Read the case below and answer the questions. Prepare your analysis using APA format. Asana's Performance Management Approach a The Company Asana (the Sanskrit word for pose in yoga), is a silicon-valley start-up founded in 2008 by former Facebook developers, Justin Rosenstein and Dustin Moskovitz. (Fun fact: Rosensteio was one of the developers who created the like button.) And in 2017 Asana ranked #2 of the top 100 Best Mid-Size Workplaces in the country by Fortune Magazine. Asana provides software for enabling teamwork. The company's vision is to apply Easter wisdom traditions to create a culture of clarity, authenticity and mindfulness. That vision influences how performance management is practiced resulting in a workplace in which key stakeholders, employees in Silicon Valley's highly competitive market for high-tech workers : feel valued and empowered. Investing in employees The company is well-known for its offerings of top-notch employee benefits like a culinary program, yoga, and Uber credits, but where it really shines is in the area of Kemployee self-improvement. Asana describes self-improvement as fundamental to its culture. One reason Asana invests so much in employee growth is that they give them a large degree of personal autonomy. The role of the manager is to be a coach. Rather than directly approving or directing decisions, managers empower them to make their own calls and give them the direction for the future. To support their professional and personal development the company offers employees external mentorship and life coaching. The program includes an all-star list of coaches to help with anything from improving interpersonal relationships to hands- on engineering apprenticeships the concept that Asana 1366 words Insert Table on engineering apprenticeships. This principle supports the concept that Asana employees should continue improving along with the entire company Strategic Process Goal setting applies the principle of clarity. Asana presents the company's purpose as a pyramid. At the top is the mission, to "help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly." Below that is an easily understood three-part strategy of making a product that enables effortless teamwork, getting the product to all teams, and making Asana the company that does both of these better than any other. To carry out the strategy, the company sets roughly a dozen business, product, and internal objectives for the year. Every team has key results to achieve some of these objectives, and every employee works at projects aimed at the key results. Cross- functional teams define the higher-level goals in twice-yearly meetings to review the previous six months' performance. And once a year, each employee defines personal goals that align with the objectives in the pyramid. The degree of empowerment is a striking feature of work at Asana. The planning process identifies every task and piece of work with a deadline for each. Each one is called an area of responsibility (AOR), and each is assigned to one person, the AOR holder, based on the person's expertise. Everyone has clear goals and responsibilities, coupled with a high degree of authority. This exists within an environment of constant observation, learning, and improvement. AOR holders are encouraged to discuss issues with their colleagues, but they have the full authority to make decisions within their area. To enable wise use of this authority, all employees receive leadership training that includes listening, giving and receiving feedback nondefensively, and holding beliefs lightly," that is, being open to new ideas. Performance Management In this context, performance management is not so much about checking up on employees to find out what they have been doing: Asana's own teamwork software takes care of that. Rather, performance management is about enabling employees to continue improving along with the entira.com SIL The degree of empowerment would make it difficult for a manager to offer performance feedback in the form of directions to improve. Rather, the emphasis is on mentoring and coaching. Asana is completely mission-driven. Rather than focusing on the wheels and bearings of "how. each and every project is led by their overarching why'. But that doesn't mean they're completely free of a structured appraisal process. Employees complete annual self-reviews, and regular peer reviews provide another source of performance data. Managers meet frequently one-on-one with their direct reports. Asana's leaders regularly engage with employees to increase employee happiness and keep performance on track. Because the Asana software is already telling managers what their people have accomplished and whether they are on track toward their goals, the meetings focus on employees' needs and goals. When problems arise at any level of the organization, including when an employee leaves: the response is to conduct an analysis of the underlying reasons that process can be improved. Every six months, the company halts all normal business operations for its Roadmap Week. This is the time for every member of the organization to step away from the daily grind and reflect on the big picture progress made over the last six months. They consider it a kind of organizational meditation-a time to sit, reflect and gain deeper insight on the business. During Roadmap Week, Rosenstein and Moskowitz will either lead a session, or simply sit in on DRI and manager-led sessions in order to get a better feel for what's happening on the ground. Results So far, this approach is delivering exceptional performance, including high sales growth and employee satisfaction. Maintaining a culture in a fast-growing company is difficult, but the founders point out that change is built into Asana's method of operating. The owners promise to adapt the culture if it becomes necessary, Results So far, this approach is delivering exceptional performance, including high sales growth and employee satisfaction. Maintaining a culture in a fast-growing company is difficult, but the founders point out that change is built into Asana's method of operating. The owners promise to adapt the culture if it becomes necessary. Questions: 1. Which of the ideal performance management system characteristics we studied in class are reflected in this company's approach to performance management? Explain your anwer 2. What part of Asana's performance management process contributes most to its effectiveness? Explain 3. What cultural elements are enabling Asana to have success with this approach