Managing machines is an easier task than managing humans, as any human resource manager will be able to tell you. We have now received word that Microsoft has decided to stop using its employee ranking system, which is a system that forced managers to provide a set proportion of employees a poor review, never mind just how well they have performed, there will always be a bunch at the bottom of the pile. It is this very system where the blame has been pinpointed for hampering not only innovation, but it has also pitted employees against one another.
Employees picked up this good news in an email from Lisa Brummel, Microsoft’s executive vice president of human resources. The system has been called “stack ranking,” and it has also become more or less an emblem or example of what is not right where Microsoft’s corporate culture is concerned. In fact, employees have even described it to be the most destructive process within the company, where it has been blamed for crippling Microsoft’s ability to innovate. Hopefully this move will not come too late to help Microsoft turn the innovation boat around to calmer waters. Hopefully, we will see more innovative products from Microsoft in the near future after this.
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