Growing Weeds
by Miki Saxon
Back when Jack Welch implemented forced ranking throughout GE. was perched at the top of management gurus he
Also known as forced distribution and, derisively, as “rank and yank,” the practice was championed by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, who insisted that GE identify and remove the bottom 10 percent of the workforce every year.
Hundreds of companies used it, including tech giants, but most (all?) have stopped. Some took longer than others, Microsoft got rid of it in 2015.
As I said in a post when Amazon finally dumped it in 2016,
Amazing how it’s only taken 30+ years for management to figure out that setting employee against employee does not foster teamwork.
Having to watch your back, knowing it’s “you or them,” doesn’t foster anything.
But even without a formal forced ranking policy, some managers still believe that pitting team members against each other is the fastest way to boost productivity.
However, it’s a great way to increase your experience hiring
Image credit: russel harris
