Customer: VF Corporation

Program Description:

• VF launched Maximizing Performance, a company-wide performance management process, to support their goal of building a culture of performance and to improve business results
• VF believed having well prepared plans helped both managers and employees work towards clear and measurable goals, thus increasing corporate performance
• VF believed the annual engagement survey was a key indicator of progress toward a high-performance culture

Evaluation:

• Studied the deployment to two brands, a young, trendy brand and a legacy brand, with a long, rich history and were representative of the full portfolio of the companies 40+ brands
• Phase One study focused on the development of performance plans, analyzing compliance (presence of a plan) and the quality of the plans
• Phase Two (three months later) tracked the ongoing progress against performance plans
• Phase Three (three months after Phase Two) focused on the annual performance appraisal process
• Data was collected from these brands for salaried associates for a year and a half

Findings:

• Phase One found participant confusion over the process and the need for further training and communication to clarify the important concepts in this new process
• Phase Two found the prominent driver of compliance, quality of plans, and engagement was the presence of a manager who participated fully. Focusing on manager participation lead to increased employee engagement
• Phase Three did not reveal links between Maximizing Performance and the business metrics evaluated. VF has speculated that the leading indicators of success are present (those seen in Phases One and Two), and it will take more time for impact to appear in the other metrics
• VF has knowledge that engaged managers are critical to the development of a high-performance culture