Performance management at GE

GE rolled out its new performance management strategy at the end of $2016,$ replacing its legendary Employee Management System that was implemented in $1976$ and widely emulated by other companies. The change took place largely due to a program launched in $2013$ called FastWorks, which introduced skills and processes to make GE a more lean, agile, and customer$-$centered organization.

Under the new direction of CEO Jeff Immelt, GE began to shift from annual performance reviews to a system that accommodated the lean and innovative methodology of Fastworks. The organization developed a simple, contemporary smartphone app, designed with the sole purpose of facilitating more frequent communication and meaningful conversations between managers and employees.

The app, called PD@GE$,$ exchanges voice and text input, attached documents, and even handwritten notes between employees, managers, and teams across the company. The organization's goal was to shift their employee review focus onto continuous dialogue and shared accountability. The app facilitates a constant exchange of feedback year$-$round; participants can receive suggestions from anyone in their network, including upper management and members of other teams.

In order to continue in the vein of customer$-$centered growth, GE's IT team developed the app so that managers can hold regular "touchpoints" with employees in order to set goals and update priorities based on customer needs. At its core, the app serves as a platform to define goals for employees and to enable constant improvement for all users.

While many of the headlines and articles detailing the legendary company's