Saved by the Bell Curve
Microsoft has abandoned the practice of ranking employees on a bell curve. But did Bill Gates get the memo?
By Sue Altman, EduShyster Academy
Silly me. I’ve been saying for ages now that we should stop treating our schools like businesses. But after much soul searching, I realize I’ve been wrong all along. I think we can learn a lot from a very American corporation: Microsoft. What caused my sudden realization that the same company that brought us the Zune is ideally suited to get our kids “college and career ready”? The answer can be found right here in a memo that Microsoft’s new executive VP of HR just issued to all employee’s regarding the company’s performance review program.You see, Microsoft has decided to abandon its hated “stacked ranking” evaluation system that forced managers to grade employees along a curve and was infamous for pitting employees against one other. Instead, Microsoft has a new improved approach to employee evaluation, the key elements of which are:
- “More emphasis on teamwork and collaboration.”
- “Timely feedback and meaningful discussions to help employees learn”
- “more flexibility in how and