Web 2.0 Management Tools

HR and people management would have to be the trickiest little area for any bottom line driven manager. It’s necessity has driven the creation of a variety of assessment tools and development programs.

Now the power of the web is again showing itself with the creation of a tool featured in this weeks Economist: Rypple.

Rypple is an online Performance Management solution. It uses the power of web networking to generate ‘giving and getting honest, direct, and insightful feedback to employees’. Rypple allows frequent assessment and eases the burden on supervisors. 

How does it work? Employees establish a network of trusted peers, mentors and managers whose opinions they value. They can then send out short questions, such as “What did you think of my presentation today?”, to which their network’s members can respond online. The responses are kept anonymous so that, at least in theory, employees cannot tell who has made them.

Rypple also allows users ask members of their networks to measure their performance against a scale, so they can track how they are doing over time. It also lets employers see what “tags”, or overarching themes, are being used most often in questions. If, say, creativity is key to a firm’s success but there are few requests for feedback on employees’ creativity, then bosses can tell they have not done enough to communicate their priorities.

Companies that have road-tested the product claim it puts the onus of professional development on the employees – a good thing for all – and reduces the importance of the much maligned performance reviews most groups now use.