Bell Curves and Identities!

Visualize you are having  one of your best periods or year at work!

Things are going well for you. You are stretching but enjoying. You are getting the results. Your teammates are also doing a damn good job. It's a successful and energizing workplace.

At end of year, you are told your performance doesn't meet expectations!

Well! Are you taken aback? 

In all probability you must have been.

Obviously, the Bell Curve and relativity is at play here. :)

It doesn't matter how well you perform; what matters is how well you perform relative to others!
 

This seems to be true in most of our institutions -schools, colleges, and workplaces.

It does make logical sense to say that we are upping the bar of performance and there are consequences for those who are at bottom of stack.

But logical from whose perspective? The organization´s!

What kind of an emotional impact might this have on employees? Will employees relate to organizations?- they might if the tide is with them -everyone wants be a rating 1 but no one wants to be a rating 5:).

Think of a family or a friends circle where the least effective member´s membership in family/circle is in question at the end of the year. 

What kind of an emotional response or a preventive mindset might that lead to ?

In companies, over a period of time the emotional relationship/identification will possibly be more with one's team members/work, etc and lesser with the organization.
 

Probably that's why, with the advent of Bell curves in organizations, the focus has shifted from loyalty (to organizations) to employability (of one's career).
 

Does organization lose? i don't think so!
 

Do employees lose? 

Over a period of time they might realize what's at play- they might choose to still put in discretionary efforts- but that will be for reasons beyond performance based incentive.They might also choose to be loyal to a particular organization - but that will be because his/her employability or other needs is being taken care of adequately.

Is there a better alternative possible?

Well! For that we first need to find an alternative to bell curves :).

-
Sourav