they increase this impact?
Following this, the calibration period starts where the manager analyses all of
the peer reviews and assessments to ‘calibrate’ for fairness. The manager
also creates a "Performance Assessment" of the previous six months to
evaluate if it is time for promoting the employee.

Facebook’s performance review approach contributed to an easy exchange of

recognition and acknowledgment, as stated by Daniel Ho, a former Facebook
manager. Employees were able to identify their primary strengths and focus
on their improvement areas as an outcome of the 360-degree evaluation
process, resulting in higher productivity and engagement.

16
CHAPTER 3

Specific challenges
for SMBs
in developing economies

17
CHAPTER 3 Specific challenges for SMBs

in developing economies

Global companies have all the resources they need to

change their practices. But is that applicable to SMBs in
developing economies?
The short answer is: absolutely yes.

In fact, being an SMB may have an edge: there is less legacy practice or
technology to change. But SMBs are facing another set of issues that
large corporations may not have to deal with.

1 Mounting pressure to do more with less

SMBs constantly run the risk of being short of cash but yet have to keep
delivering more and more value to their customers. This often means
that employee productivity is paramount.

Yet, HR is often ill-equipped to help employees be more productive. In

fact, a lot of employees see HR as an administrative burden.

While large companies may already have a solid HR system in place,

SMBs are often reluctant to invest upfront. “Managing through
spreadsheets” becomes the norm but also the source of insurmountable
issues as the company tries to grow: personnel data errors or omissions,
inconsistent onboarding, processes dictating how employees need to
work to the detriment of real productivity, employee complaints,
plummeting retention - to name a few.
On the other hand, tech-savvy SMBs reap immense rewards by using
the right type of HR Technology such as Grove HR:

86 % improvement
in Employee Experience quality1 70 % increase
new hire productivity2

18
CHAPTER 3 Specific challenges for SMBs

in developing economies

82 % higher retention
among new hires
200 K$ yearly savings
reducing manual errors & omissions3

But picking the right HR technology comes with having a solid team of
HR professionals - another area SMBs struggle with compared to larger
competitors.

2 Lesser ability to hire experienced HR professionals

SMBs usually don’t have the budget to hire well-seasoned HR
professionals. With less experience under their belt, HR teams in SMBs
may take more time to understand or implement what business owners
and CEOs have in mind for their organization.

In fact, a global study conducted by Mercer4 shows that only 4% of HR

teams are confident that they can redesign their organizations to fit with
a more agile and employee-centric world.

The main culprit? Their employee data and processes are not fully
digitized nor centralized, which results in a highly fragmented and
inconsistent experience.

Again, using the right HR Technology here can help SMBs

tremendously: with already-proven core processes in place, HR teams
do not need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they can spend more time
understanding the business and its strategy while relying on technology
to ‘just work’ on their behalf.

As such, joining an SMB without an HR system in place can be both a

blessing and a curse for HR professionals: tech-savvy ones will be able
to start with a brand new HR system and stay ahead of the curve. Less
tech-savvy ones will probably be drawn into the chaos of spreadsheet
management.

So what can SMBs do about this?

19
CHAPTER 3 Specific challenges for SMBs

in developing economies

Hire young and tech-savvy HR professionals who are familiar with the
use of technology - from engagement apps to communication tools
like Slack, integration tools like Zapier or modern HR platforms like
Grove HR.

3 Lack of experienced middle managers

The key to scaling an SMBs is the quality of the management team -
especially the middle-management team.

It can be challenging to find middle managers with adequate

professional experience to scale and empower teams effectively in
developing economies. Since most of them have learned the job literally
‘on-the-job’ from modeling their previous managers, new practices such
as Performance Enablement can be a scary proposition.

Indeed, middle managers generally lack confidence or don’t know how

to coach employees - let alone use modern HR technology to enable a
1:1 career development conversation.

Here again, HR Technology built for the modern workforce can make a
big difference when it comes to supporting middle managers in enabling
employee performance.

By using intelligently predefined questions in Grove HR, middle

managers can focus on the quality of the feedback and conversation
with their employees rather than setting up the system or figuring out
the process.

On their end, HR teams can play a more consultative role in guiding

middle managers on how to coach employees or support employee
internal mobility - instead of filling forms and doing paperwork.

1 Topia Employee Experience research, “Adapt or lose the war for talent”
2 Glassdoor and Brandon Hall Group Research, “The true cost of a bad hire”
3 Grove HR ROI calculator for SMB
4 Mercer Global Talents 2020 report
20
Experts contribute in this section

Senior Director
 Best-Selling Author 
 Experiential Learning


Human Resources of OSI Systems Founder XYZ@Work Designer

Raymund Chua Rachele Focardi Syukri Azman

Millennial Specialist Global HR Tech Influencer Regional L&D Architect

Vivek Iyyani Adrian Tan Ian Choo

CHAPTER 4

How to revamp

Performance
from management

to enablement
Ft. HR Experts

21
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

Changes are inevitable. How well one adapts to them plays a vital role
in the company's success.

In the 21st century, running a successful business requires a committed

and loyal workforce. In this section, we turn to some of the most
influential and inspiring HR experts in Asia for their tips and strategies
on how to switch from performance management to Performance
Enablement.

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly of traditional

1 Performance Management

Good While some argue that we must abolish the performance review
system, it has been seen that performance review can prove to be
helpful if done precisely.

They can provide significant value to a firm. Promotions, incentives,

disciplinary action, employee growth, and terminations are just a few
of the critical decisions that rely on performance reviews.

Bad Many performance reviews focus on making some people happy—at the
expense of others.

A boss-centered appraisal system runs the risk of focusing

employee’s attention on pleasing the boss—possibly at the expense
of achieving some other important goal. So employee behaviors that
may ultimately harm the organization might actually be rewarded by
an appraisal system that does not capture vital information.

This type of performance review can infringe on an employee's right to do

what they feel would benefit the company instead of attaining the boss’s
approval.
22
 How to revamp performance

CHAPTER 4
from management to enablement

Despite recent breakthroughs in software and strategy, many firms still

Ugly
struggle with performance management, which can be a nightmare for

both managers and employees. Various challenges arise between

management and employees that impact how quickly a business

achieves its objectives.

The following are some of the most prevalent performance management

issues that managers encounter:

Poor prioritizing and time management

Lost track of time (Late check-in, excessive absences, phone usage,

long break time, etc.)

Incoming request response times are slow

Late submission of assignments

It's challenging to keep focused on the work at hand.

To be honest, performance evaluations are a dysfunctional system that dates back to

the industrial revolution. A time where people were viewed as disposable

components in a machine rather than knowledge workers who innovated a business.

GE, the pioneer of performance evaluations and imposed rankings, has declared

that the procedure will be phased out due to its negative impact on productivity.

The annual review has very little to do with

performance management - it’s simply paperwork. 


Since no one buys into it, it does nothing to

actually manage performance.

Effective or not, it may take time

before the old model is gone for good. —

—Vivek
VivekIyyani

Iyyani

Millennial
MillennialSpecialist
Specialist

Author 


Vivek Iyyani Millennial Specialist

23
CHAPTER 4 Revamping performance

from management to enablement

Real-time feedback is the norm in 


2 Performance Enablement

As businesses prepare for upheavals in business models and how they

operate, it's also a good moment to consider how updated technologies
might help create a happier, more engaged, and productive staff.
Unfortunately, many businesses continue to rely on an old yearly routine.

69 % of companies
Say that they still use annual or biannual
performance assessments
— ClearCompany • talent management platform provider

While annual performance reviews may serve the goal for many companies,
it's not a growth hacking technique. On the other hand, employers and
employees can benefit from frequent performance feedback.

Suppose you, as an employer, review how an employee's performance

improves over a shorter period. In that case, frequent performance reviews
may give you a far better insight into their strengths and weaknesses than
an annual review. Whereas for employees, regular feedback can assist in
aligning their performance with expectations better.

22 % higher productivity
Engaged employees report higher productivity
while the same organizations also see lower
turnover and lesser safety incidents.
— Jim Harter • Chief Scientist at Gallup Research

Author 

Adrian Tan Global HR Tech Influencer
24
CHAPTER 4 Revamping performance


from management to enablement

Regular check-ins also make it simple to

compare notes and avoid misinterpretation

while keeping staff motivated.

If regular feedback seems like a task,

companies might want to choose weekly or

—
—Adrian
AdrianTan

monthly mini-sessions that designate a specific Tan

gLOBAL HR INFLUENCER
gLOBAL HR INFLUENCER

length of time for check-ins instead of a single

extensive annual session.

Adobe, for example, switched from yearly performance rankings to

frequent "check-ins" in which managers give focused coaching and advice

to employees.

The Result

% of employees
78 Feeling that their boss is open to feedback from them

- a more significant percentage than the past

— Adobe • Creative Software Platform

Furthermore, technical advancements in the performance sector have

developed by leaps and bounds to assist businesses in better organizing

and managing their employees' performance.

Affordable performance applications on the market digitize the procedure

and allow for regular check-ins and real-time feedback with

comprehensive analytical insights based on established performance

approaches.

Author 


25
Adrian Tan Global HR Tech Influencer
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

How learning is changing @The Workplace


3
An evolution from classroom to social

According to 80% of employees, learning and development

opportunities would help them feel more engaged on the job.
Knowledge has been relocated from the physical setting of books and
manuscripts previously housed in libraries to the digital context of
today's kindles and tablets. We're advancing at a breakneck pace
towards webpages, scripts, and e-learning that may last a lifetime.

With social media evolution, this degree of social media acceptance in

the workplace accelerated. Social learning in the corporate drives
engagements and education. It builds on and leverages off many layers
of our human nature and tendencies.

A non-exhaustive list of benefits through crowdsourced knowledge

through these social platforms are as follows:

Supports Principles of Andragogy: Things that may be “foreign” to a layman like

AI, IoT, NLP, Coding, etc., can now be learned through Communities (of learning),

interest groups promoting self-directed learning.

Just-In-Time (JIT) Learning: JIT allows employees to solve issues and overcome

hurdles in real-time

Increases Productivity: Best practices are formed actively as we fail quicker,

become more agile, and learn faster from each other.

Promotes Ideation & Critical Thinking: Crowdsourcing solutions allow

employees to learn more quickly than ever before. This enables employees to

overcome chaotic and complex conditions rapidly. It also promotes discussion and

a solutions-based culture.

Author 

Syukri Azman
 Experiential Learning Designer
& Ian Choo Regional L&D Architect 26
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

E ngagement rises: Social learning encourages more dialogue & sharing of ideas
in a safe space. This builds relationships, trust, empathy, and psychological/
mental safety amongst the teams.

Bui di l ng shared vision: Continuous engagement drives an organization's mission,

allowing it to penetrate all levels and offer clarity on the value it delivers in the
marketplace.

In the performance enablement process, social learning fosters a

culture of 360-degree ownership. Nevertheless, this should not replace
other learning strategies such as face-to-face (classroom or virtual) or e-
learning; instead, it should complement them.

After all, it fits perfectly into the

"20" (peer-to-peer learning) of the
"70/20/10" paradigm.

—
—Ian
IanChoo

Choo

On top of all the education, it can Regional
RegionalL&D
L&DArchitect
Architect

be a fantastic driver of Knowledge

Management and Business
—
—Syukri
SyukriAzman

Azman

Continuity if social learning is Experiential
ExperientialLearning
LearningDesigner
Designer

adopted correctly.

This promotes a great learning culture at all levels and openness

to the conversation, resulting in a safer, more enjoyable
workplace for everyone.

Author 

Syukri Azman
 Experiential Learning Designer
& Ian Choo Regional L&D Architect
27
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

4 Internal team training results in better performance

In many organizations, training only entails sending employees to
educational sessions without providing adequate follow-up and
supervision. When there is no fundamental change in behavior, the
company's investment in all of its personnel is a waste of money.

As a result, it is preferable to delegate the teaching and coaching to the

company's experienced staff. Organizations can benefit from recognizing
that every employee has a unique set of skills.

When training is done internally, you have teachers who understand the
context of your organization and your employees. Specifics matter. This
has pushed many HR’s to take matters into their own hands and create
their own training resources.

G2G stands for Googler2Googler, a program where Google employees

volunteer to educate one another. The topics covered might range from
highly technical to leadership-related. These exercises help not only the
participants but also the teachers.

The employees gain additional abilities such as listening, empathy, and

public speaking due to their teaching experiences. It shapes them into T-
shaped individuals with the technical depth of knowledge and diverse
talents that can be used in various positions. In the end, everyone gains.

Internal team training saves time for the company while also increasing
employee engagement. However, there is one caveat: Before
implementing anything company-wide, it is critical to conduct small-
group tests first. This will ensure that the outcomes are due to the
training.

Author 

Vivek Iyyani Millennial Specialist
28
CHAPTER 4 Revamping performance

from management to enablement

5 Horizontal career growth

Horizontal progression helps Millennials better understand the

company's various elements. The opportunity to use their different skills
to generate value in other departments is a way of growth and
exploration. This enables them to form more relationships within the
organization, which has been shown to promote more creativity.

47 % of higher educated workers

said a limited career path could get them
to leave for a better opportunity.

Northrop Grumman Corporation's subsidiary, space university, aided a

similar approach by launching a new career path management (CPM)
platform. They allowed employees to pick their own career routes based
on their declared interests.

The Leadership focused L-path would be chosen by those who wanted to

become leaders. The S-path was selected by those who wanted to
concentrate on contributor roles supported by skills. The Rotation R-path
was for individuals who wanted to try new things but weren't sure which
road to choose, while the crossover X-path was for those who desired a
change in function and new challenges.

The organization's engagement and retention showed a hike as a result of

the four alternative paths. They had career coaching services to empower
their employees in choosing the best route for them, which enabled them
to determine their own pathways.

29
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

Similarly, AXA Singapore uniquely fosters

internal talent recruitment. Each department is
assigned to design the finest booth for their
internal career fairs to educate all workers
about their work.

This is where employees can express their

creativity, and it's similar to a company-wide —
—Vivek
VivekIyyani

Iyyani

Millennial
MillennialSpecialist
Specialist

team-building activity, according to Bonny Kim,

Talent Acquisition Leader at AXA.

During the internal career fair, employees get to walk around and admire
the different booths designed and learn more about the open positions
they can apply for. If employees are interested in transferring internally,
all they have to do is inform their boss.

Internal mobility allows your organization to re-skill current personnel

and fill department vacancies without searching outside the company. 

It aids in recognizing cross-collaboration opportunities, allowing staff to
combine a variety of skill sets to complete tasks more quickly.

It's preferable to retain your Millennial employees within your

company rather than lose them to competition.

Author 


Vivek Iyyani Millennial Specialist

30
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

Managers have to play a crucial role in bringing the

6
transformation.

More than

78 % of employees
expect their managers to discuss career

and learning opportunities.

However

37 % of employees
agree that managers actually participate.
—
—Vivek
VivekIyyani

Iyyani

Millennial
MillennialSpecialist
Specialist

In the past, managers were mainly responsible for business growth;

however, things have changed. To boost employee performance,

development, and engagement, the managers' participation is as

meaningful as that of an HR. Instead of endlessly attempting to push

their ideas onto the workforce, leaders and managers must refocus their

strategic vision on understanding and implementing what genuinely

works for their people and the company culture.

The new workforce comprising of Millennials and Gen Z desires constant

interaction. They crave new opportunities that push them to be unique

and creative. Turning these aspirations into reality is where managers

can take the lead. Companies can achieve high engagement,

productivity, and retention rates by allowing the workforce to switch

career paths, delivering real-time feedback, and enabling challenging

and growth-driven opportunities.

The more responsibilities they have, the more engaged they are.

Author 


Vivek Iyyani 31
Millennial Specialist
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

Little less than

1/ 3 of millennials
think their organization is making the
most use of their abilities and expertise.

Leaders and Managers who played with their team’s strength reported a

14- 29 % rise in profit

9 - 15 % increase in

engaged employees
— The Deloitte • Millennial Poll

Many Millennials have led teams in extracurricular activities, gaining

expertise in leadership. By leveraging these out-of-office experiences
and facilitating employees to do extra duties, they will demonstrate their
worth and lift up their desire to contribute more. Hence, giving
Millennials challenging tasks can boost their motivation and
engagement.

Similarly, encourage and incentivize workers to participate in new

initiatives, such as CSR projects, that are unrelated to their jobs. 

This will give them more responsibility, making them more engaged.

Author 

Vivek Iyyani Millennial Specialist 32
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

Intergenerational collaboration: The Secret to a

7 happy, high performing, and unstoppable workforce.

Expectations and accountability are the two ends of an employee-

manager relationship bridge that come together in establishing a solid
foundation and harmonious company culture. However, with the
changing nature of today's workplace, expectations are continuously
altering, creating a rift in the manager and employee relationship.

Lack of communication, poor teamwork, absence of structure, skepticism,

preconceived notions, inadequate teaching, differences in ideologies, and
lack of understanding are some of the challenges creating
disengagement and resulting in an intergenerational conflict.

Achieving intergenerational collaboration is a two-way street. Hence, it

requires understanding and contribution from both employees and
managers. To eradicate the grounds of conflicts, let’s start by
understanding the triggers and pleasures of the multigenerational
workforce.

With older generations working past the age of retirement and the
arrival of Gen Z, for the first time in history, we see up to five
generations working alongside each other which makes achieving the
aforesaid a challenge.

Furthermore, organizations are beginning to recognize that hierarchy

must be eliminated, and generational diversity will play an essential role
in the future workplace. We all know that diversity can be a great asset
in introducing fresh perspectives and applied knowledge. However, if
not handled with care, it creates a volatile environment that leads to
obstacles in communication and conflicting expectations.

Leading Expert on Generational Diversity


Author 
 Founder of XYZ@Work

rachele Forcadi Author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes
34
 How to revamp performance

CHAPTER 4
from management to enablement

Diversity of age and experience, unfortunately, has created a cultural

divide, and despite the best efforts to convey a harmonious and

supportive working culture, many organizations are experiencing the X-

Y-Z Divide Syndrome, where generational diversity is seen as a negative

element, making it more challenging to build and maintain a happy,

productive workplace.

Little less than

of employees

2/3 find it hard to work with other age groups.

and

Prefer to work with or be managed by

%
40 colleagues from the same generation.

— The Multigenerational Workforce Study • 2021

Baby Boomers and Gen X often disapprove of younger generations’

sense of entitlement and lack of commitment, so they fail to provide the

mentorship and guidance they crave. Millennials and Gen Z, as a result,

feel unheard and unable to contribute and blame the top-down

management styles and “old-school” mindsets of the older generations

As a result,

Across age groups say that

%
55 intergenerational conflicts are

of employees frequent or very frequent.

Young employees disapprove of their manager, and old employees envy

the young ones because they don’t realize how strongly the behaviors or

the mindsets they disapprove of are rooted in the historical, political,

and social context that brought up each generation.

Leading Expert on G enerational Dv

i ersit y

Au h
t or 
 Founder of XYZ@W k
or

r ch
a ele F c di
or a Author of R
eframin gG enerational Stereotypes
35
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance


from management to enablement

Sadly, generational differences are often overlooked, buried under the

sand, or simply ignored. While business leaders understand the

importance of embracing generational diversity, few organizations seem

to have strategies, initiatives, and programs in place to bridge the

generational gap and foster a culture of intergenerational collaboration.

Still only
Say leading the Are ready to
%
70 multigenerational workforce
10
%
address this trend.

Organizations is critical for their success.

— The Deloitte • 2021 Global Human Capital Trends

If organizations fail to encourage and facilitate cross-generational

awareness and understanding, intergenerational conflicts will

continue to persist. The younger generations will only see their older

colleagues as hierarchical, stubborn, and resistant to change; and fail

to appreciate their experience, knowledge, and wisdom.

Similarly, the older generations will continue to predominantly see

the young ones as overly sensitive, entitled, and overconfident; while

failing to appreciate them for their social-mindedness, digital

savviness, and creativity.

The result will be discord among workers, unhealthy competition,

lack of mutual respect, low employee engagement, high attrition,

poor performance, slow-moving projects, and stagnated innovation.

When organizations are willing to address Generational Diversity, call

it out, explore it, understand it and get comfortable with it, they can

genuinely help their employees become aware of the forces that

shaped each generation.

Leading Expert on Generational Diversity


Author 
 Founder of XYZ@Work


36
rachele Forcadi Author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance


from management to enablement

% Say across generations say

90 there is a lot they’d like to

of employees learn from other age groups.

—
—rachele
racheleForcadi

Forcadi

% Say they want to find a

99
Leading Expert on Generational Diversity

Leading Expert on Generational Diversity


way to work together Founder of XYZ@Work


Founder of XYZ@Work


Author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes

Author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes
of employees positively.

This represents a unique opportunity for business leaders and talent

professionals. Implement programs and initiatives to promote cross-

generational awareness with knowledge sessions, training, coaching,

workshops, shared workspaces, and team-bonding activities.

Focus on intergenerational collaboration by having matrixed

multigenerational teams or Shadow Boards.

Encourage two-way learning exchange through reverse mentoring or,

even better, two-way mentoring programs. Talent professionals can

finally lay the foundation for future business success by unleashing the

full power of their organization’s multigenerational human capital.

When organizations are willing to address Generational Diversity,

they can genuinely help their employees become aware of the forces

that shaped each generation.

Leading Expert on Generational Diversity


Author 
 Founder of XYZ@Work


37
rachele Forcadi Author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes
CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

8 Technology is Millennials’ bread and butter.

Technology is revitalizing and reinventing performance management for

good, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Technology is both a benefit
and a curse to effective performance management solutions. However,
COVID-19 has compelled firms to embrace new work practices that
were previously neglected because of Millenial’s increased reliance on
technology to work from remote places.

Being surrounded by technology since childhood, Millennials have

grown up alongside technology and its advancements. This has made
them inclined towards an approach that uses technology. So, it shouldn’t
come as a shock if the Millennial generation's aspirations have been
molded by technology.

The tech world has changed so dramatically, resulting in many

companies encouraging automation in the workspace, which is a positive
start toward aligning with technology improvements, work-life balance,
and modern work techniques.

So, if you wish to retain and make your company a go-to hub for
Millenials, adopting a technology-driven company culture is your way to
go! Make their lingo your company’s new motto.

—
—Vivek
VivekIyyani

Iyyani

Millennial
MillennialSpecialist
Specialist

—
—Adrian
AdrianTan

Tan

gLOBALHR
gLOBAL HRINFLUENCER
INFLUENCER

Author

Vivek Iyyani
 Millennial Specialist
& Adrian Tan Global HR Tech Influencer 38
 CHAPTER 4 How to revamp performance

from management to enablement

HRIS system - the tool you need to boost

9 performance enablement

Not too long ago, only the big players had adequate resources to acquire
a sophisticated HR integrated system. A system that consists of the HR
core workforce administration module integrated with learning,
performance management, onboarding, employee engagement, etc.

The rest of the pack, small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs), could

only afford standalone systems that focused on personnel management
and a separate payroll system. For most SMEs, the expense of owning a
sophisticated HRIS system that delivers a smooth end-to-end employee
experience was just out of reach.

In most cases, standalone solutions were sufficient for businesses with

less than 200 employees. However, COVID-19, on the other hand,
completely transformed the way we communicate with our staff. The
conventional line-of-sight is rapidly becoming extinct. Nonetheless,
some bosses prefer that their employees work 9 to 5 in the office, which
is becoming increasingly impractical.

With COVID-19 being lethal, organizations need to minimize their

employees' exposure to the broader public by commuting to work via
public transit. Future employees will also seek out organizations that
provide the flexibility of a hybrid working environment, allowing them to
work from home to reduce exposure to the virus.

The flexible work arrangement once reserved only for the larger
enterprises will now have to be adopted by SMEs.

Author 

Raymund Chua Senior Director of OSI Systems, Inc
39
 How to revamp performance

CHAPTER 4
from management to enablement

At OSI Systems, Inc., one of the many

ways our supervisors stay engaged

with our people is through an online

“check-in” process of providing regular

feedback on their performance.

—
—Raymund
RaymundChua

Chua

Senior Director 

Senior Director 


OSI Systems, Inc.

OSI Systems, Inc.

Our HR digital solutions allow OSI Systems employees to work virtually from

anywhere in the world by always remaining connected with their supervisors.

SMEs must now discover economical, practical, and easy HR tools to keep

connected with their employees. One such system is Grove HR

(www.grovehr.com) that offers an affordable, comprehensive HR solution that

was previously only available to the elite.

The good news is that all kinds of HR benefits, starting from data management

to performance enablement, are part of Grove HR.

Author 


40
Raymund Chua Senior Director of OSI Systems, Inc
CHAPTER 5

Become a more empathetic

organization

41
 Be human to attract humans
CHAPTER 5

To improve engagement, businesses must adopt a 


human-centered strategy. This is possible with a working

culture and structure that promotes growth and allows

employees to succeed.

Most companies have always understood that talented people are the

ultimate competitive advantage. As such, HR teams have consistently

been hard-pressed to attract, develop and retain them - with great

difficulty and frustration.

With a generational makeover and more empowering technologies, it is

now time to call out the elephant in the room: employees’ development

should be at the heart of your people strategy, but your HR teams cannot

solely bear the responsibility for it.

While they can own the strategy, technology and provide resources, it is

really the quality of the conversations between managers and employees

that can make a big business impact.

Therefore, helping managers play the role of performance and personal

growth enabler - much like a coach - is the key to your people’s

development, satisfaction, and eventually retention.

According to Mercer4 , organizations that empower individuals, help them

reskill or upskill proactively and build a digital employee experience that

listens to employees are the ones the most likely to get and stay ahead in

the next decade.

In other words, empathetic organizations are more likely to be resilient.

This should not come as a surprise: when employees feel they are being

taken care of, they are more likely to care about the company, go the extra

mile but also simply enjoy being part of the journey.

4 Mercer Global Talent Trends report, 2020

42
CHAPTER 5 Be human to attract humans

Shifting from Performance Management to Performance Enablement is

almost impossible without the right HR technology. Grove HR enables
you to do just that.

Managers can run their own team performance reviews - including self,
management, or peer reviews - using intelligently predefined questions
and templates. HR teams provide strategic input to managers as to how
to better coach employees and help them become better coaches.

If you wish to implement such technology and

practices within your organization but aren’t sure
how to start, we will be more than happy to
help. Visit us to book a discovery call.

43
Final thoughts Catch the new wave: Performance enablement

Final thoughts
This performance playbook aims to uncover insights and
recommendations on how the modern workforce transforms the
workplace and how companies can successfully adapt.

We hope you found this helpful and that it inspired you to shift
from performance management to Performance Enablement.

Before parting ways, we would like to say thanks to our

special contributors without whom this Playbook
wouldn’t have been possible: Adrian, Ian, Rachele,
Raymund, Syukri and Vivek (in no particular order). You
can find their bios as well as profiles here - we hope that
you will take this opportunity to connect with them and
start new fruitful relationships.

44
About our contributors

Vivek Iyyani is the Founder of Millennial Minds Pte Ltd, and an

Author of 2 books, Empowering Millennials and Engaging

Millennials. He has been featured on regional media such as

Channel NewsAsia and in MySingaporeStory covered by National

Integration Council.

He works with with large organisations to build a Millennial-

Friendly Employer Brand as well as with Institutes of Higher

Learning to impart the future-ready skills for the workplace to the

next generation.

— In his free time, Vivek works with youths and helps them to identify
—Vivek
VivekIyyani

Iyyani

Millennial
MillennialSpecialist
Specialist their Ikigai so that they can have a purposeful and passionate

career. He is currently writing his next book, Millennial Leaders

which will be out in 2022.

Raymund Chua is responsible for Asia OSI Systems HR operations

covering nine countries. In addition to his regional coverage, he has

two other appointments. He is also the Global HR Business Partner

to two OSI Systems business groups, i.e., Rapiscan and OSI

Electronics. Before joining OSI Systems, Raymund was the Chief

Human Resources Officer for the Consortium for Clinical Research

and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS).

Over his 30-year career, he has held numerous leadership

positions across local and international companies such as Heraeus,

—
—Raymund
RaymundChua

Chua

Senior
SeniorDirector
Director Price Waterhouse, Singapore Refining Company, Philips Lumileds

Holding B.V., Hamilton Sundstrand, Singapore Workforce

Development Agency, Modus Media International, and the

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc.

About our contributors

Ian Choo is a passionate people development professional that has

been in this space for over a decade. He believes in putting people

at the center of all that he does and has worked in both the public

and private sector.

His experience spans across the full spectrum of Learning &

Development, and has worked with and in sectors spanning across

Talent Acquisition/Recruitment, manufacturing, oil & gas, public

transport, Maritime, Sports and Retail.

—
—Ian
IanChoo

Choo

Regional
RegionalL&D
L&DArchitect
Architect
He loves spending his free time with his lovely family, reading up

on leadership practices, working on his leadership podcast Learning

& Leadership in Asia, and working out.

Rachele is a global thought-leader and public speaker on

Generational Diversity, Multigenerational Workforce Dynamics and

Employer Branding.

Over the last 20 years, Rachele has advised hundreds of Fortune

500 companies, Asian organizations, NGOs and Government

Agencies.

She is passionate about helping organizations adapt to the needs of

the new generations and make Generational Diversity a key item on

—
—rachele
racheleForcadi

Forcadi
 their D&I Agenda. She also a Chair of the Multigenerational
Leading
LeadingExpert

Expert

Founder
 Workforce Committee for the ASEAN Human Development
Founder

Author
Author Organization, Board Member Future Talent Council, Mentor at

Workplace Accelerator and Founder of XYZ@Work.

About our contributors

Adrian Tan - One of the Top Global Influencers in HR Tech by

AIHR, Adrian writes extensively about the Future of Work on

his blog and is the creator of the Singapore HR Tech Market

Map. He also interviews Future of Work enablers on his

podcast – The Adrian Tan show.

He was a serial entrepreneur in the recruitment, career search,

and HR consultancy space, leading to two HR Vendor of the

Year awards, SHRI HR Entrepreneur award, and Global

—
—Adrian
AdrianTan

Tan

Recruiters Best Marketing award.
gLOBAL
gLOBALHR
HRINFLUENCER
INFLUENCER

Syukri Azman - With over 10 years of experience in learning &

development, learning design, content development & digitalising

learning across various industries & regions, Syukri (or better

known as Syuk) has touched the lives of thousands of individuals

through his interaction & engagement. Syuk is also someone that

believes in the future of learning to be highly collaborative,

engaging, self-curated, immersive, self-directed and mobile.

Despite being young in age, Syuk has spoken at numerous stages

as panelist, guest speaker and even keynote speakers. Notably

—
—Syukri
SyukriAzman

Azman

Experiential
ExperientialLearning
LearningDesigner
Designer being the guest speaker at Future of SME Workforce Congress

2018 by hrmasia, 'Skills for Future Jobs' Fair by Detik, MediaCorp

Suria (a national broadcasting channel in Singapore).