Salesforce Case Analysis

Part 1: Annual Performance Review Vs. Real-Time Review

            In my opinion, I believe annual performance reviews are not essential anymore with the rise of real-time reviews. With real-time assessments accessible on applications such as Salesforce’s Work.com, it is not necessary to conduct yearly performance assessments. There are disadvantages to conducting annual performance appraisals instead of real-time reviews. With long gaps between performance assessments, employees may become complacent after the review resulting in reduced work productivity (Javidmehr & Ebrahimpour, 2015). Also, the performance reviews conducted annually may be faulty or incorrect. Individuals are always prone to making mistakes and also can let personal biases influence their judgments. Therefore, with real-time software that can conduct regular reviews, there is no need to conduct yearly performance reviews.

Moreover, the benefits of conducting real-time reviews outweigh the benefits of annual reviews. With real-time reviews, managers can constantly monitor each employee’s performance and evaluate if they are working towards accomplishing organizational goals. Also, real-time reviews allow senior-level management to capture day-to-day performance while continuously capitalizing on new opportunities to enhance growth through constant guidance.

As stated earlier, annual performance reviews can be incorrect. However, real-time reviews are more accurate. Instead of recalling 12 months of work for each employee, real-time assessments offer reviews with enough information to guide their performance evaluations. Lastly, real-time reviews can enhance and improve team relationships within the organization. According to Salesforce.com, real-time reviews promote team dynamics through enhanced workflows among team members (Salesforce, n.d.). Hence, annual reviews do not need some revisions because real-time reviews are more superior in organizational management.

Part 2: Potential Benefits of Real-Time Evaluation

            There are several potential benefits of conducting a real-time evaluation of performance. Currently, the business world is changing and many businesses are coming to terms with the fact that traditional means of evaluation do not meet the needs of the rapidly changing environment. For businesses to match the needs of the corporate world, real-time evidence is critical to recognize employee performance and motivation (Marthouret & Sigvardsson, 2016). Therefore, real-time evaluation is beneficial as it allows managers to evaluate things as they happen to provide them with the opportunity to correct behavior or reward hardworking employees.

With immediate feedback, management has the opportunity to recognize mistakes and correct any prevailing issues. More importantly, with this kind of immediate feedback, organizations can learn from their mistakes and implement strategies to mitigate future problems. Also, when employees provide real-time feedback, organizations can create strong leadership within the organization. According to Oldcorn and Forsyth (2013), immediate feedback can strengthen leadership in an organization since senior executives will learn more ways to support and lead their teams. Therefore, by focusing on immediate feedback, organizations can improve their performance and at the same time, establish strong leadership.

However, there may be a downside to providing immediate feedback to employees. There can be drawbacks when real-time evidence is not implemented well leading to inadequate information that can impact the decision-making process. Providing immediate feedback to employees can make them draw invalid conclusions from the process. These conclusions can lead to decreased work performance, productivity, and motivation among the employees. Even if immediate feedback can be effective in the long run, it can negatively impact the workflow of processes within the organization. As I result, I believe feedback to employees can be too immediate when it does not contain enough information. Appropriate information is essential as it provides employees with a chance to understand their mistakes and correct them.

Part 3: Problem Solving

            Performance reviews play a significant part in the success and growth of any business. However, the impact of performance reviews rests on how they are defined. Reviewers need to consider the ultimate goals of conducting a performance review and what benefits do the organization expects to attain from the process. In situations where performance assessments are appropriate, they can provide solutions to many problems. However, in situations where performance reviews do not appeal to employees and bosses, here is a plan to make them valuable for both parties.

First, to make performance reviews more valuable to both employees and managers, I would recommend organizational restructuring. Organizational restructuring entails transforming a business model to make it better (Kłosowski, 2012). For instance, organizations can streamline their processes and set achievable goals. Under the goal-setting motivation theory, better performance and motivation are directly linked to an organization’s goals (Yurtkoru et al.,2017). In other words, employees are more likely to be more motivated when they are working towards accomplishing a specific goal. Therefore, through organizational restructure, performance reviews can be more valuable since employees and their bosses will be working towards a common goal resulting in greater output and improved performance.

Secondly, I would recommend organizations implement an effective communication plan to make performance assessments more valuable. Even if an organization sets specific and achievable goals, they cannot be achieved if they are not effectively communicated among employees. Management by objectives theory outlines that for an organization to improve its performance, both employees and managers need to agree on the organization’s objectives (Ntanos & Boulouta, 2012). In other words, all the involved parties within an organization have to communicate organizational goals and implement strategies that ensure the goals are attainable. As per the theory, employee involvement in goal setting encourages their participation and increases their motivation levels. Therefore, to make performance appraisals more motivating to managers and employees, an organization needs to implement a communication plan that incorporated all the relevant parties.

Another recommendation I would make to ensure performance reviews are more valuable is employee training. As stated earlier, performance reviews provide feedback that can be used to improve organizational effectiveness. However, if managers do not act on the feedback, it means the whole process was inappropriate. But, if senior executives identify areas that need correction after the performance review, they can initiate training sessions for both employees and managers. In doing so, both employees and managers will correct their mistakes and improve their skills. Following Maslow’s hierarchy theory of needs, individuals always aim to increase and attain various achievements in life (Badubi, 2017). Training provides both employees and managers with an opportunity to improve their skills and increase their work productivity. That way they can achieve more. Hence, training of both employees and their bosses after a review will make performance assessments more valuable.

Part 4: Further Research

Real-time performance reviews offered by Salesforce are very beneficial. Salesforce review application software improves ways in which managers engage with their employees and customers (Salesforce, n.d.). Real-time and online approach performance assessments provided by Salesforce allow managers to involve other employees. In doing so, they demonstrate that their opinion matters and importantly allows both parties to work as a team to resolve any issues. When organizations utilize real-time feedback, they can capitalize on most opportunities and at the same time, understand how the software users perceived the experience.

Real-time and web-based approaches to performance reviews are vital within organizations as they facilitate customer loyalty and improve brand reputation. According to Marthouret and Sigvardsson (2016), when an organization requests immediate feedback, customers recognize that their input is crucial. Hence, they feel their thoughts on the products or services offered matter and can influence future experiences. Therefore, Work.com and other similar products are good for employers and employees since they offer multiple benefits. According to Work.com, online approaches automate processes increasing employee productivity and motivation. With that said, I believe this online approach concerning conducting performance appraisals is the best strategy to enhance a more motivated workforce.

One of the downsides reported by users of the online approaches is increased internet dependency. More time is spent on the Internet meaning work time is reduced. Also, as stated earlier, the rapid collection of data and reporting can result in inaccurate information. An organization runs the risk of failure if it draws its conclusions from that inaccurate information. Therefore, immediate feedback reported from online approaches can pose potential risks when used in unsuitable contexts or when not implemented appropriately. Organizations need to verify the information and have enough evidence to support the collected data before making any informed decisions.

References

Badubi, R. M. (2017). Theories of motivation and their application in organizations: A risk analysis. International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, 3(3), 44-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.18775/ijied.1849-7551-7020.2015.33.2004

Javidmehr, M., & Ebrahimpour, M. (2015). Performance appraisal bias and errors: The influences and consequences. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 4, 286-302. https://ijol.cikd.ca/article_60464_e664300a56883a0e6b8a49a754f0bd81.pdf

Kłosowski, S. (2012). The application of organizational restructuring in enterprise strategic management process. Management, 16(2), 54-62. doi:10.2478/v10286-012-0055-z

Marthouret, E., & Sigvardsson, S. (2016). The effect of quick feedback on employee motivation and performance: A qualitative study on how to formulate effective feedback. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1034884/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Ntanos, A. S., & Boulouta, K. (2012). The management by objectives in modern organisations and enterprises. International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 4(1), 68-79. doi:10.1504/ijscm.2012.045831

Oldcorn, G., & Forsyth, D. (2013). Upward Feedback and Leadership Development: Perceptions from Senior Employees. In International Conference on Human Resource Management and Professional Development for the Digital Age (HRM&PD). doi:10.5176/2251-2349_hrmpd13.36

Salesforce. (n.d.). Work.com: Reimagine employee experience for a work-from-anywhere world. Salesforce.com. https://www.salesforce.com/work/?sfdc-redirect=219.

Yurtkoru, E. S., Bozkurt, T., Bekta, F., Ahmed, M. J., & Vehap, K. O. L. A. (2017). Application of goal setting theory. PressAcademia Procedia, 3(1), 796-801. doi:10.17261/pressacademia.2017.660