Performance management and the bell curve

So why do we try to force people onto a performance bell curve anyway?

Is the very best I can do at work the same as your very best? Is my bad day equivalent to the guy at the next desk? The bell curve assumes so, and measures us all the same.

I do believe in the bell curve. Just not one for everyone.

I think we should all have our own bell curve.

I’d like to be measured on how well I can perform. And shouldn’t that be okay for an organisation? Am I doing the best I can?


So here’s my 3 year old godson, Joshua. Isn’t he the best?!

And here’s his brother James (he hasn’t been born yet, but mum’s hoping any day now!)

Here are things that Josh does amazingly well: he loves fishing, can identify maybe 10 different dinosaurs, can work the DVD all by himself and he loves hanging out with his grandad Tom.

Now, in 2015, when baby brother James is 3, if he’d rather play with horses than dinosaurs, if his favourite oldie is grandma Pat, if he likes going to bed early, if he’s a techno-clutz – will that make him a lesser boy than Josh?

Uh, no.

We’ll compare of course. But James is going to be the best version of James that it’s possible to be, and the worst version of Josh, because Josh has the whole ‘being the best version of Josh’ thing all sewn up.

So my organisation is made up of Josh’s and James’ (or Lisa’s, Gemma’s, Fiona’s etc etc). Why do I have to measure myself against the best that Gemma can be, for example? Isn’t it enough that I work to the best of my ability on any given day? Isn’t that my best benchmark: ‘how well are you doing compared to how well could you do?’ I can think of 11 things off the top of my head that Gem’s better at than me (Hi Gem!).

So, damn the bell curve! It makes life easy at performance review time, for sure. And who doesn’t love administrative ease?

But as a tool to plot an employee’s effectiveness compared to all others?

Our mantra in this office is ‘one size fits one’ and our challenge to the HR community is to abandon efficient tools and have courage to embrace effective ones.


So why do we try to force people onto a performance bell curve anyway?

Is the very best I can do at work the same as your very best? Is my bad day equivalent to the guy at the next desk? The bell curve assumes so, and measures us all the same.

I do believe in the bell curve. Just not one for everyone.

I think we should all have our own bell curve.

I’d like to be measured on how well I can perform. And shouldn’t that be okay for an organisation? Am I doing the best I can?

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