November 6, 2000

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Performance Appraisal Software: What Can Go Wrong

By Judith N. Mottl

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ot all performance appraisal software implementations go smoothly. Corning Inc. had hoped for a quick and simple experience when it moved its appraisal process online in 1996. PeopleSoft, its human resource vendor, however, had no online module or solution ready to go when Corning decided to move appraisals to the Web, says Hank Jonas, manager of compensation and organizational performance for the $4.7 billion Corning, N.Y., global telecommunications and information display manufacturer. With 15,400 employees worldwide, this was no small implementation, and in evaluating products, there was debate within IT whether to build or buy a package.

By the time Corning's project team chose Softscape Inc.'s AchievementPlus hosted application, it was the last quarter of 1996 and time for employees' annual appraisals. Corning had to decide whether to do a pilot and delay the rollout to 7,000 employees for a year, or just jump into full implementation. Ultimately, Jonas jumped in. "We couldn't afford to lose a year, but I would have loved to pilot the system and improve the learning curve," he says.

While the tech implementation went smoothly, the big hurdle came from some user resistance to the process. Jonas advises others to make strong training and support efforts to avoid the steep learning curve for longtime employees who aren't as comfortable using a PC.

Despite the stumbling blocks, Jonas believes companies have to put business processes online. Corning's system paid for itself in a year and, he says, "the efficiency allows supervisors to really focus on being high-end, value contributors--things every company can benefit from."

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Illustration by Bob Daly

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