In a year where we were continuously caught off guard, expectations versus reality became a recurring theme. Despite this unpredictability, amid labor shortages and supply chain crises, performance expectations set records in various industries across the globe.
Leaders who followed the science of human behavior took note of several key factors. To achieve greatness during challenging times, organizations looked to autonomy, cognitive capacity, and inclusion among others. Have a look at some of our most popular content this year in performance management.
Blogs on Performance
6 Benefits of Creating More Inclusive Workplaces
Chris Weller
Psychological safety, wellbeing, and prosocial behavior aren’t the only benefits of maximizing inclusion in the workplace.
3 Easy Ways to Improve Performance Management in Times of Crisis
Rob Ollander-Krane
High performance doesn’t come naturally, leaders have to know how to engage their teams with productive conversations that motivate through difficult times.
3 Ways to Hack Your Calendar for Better Focus
Dr. David Rock
Prioritize important work first thing in the morning when your brain is fresh, and other easy tips for making the most out of a busy day.
Change Management Insights from 2021
Q&A with Nicson White
When it comes to change management, what was the biggest insight or lesson from this year?
One of the biggest insights for enterprise-change strategy is the focus on an everyone-to-everyone approach as opposed to the traditional approach of a leader’s mindset and behaviors cascading throughout an organization. There’s a wealth of research that supports that theory, that the single greatest change determinant is the belief that others are making change, too. We’ve seen this reinforced in the change data from our client work this year where organizations who define culture for the enterprise, rather than leaders alone, and implement accordingly, create change faster and with greater lasting effects.
What’s one top trend you’re seeing that will impact organizations in 2022?
Something I’m observing is a healthy shift towards simplification. I don’t mean simplification in terms of finding cost efficiencies, but from a change-management perspective, where the goal is to minimize noise by focusing on fewer priorities. From a neuroscience standpoint, employee cognitive capacity is measurably affected when we’re overwhelmed. I’m seeing CEOs push their teams harder to prioritize, such as having fewer KPIs to allow people to focus on large, shared goals, and streamlining multiple culture frameworks down to one that the entire organization can get behind.
What’s one habit you’re planning on implementing or changing next year?
Next year we’ll be driving a theme around, “true, according to neuroscience.” With this focus, we can help our clients approach change management by finding out where hidden and known assumptions are at play, assess how companies’ practices are aligned with what we know about how the brain views motivation, and challenge clients to attempt less in order to achieve more by implementing change from a neuroscience perspective.
For more from Nicson, visit his LinkedIn Profile.
Videos on Performance
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