Asking the Experts about Performance Management
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This month for our Performance Management section, we are asking the experts about the role of organizational culture and the impact of “soft skills” on performance. We interviewed Dr. Baldwin Tom CMC, President and CEO of The Baldwin Group, Inc. Dr. Tom has an extensive success record in academia, leadership training and consulting to management, and has worked with over 100 businesses in the US and Mexico.
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The first question we asked Dr. Tom was if he felt performance management was defined by the culture of the organization. He said that he felt culture plays a large role in performance management in terms that cultural norms (i.e. organizational habits) guide workplace performance expectations, yet should not define what is acceptable. Not all norms are desirable, thus providing specific and meaningful measures to guide desired performance is critical.
The next question asked whether he felt it was possible to assess the performance of management’s “soft skills,” such as leadership, teamwork, interpersonal communications, etc. He emphatically replied “oh yes,” and said that it was those skills that provide the “lubrication” for organizational success.
The final question was a follow-up to the soft skills question, and asked what role he felt those skills played in the overall performance of an enterprise. He said that they played at least 51% of the end result, and that without soft skill competency by leadership, an organization cannot expect or sustain excellence.
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