The significant evolution in staff assessments: a good fit for think tanks?

12 August 2019

Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, writes about  the evolution in staff assessments for think tanks.

There is an ongoing, comparatively quiet evolution in the business world, especially among tech firms, large consultancies and major international law firms, to refashion their traditional staff performance assessment systems and staff annual goal setting. Long simmering dissatisfaction began in 2011-2012 to fuel a reform movement that has gradually gained momentum with a jump in adopters of the new system from 2017. The new procedures, still often in trial stages, are now spreading to a broader array of businesses and to some think tanks.

The discussion proceeds under five headings. The first looks at the motivations for the sample organizations to adopt the new protocol or not. The second explores how ‘more frequent feedback’ is being structured. The third considers the adoption of more steps in career ladders. And the fourth provides additional discussion on the most significant change observed. The final section concludes.


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