Abstract
In 2013, Alan Herrick, the CEO of Sapient, raised concerns with his HR leadership regarding the effectiveness of the existing performance management system (PMS). He tasked Kameshwari Rao, Vice President of People Strategy at Sapient India, with evaluating the current performance appraisal system, which relied on bell curving and forced ranking. Leading a core team, Rao explored alternative systems to replace the current one, eliminating the use of the bell curve.
The team’s findings led to the proposal of a new approach named ‘enabling your potential’ (EYP), focusing on regular conversations throughout the year rather than a singular year-end effort for gathering and disseminating performance information. The EYP approach emphasized coaching and feedback. The case outlines the dilemma faced by Rao when confronted with feedback from various organizational stakeholders regarding the proposed EYP PMS. Rao must decide whether to persist with the bell curve system or adopt the proposed EYP approach.
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