Employee Ranking Systems : Rank and Yank Reference Library

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Top : Employee Ranking Systems : Rank and Yank - Usually attributed to Jack Welch at GE, Rank and Yank is a performance management system that ranks employees and fires the bottom x%. Here you'll find important information about this dangerous, harmful practice.

As Enron Purged Its Ranks, Dissent Was Swept Away - The New York Times

By JOHN SCHWARTZ - Enron, which had once prided itself on its intense team spirit, had become the kind of place where someone could be dismissed in such an impersonal way -- a company so bent on success that it did not always observe the basic human niceties. Many former employees and executives say the atmosphere became so intensely competitive that people often did not feel secure enough in their jobs to question irregularities, if they were aware of them at all. (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 164 )

Dead Man's Curve | workforce.com

By Andy Meisler - Whether you call it forced ranking, the "vitality curve" or another alias, it's a workforce performance tool that's used by up to one in five Fortune 500 companies. But most of them refuse to talk about it. Why is that? Ask Ford, which paid out $10.5 million over forced ranking-related discrimination claims. (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 159 )

Does Rank and Yank Work To Improve Company Productivity?

By Robert Bacal - This isn't actually the right question. The real question is: Will rank and yank work to improve YOUR company productivity? The reason you need to ask this is that rank and yank CAN work in some very narrow situations, when some very specific variables "fit". Here are some of the factors that will influence whether rank and yank will work to improve your company's productivity. (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 142 )

Forced Rankings and Respect for Humanity

By Lean Blog - A nice blog post about rank and yank from a slightly different perspective. "One thing I never did like about the GE/Welch system is that it called for a annual 10% goal for "rank and yank" -- rank your employees and get rid of the low ones." (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 150 )

LEAN Library - The ABCs of Rank and Fire Management

By Mark Edmondson - Really good. Read this if you have an interest in rank and yank. It's amusing, with some very serious points. (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 112 )

Rank and Yank?. In the Pipeline:

By Derek Lowe - This is good and it mentions baseball and Bill James This also points out the folly of the Jack Welch "rank 'em and yank 'em" style of performance review. You know, find your bottom 10% and fire them all. Other companies that have tried this technique (Ford, to pick a notable example) have found that it mostly sows fear and discord. And I'm sure it did at GE, too, truth be told (although some CEOs swear by it.) (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 182 )

Sibson: Forced Ranking: Not So Fast

By Christian M. Ellis, G. Barrow Moore, and Anne M. Saunier - In our view, many organizations today are jumping on the forced ranking bandwagon too quickly and carelessly, allowing the practice to hijack their performance management system. (Added: 18-Oct-2009 Hits: 135 )