Conversations about Conversations

The title of this post was inspired by Grant Beckett, Globoforce EVP of Global Product Strategy, who actually said he was conducting, “a conversation about conversations about Conversations,” during a talk about performance development at Globoforce’s annual Workhuman convention.

I was interested in Conversations, their new performance development tool, not just because of Brandon Hall Group’s forthcoming research updates on the topic, but because it pertains to a matter of great importance: how to make our workplaces more human.

Making a more human workplace has long been a goal of Workhuman — and Globoforce by extension — but what does that mean for performance management, one of the least-loved aspects of human resource management? How do we take a practice that turns people into numbers (when done poorly) and make it something to connect us and engender greater empathy?

Would it be crazy to say that machines are part of the answer?

Machines are part of the answer!

Seriously, Conversations looks at performance feedback and recognition (Grant Beckett reminds us that “recognition is feedback”) and shows us how connected (or not) we are to each other, even to the point of revealing variations between gender and ethnicity. Natural Language Processing (NLP) can be used to examine the tone of feedback from men vs. women using semantic analysis to find microaggressions and other signs of unconscious bias that divide us, then identify better language to build a more inclusive culture.

With network analysis tools you can even get a sense of how comfortable people are speaking up or giving honest performance feedback as a whole, for use when there are discrepancies between the amount of feedback from men and women in your workplace. That can serve as a metaphorical canary in the coalmine to take action before a toxic culture sets in that can cause actual harm.

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t see performance management as a possible catalyst for workplace equity, greater diversity and inclusion; PM had long seemed like something that deserved fixing, not championing. But maybe in a few years we’ll be spared monthly variations of the “Why Performance Management Stinks” article — or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

Cliff Stevenson, (Twitter: @CliffordDarrell) Principal Analyst, Talent Management and Workforce Management, Brandon Hall Group

For more information on Brandon Hall Group’s research, please visit www.brandonhall.com.

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Mike Cooke

Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Hall Group Mike Cooke Prior to joining Brandon Hall Group, Mike Cooke was the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of AC Growth. Mike held leadership and executive positions for the majority of his career, at which he was responsible for steering sales and marketing teams to drive results and profitability. His background includes more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, management, and operations in the research, consulting, software and technology industries. Mike has extensive experience in sales, marketing and management having worked for several early high-growth emerging businesses and has implemented technology systems to support various critical sales, finance, marketing and client service functions. He is especially skilled in organizing the sales and service strategy to fully support a company’s growth strategy. The concept of growth was an absolute to Mike and a motivator in starting AC Growth, in order to help organizations achieve research driven results. Most recently, Mike was the VP and General Manager of Field Operations at Bersin & Associates, a global analyst and consulting services firm focused on all areas of enterprise learning, talent management and talent acquisition. Tasked with leading the company’s global expansion, Mike led all sales operations worldwide. During Mike’s tenure, the company has grown into a multi-national firm, conducting business in over 45 countries with over 4,500 multi-national organizations. Mike started his career at MicroVideo Learning Systems in 1992, eventually holding a senior management position and leading all corporate sales before founding Dynamic Minds. Mike was CEO and Co-Founder of Dynamic Minds, a custom developer of software programs, working with clients like Goldman Sachs, Prentice Hall, McGraw Hill and Merrill Lynch. Also, Mike worked for Oddcast, a leading provider of customer experience and marketing solutions, where he held a senior management position leading the company into new markets across various industries. Mike also serves on the Advisory Board for Carbon Solutions America, an independent sustainability consulting and carbon management firm that specializes in the design and implementation of greenhouse reduction and sustainability plans as well as managing the generation of carbon and renewal energy and energy efficiency credits. Mike attended University of Phoenix, studying Business Administration and Finance. He has also completed executive training at the Chicago Graduate School of Business in Chicago, IL.

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