Competition or Cooperation

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Competition or Cooperation

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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December 3, 2013 at 8:41 pm

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Comments posted to this topic are about the item Competition or Cooperation

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Stuart Davies SSCoach Points: 19505 More actions · Answer 1

I really despise the annual review system. If a manager is worth their salt, then any employee who isn't pulling their weight / performing poorly will be spotted well before the review. If not, then the manager is performing at a level 2 as well.

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richardmgreen1 SSChampion Points: 10346 More actions · Answer 2

We need talented coders to solve tough problems, and we need average programmers to tackle mundane tasks

And if the manager is worth anything, the average programmers will be picking up tips from the talented ones in order to improve their skills (because thge manager will have spotted the average ones and set aside some time for them to be trained/improve their skills/learn new skills).

At which point, they pass on the tips and you begin all over again.

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 3

This does remind me of the assertion by the UK's current Minister of Education that all schools should attain the "good" status which is only achieved when their pupil performance exceeds the national average.

Gaz

-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

Summer90 SSC-Dedicated Points: 32891 More actions · Answer 4

Friends of mine worked for a company that does this and the lowest rated employees are gone in year 2 if they don't improve. I don't know how you improve it your manager has to rate all employees in a 1,2,3 type manner. They used the reasoning of we want only the best employees to work at the company. However, what it DID do was cause a lot of turnover as many good employees would leave.

Robert.Sterbal SSCrazy Points: 2855 More actions · Answer 5

Its a great strategy for finding competitive leaders. Has anyone seen any cross sectional research on the metrics for companies that employ this strategy?

djackson 22568 SSChampion Points: 11733 More actions · Answer 6

Stuart Davies (12/4/2013)
I really despise the annual review system. If a manager is worth their salt, then any employee who isn't pulling their weight / performing poorly will be spotted well before the review. If not, then the manager is performing at a level 2 as well.

While I don't completely agree with you, your point about the manager failing is very true.

Dave

bgachowski Newbie Points: 5 More actions · Answer 7

I was a supervisor for a company that utilized this system... I had to rank people into the infamous Bell Curve. I hated this system with a passion. It divides teams and forces you into an adversarial relationship with people on your team. As another commenter noted, if you are worth your salt as a supervisor/manager you've identified those poor performers long before the annual review and are actively working to get them to an acceptable level of performance or getting ready to show them the door. Being forced to pick one person as a 1 or 2 even though they are performing at a 3 or better is the best way to demoralize the workforce and sow the seeds of discontent that will destroy the fabric of any organization.

djackson 22568 SSChampion Points: 11733 More actions · Answer 8

We need talented coders to solve tough problems, and we need average programmers to tackle mundane tasks. Both are necessary

Absolutely. What we don't want or need is deficient employees. We do need people who are willing to just do a job, and do it well, but who have no need to star at something.

The rating system you mentioned is assinine because it defines someone as deficient even if they are a star. This is just another example of the just plain stupidity that "management gurus" push.

Seriously, what if we had a team of Stroustrup, Ritchie, Kernighan, Jobs, Scott Adams, Torvalds and Donald Knuth? Can anyone seriously consider rating any one of them as a failure?

The concept of this rating system relies 100% on the assinine theory that every team is stratified, with some people being better than others, and some being worse than others. While this may be statistically true across a large sample, it is not true in every team. Further, the theory demands that those who may not be quite as good as the best people, are rated as substandard!

This drives me absolutely batty!

I once worked for a guy that drew a grid on a whiteboard, and started placing his employees in each quadrant. He went on to explain how the people in one quadrant were failures and needed to go, the people in the opposite quadrant were stars and needed to stay, and everyone else was deficient in some way or other, and needed to become stars or get fired! Sure, great idea.

Dave

annetteg SSC Journeyman Points: 86 More actions · Answer 9

"We need talented coders to solve tough problems, and we need average programmers to tackle mundane tasks. Both are necessary (along with many other roles) to ensure success of a project."

Our collegiate programming championship proves this each year. Windward Code Wars gives teams eight hours to come up with an AI that must outwit other AIs to win the game. It takes collaboration, which does not occur without communication. Thus it tests programmers for a skill set that is not commonly associated with a degree in programming.

Bobby Russell SSCrazy Points: 2801 More actions · Answer 10

Steve,

Give them each the rating they deserve (a 2 or higher based on what you said) and then give yourself a 3 for failing to follow company policy and NOT ranking someone below what the REALLY are. Problem solved! 😀

You're a good man!

nwerner Right there with Babe Points: 798 More actions · Answer 11

Under such a system five years ago, my manager told me that it was "my turn" to "take one for the team" and be the 2, promising that it would be at least three more years before my turn came up again and that I was not really a 2. When I gave my notice, he was shocked that I didn't respect the way he stood up for the team with his fair system [and that I could have found time to interview elsewhere with my overloaded workload!]:-P

GeorgeCopeland SSCertifiable Points: 6997 More actions · Answer 12

The rating system you mentioned is assinine because it defines someone as deficient even if they are a star. This is just another example of the just plain stupidity that "management gurus" push.

I study management theory, and I am not aware of any popular theorists who say this. On the contrary, W. Edwards Deming is a management theorist whom I respect, and he has explained in detail how such employee rating schemes are deficient.

GeorgeCopeland SSCertifiable Points: 6997 More actions · Answer 13

One of the main reasons to evaluate employees is to ensure that everyone is being treated fairly. The system outlined in the article is inherently unfair. Additionally, such a system has nothing to do with accomplishing business goals. It deserves to be eliminated for that reason alone.

Sqlraider SSCertifiable Points: 5441 More actions · Answer 14

I once worked for a company where the managers couldn't give out any 5's. But you were expected to work towards a 5. I asked what was the purpose of having an unachievable goal? They gave a fancy/wordy explanation that basically was "you're the horse that has a carrot on the end of a stick".

These type of rankings do not promote competition or team work. If you're a 3+ you're not going to want to mentor a 2, it's easier to keep them there. And if you're a 2 who's going to help you become a better worker?