Stack ranking!

[AtW]

"Eichenwald’s conversations reveal that a management system known as “stack ranking”—a program that forces every unit to declare a certain percentage of employees as top performers, good performers, average, and poor—effectively crippled Microsoft’s ability to innovate. “Every current and former Microsoft employee I interviewed—every one—cited stack ranking as the most destructive process inside of Microsoft, something that drove out untold numbers of employees,”"

Microsoft

Oh FFS, this is like Intel only worse - no wonder they kicked DimPrawn out of there!

"They used to point their finger at IBM and laugh,” said Bill Hill, a former Microsoft manager. “Now they’ve become the thing they despised.”"

[doodab]

Vanity Fair is an excellent magazine.

[Gonzo]

Stack Ranking

The American banks in London were all keen on this ten years ago.

The Australian bank that Mrs Gonzo works for has introduced it for this year.

I suppose that the theory is that the competition to be the best will raise the standard across the board.

In my experience, there is no better way to disengage the staff from the company.

Once the majority of staff have been graded as medium they stop trying at all or leave.

Anyway, that is a problem for the Permies - why would anyone on here care?

[MarillionFan]

Stack Ranking

The American banks in London were all keen on this ten years ago.

The Australian bank that Mrs Gonzo works for has introduced it for this year.

I suppose that the theory is that the competition to be the best will raise the standard across the board.

In my experience, there is no better way to disengage the staff from the company.

Once the majority of staff have been graded as medium they stop trying at all or leave.

Anyway, that is a problem for the Permies - why would anyone on here care?

THe only time I've seen it, is when I went perm for a bit a US company. They bought it in, and I was top of the stack for my department. One of my colleagues got the real arsehole though.

[bobspud]

Just more reasons why HR as a practice must die !

[Mich the Tester]

Just more reasons why HR as a practice must die !

management

[doodab]

THe only time I've seen it, is when I went perm for a bit a US company. They bought it in, and I was top of the stack for my department. One of my colleagues got the real arsehole though.

If they put you in a department on your own, that's usually a sign they plan to close it down and make you redundant.

[Scrag Meister]

They still use a process in ClientCo called inter-ranking.

All staff have to be placed on a certain bell curve, from 1 (GREAT) to 5 (TULIP).

The scary thing is that it means someone has to be 5 even if they aren't really, so if you have a closely matched team it means someone has to be slightly better but could mean they are 4 ranks apart.

Its really hated here too.

EDIT - read more of the article, exactly like that.

Visibility to upper management, being seen to do a great job, even if you are only mediocre. @rse lickers by any other name.

[escapeUK]

In my experience, there is no better way to disengage the staff from the company.

What is a good way? At clientco I am writing software that streamlines peoples work, does all the boring manual entry bits for them. Probably freeing up half of peoples day. The idea being this would leave them with more time to get quotes out, develop relationships with customers etc. It was never the intention amongst management to get rid of people.

No one seems to be doing this, and the smaller work load seems to just take longer now to fill the day up.

The owner wants me to spend a week in that office seeing whats going on, which I have resisted so far as I dont think I can systemise them any more. And I suspect my answer will be to sack at least one, if not more.

[doodab]

The owner wants me to spend a week in that office seeing whats going on, which I have resisted so far as I dont think I can systemise them any more. And I suspect my answer will be to sack at least one, if not more.

Sack them all, persuade him to outsource the roles to your co, and with a bit of planning you can collect 10 people's pay and sit at home scratching yourself while a minimum wager does the grunt work.