- Founder: “Sir, do we need performance reviews?”
- Ndubuisi: “In the United States, YES. But in Nigeria, it is not really necessary at this stage”.
Good People, this is the season of performance reviews. Most people will say that it is a waste of time. I partly agree, and do note that as humans we do many wasteful things in life – and performance review is one of the most necessary wasteful activities.
So, even if it is a waste of time, please do it, if your business operates in the United States. An African axiom says that “one day a bad child could be useful”. And that is what performance review does: when you are sued, that document could be the core defensive material you have, and that is why most companies do it. Yes, as you sign-off that document, you have just helped a company’s defense!
But if you operate in Nigeria where employees rarely sue, a ratified performance review is not that necessary for most firms (of course the bigger you are, the higher the stakes, and that is the risk vector which could mean – waste the time and get signed performance reviews). You can call a staff member and explain strengths and weaknesses, and work with that person to improve where necessary. But in America, after doing all that, ask the person to sign something.
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That said, ask your HR expert and company attorney for guidance and not rely on a village guy.
Performance review season is upon us, and for some companies – it’s become a “colossal waste of time,” writes the Financial Times. Even as businesses tout inclusion, controversial review systems are still widely in place. In areas such as the tech sector, forced rankings are making a comeback in an effort to help leaders decide who to let go. The problem with that: It leaves out key factors, such as staffers who always help their colleagues get work done quicker, and could lump together star employees with those who aren’t pulling their weight. Confirm, a performance review platform, is attempting to solve this with a 360-degree system — where staffers can do things such as name-drop coworkers who are their go-to’s for help. (LinkedIn News)
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As we navigate the complexities of performance reviews, it’s essential to recognize their role in both legal defense and employee development. However, the traditional methods often overlook the silent yet impactful contributors and the subtle sources of problems within a team. At Confirm, we use Organizational Network Analysis (ONA), which can help identify those “quiet contributors” who may not stand out in traditional reviews but are crucial to your team’s success, as well as pinpoint the few who may be causing issues, guiding more effective and fair performance evaluations.