Annual Goal Setting is Out of Touch With Today's World

REDWOOD SHORES, CA--(Marketwired - March 04, 2015) - Saba (OTC PINK: SABA) In our fast-changing world, with new competitors popping up overnight, government regulations shifting, and customer demands changing on a dime -- suddenly the strategy you set at the beginning of the year seems out-of-date. As the pace of business continues to accelerate, this problem only gets worse.

Long-term, and sometimes even short-term, strategies can no longer be set in stone. If corporate goals aren't reviewed and revised regularly, companies run the risk of missing opportunities or spinning their wheels on irrelevant tasks and technologies. Consider the workforce implications: We are not only witnessing a fundamental change in the way we work, but also in how we need to measure employee performance.

To put it simply, the current practice of annual goal setting doesn't account for the real pace of business. If an organization's strategic goals flex and targets change, so too must the goals of individual employees -- lest the entire workforce continue rowing in the wrong direction.

The HR organization needs a more dynamic approach to goal setting and management to keep up. Managers and employees may already be adjusting their goals constantly. But, if HR can enable a continuous goal-setting and review process that actually makes that easier and aligned to the corporate changes, they would be considered true business partners seeking to improve processes that build in efficiency to benefit the entire company.

Research shows that a more flexible and frequent goal management model fits today's world and forces at work. According to Bersin by Deloitte's Predictions for 2015 report, "High-performing companies keep goals simple; they revisit them often (even weekly); and, managers and employees make their goals public for all to see."

Bottom line: Using a static process of setting goals once a year and revisiting them during annual performance reviews is no longer realistic in all but the most slow-moving industries. Dynamic goal setting helps keep your workforce in touch and up-to-date with changing business priorities. At some point during the year, things will change. Now it's time to have a goal-setting method that adjusts to shifting business goals that follow those market changes.

To read more about how dynamic goal setting and management can help you improve employee performance, download our eBook Winning Your Workforce: The Essential Guide to Improving Retention and Employee Performance.

About Saba
Saba (OTC PINK: SABA) delivers a cloud-based intelligent talent management solution used by leading organizations worldwide to hire, develop, engage and inspire their people. With machine learning at its core, Saba Cloud offers proactive, personalized recommendations on candidates, connections and content to help employees and businesses lead and succeed. It is purpose-built on a highly scalable platform that exceeds industry security and reliability standards. Saba has more than 31 million users and 2,200 customers across 195 countries and 37 languages. Learn more about intelligent talent management at www.saba.com.

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