Isn’t performance management just a nice term for evaluating and ranking people?

 Performance management is a process --- it’s not limited to writing appraisals though that is a part of the process.  Appraisals are a backwards glance at a specific period in time whereas performance management keeps an eye on the future.

 Why do we need a formal process?  Don’t people know when they’ve done a good job?

 The best way for anyone to know how they’re doing --- or how they’re perceived --- is through feedback from others.  How does anyone know what good is if there are no standards?

 Isn’t performance management really a way to identify poor performers so you can document what they’re doing wrong?

 Effective performance management processes are based on the assumption that everyone can perform effectively when in a suitable role.  When people don’t do what we expect there are any number of reasons why --- though we tend to look at the performer as the “culprit,” more often than not the reason for poor performance lies elsewhere