Forced ranking assesses employee performance relative to peers rather than against predetermined goals. It's a performance management tool that—when used right—has increased productivity, profitability, and shareholder value. Unfortunately, some firms have misunderstood what forced ranking is, or have implemented it poorly—resulting in confusion and controversy. In this hands-on book, renowned performance management expert Dick Grote dispels common misperceptions about forced ranking and offers a clear-headed, convincing argument for why it should be a necessary part of any robust performance appraisal system. Based on extensive research, case studies, and consulting experience, the book provides a practical framework for developing a forced-ranking system that is fair, humane, and effective. From establishing appropriate guidelines to accurately categorizing employees, to managing A, B, and C talent differently, Grote shows how managers can use this tool to identify future leaders, give honest performance feedback, and grow the talent that matters most to the firm's success. Transforming a controversial management practice into a practical and powerful leadership-development tool, Forced Ranking will help organizations and their employees reach new heights of performance success.

Great things don't happen in a vacuum. But creating an environment for creative thinking and innovation can be a daunting challenge. How can you make it happen at your company? The answer may surprise you: gamestorming. This book includes more than 80 games to help you break down barriers, communicate better, and generate new ideas, insights, and strategies. The authors have identified tools and techniques from some of the world's most innovative professionals, whose teams collaborate and make great things happen. This book is the result: a unique collection of games that encourage engagement and creativity while bringing more structure and clarity to the workplace. Find out why -- and how -- with Gamestorming. Overcome conflict and increase engagement with team-oriented games Improve collaboration and communication in cross-disciplinary teams with visual-thinking techniques Improve understanding by role-playing customer and user experiences Generate better ideas and more of them, faster than ever before Shorten meetings and make them more productive Simulate and explore complex systems, interactions, and dynamics Identify a problem's root cause, and find the paths that point toward a solution

Designing an incentive plan to turn sales reps into sales superstars! If you're like most sales leaders, your incentive program is a constant challenge, as you try to jumpstart sales, energize a geographically dispersed and autonomous workforce, and motivate salespeople to achieve ambitious revenue goals. And sometimes it seems like you just don't know what works; your products and markets are changing, the incentive program that was so successful last year no longer produces the desired results, or perhaps the generous incentive program you created has yielded a corps of highly paid salespeople who spend most of their time on existing clients and minimal time generating new business -- and threaten to walk away with your customer base if you scale back paychecks! Incentive programs are seductively powerful but complicated instruments. Without careful planning and implementation, they can be too stingy to motivate, too complex to understand, too quick to reward mediocre results, and too difficult to implement. But a well-designed and implemented incentive program is an essential tool for building a motivated, highly effective sales force that delivers the results you need. The Complete Guide to Sales Force Incentive Compensation is a practical, accessible, detailed roadmap to building a compensation system that gets it right by creating motivating incentives that produce positive outcomes. Packed with hundreds of real-life examples of what works and what doesn't, this important guide helps you: Understand the value of building an incentive plan that is aligned with your company's goals and culture. Avoid the common trap of overusing incentives to solve too many sales management problems. Measure the effectiveness of your current incentive program, employing easy-to-use tools and metrics for pinpointing its weak spots.  Design a compensation plan that attracts and retains successful salespeople, including guidelines for determining the correct pay level, the best salary incentive mix, the proper performance measures, and the right performance payout relationship. Select an incentive compensation plan that works for your organization -- then test the plan before it is launched. Set territory-level goals that are fair and realistic, and avoid overpaying the sales force because goals are too easy, or demoralizing salespeople by having goals that are too difficult or not fairly assigned. Create and manage sales contests, SPIFFs (Special Performance Incentive for Field Force), and recognition programs that consistently deliver the intended results. Manage a successful transition to a new compensation plan and build efficient administration systems to support your plan. Every year, corporations spend $200 billion compensating their sales forces, with extremely mixed results. Make sure every dollar you spend is helping to achieve your goal of creating an empowered, effective sales force that drives your company's success. Packed with ready-to-use formulas and assessment tools and a wealth of insights from frontline sales managers and executives, The Complete Guide to Sales Force Incentive Compensation is your hands-on, easy-to-read playbook for crucially important decisions.

Robbins/Judge provide the research you want in the language your students understand; accompanied with the best selling self-assessment software, SAL. Some topics include management functions; the social sciences; helping employees balance work and other responsibilities; improving people skills; improving customer service; motivational concepts; communication; power and politics; conflict and negotiation; culture; and stress management. Globally accepted and written by one of the most foremost authors in the field, this is a necessary read for all managers, human resource workers, and anyone needing to understand and improve their people skills.

There has been a shift in HR from performance appraisal toperformance management. A new volume in the SIOP ProfessionalPractice Series, this book contains a broad range ofperformance management topics, offers recommendations grounded inresearch, and many examples from a variety of organizations. Inaddition to offering state-of-the-art descriptions of performancemanagement needs and solutions, this book provides empirical basesfor recommendations, demonstrates how performance management tracksand helps promote organizational change, and exams critical issues.This book makes an ideal resource for I/O psychologists, HRprofessionals, and consultants. "In this comprehensive and timely volume, Smither and Londonassemble an exceptional collection of chapters on topics spanningthe entire performance management process. Written by leadingresearchers and practitioners in the field, these chapters draw onyears of research and offer a blueprint for implementing effectiveperformance management systems in organizations. This volume is a'must-read' for all those interested in performancemanagement." —John W. Fleenor, Ph.D., research director, Center forCreative Leadership

There are thousands of books and gurus on the subject of performance management. Yet, there are so few examples of where it is practised well. Everyone knows what performance management is, have read the books, have heard the gurus, yet there are so few outstanding success stories. This book is different for the following reasons:1. It is based on years of personal experience in implementing hundreds of performance management systems in companies.2. Contributors to the book have actually done and experienced what they are writing about, with particular experience in emerging markets.3. It is underpinned by empirical research.4. It is practical and, for once, tells you how to do it, with no missing steps or information. There are tool kits, forms and check lists that can be used instantly.5. It is written in plain English with no bamboozling jargon, with many practical examples and templates that you can amend to suit your needs.It also includes practical examples of different types of performance appraisal methodologies, namely the; Outputs Approach Traditional Approach Balanced Scorecard Multirater/360oContents include: The philosophy of performance Measurement and metrics The measurement of human capital Developing an output-driven performance plan The traditional approach to performance appraisal Performance appraisal rating scales The balanced scorecard approach Multisource/360-degree feedback Performance-related pay The link between performance management and long-term incentives (LTIs) Does performance management work? Embracing the law - a South African case study Director and Board Evaluations Crucial/honest conversations regarding performance Critical success factors and epilogue

Psychologists have been fascinated by the world of work, and the changing relationship between people, technology and the workplace, since the onset of the industrial revolution. And in providing a complete and contemporary overview of this evolving and fascinating field, the new edition of Work and Organizational Psychology is the perfect textbook, outlining not only the key theoretical ideas, but also how they relate to the role of psychologists advising today’s organizations. The only textbook to integrate the fields of HRM and organizational behaviour, the new edition is thoroughly revised to cover new technological advances such as virtual workplaces and virtual employees. In an era of rapid socio-economic change, there is also expanded coverage of the role of workplace diversity, employee commitment and globalization, as well as updated chapters on key concepts such as motivation, leadership, group behaviour and well-being at work. Also including a chapter on career development, the book is supported by a range of pedagogical features, spotlighting issues of theoretical, ethical or contemporary interest, whilst also enabling students to engage in active learning. Lucid and comprehensive, the second edition of Work and Organizational Psychology will be the cornerstone for any student of this dynamic field.