What Managers Need to Run Better Performance Conversations

This article is part of a series exploring how organisations can improve performance development by better connecting learning, data and manager capability.

• In the first article, we explored why performance development works best when learning and performance are connected
• In the second, we examined why performance conversations need learning data to move beyond opinion and become more effective.

This final article focuses on the role of the manager and what managers need to run more effective performance conversations in practice.

Because even with the right systems and data in place, performance development happens through the quality of conversations between managers and their teams.

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McKinsey research highlights that building capability at scale requires embedding learning into day-to-day work, supported by coaching, structured processes and ongoing reinforcement.

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Managers play a critical role in shaping employee performance, engagement and development. They are expected to:

• Provide feedback
• Guide development
• Run performance conversations
• Support growth

Yet many managers are promoted because of their technical expertise, not their experience in coaching or development conversations.

As a result, performance conversations can become:

• Inconsistent
• Uncomfortable
• Overly focused on outcomes rather than development

Sometimes the challenges are a question of structure and support provided to managers and not a capability issue.

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Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) research indicates that managers can lack the confidence and support needed to conduct effective and often challenging performance conversations.

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The Expectation Gap

Research from Gallup, Deloitte and CIPD suggests that many employees do not find performance feedback helpful, and that managers often lack the confidence, structure and support to conduct effective performance conversations. Without clear frameworks and access to meaningful data, feedback can become general, inconsistent and difficult to act on, limiting its impact on development.

In many organisations, managers are expected to know how to:

• Give effective feedback
• Identify development needs
• Guide meaningful conversations

But in practice, many managers:

• Rely on general or vague feedback
• Avoid difficult conversations
• Lack a clear structure to follow

This creates inconsistency across teams and limits the effectiveness of performance development.

Why Performance Conversations Can Be Challenging

There are three common challenges managers face.

Lack of structure

Managers often don’t have a clear framework to guide conversations.

Limited access to evidence

Feedback may rely on perception rather than capability data, learning insights or behavioural evidence.

Confidence and experience

Without guidance or tools, even experienced managers can find it difficult to navigate development conversations.

Gallup research shows that only around 26% of employees strongly agree that the feedback they receive helps them do better work.

What Effective Performance Conversations Look Like

When performance conversations are effective, they are:

• Structured
• Evidence-based
• Focused on development
• Ongoing rather than one-off

They help employees clearly understand:

• What they’re doing well
• Where they can improve
• How to develop

This approach creates a more constructive and forward-looking discussion.

The Role of Systems in Supporting Managers

Rather than expecting managers to manage performance conversations independently, organisations can provide:

• Structured conversation frameworks
• Access to capability and learning data
• Visibility of progress over time
• Guided development planning

These elements help managers feel more prepared and confident going into conversations. With this approach, systems don’t replace the manager; they support better conversations.

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Josh Bersin’s research on continuous performance management highlights a shift away from periodic, review-based approaches toward more continuous, feedback-driven models that better support development.

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Supporting Managers in Practice

When managers are supported with the right tools and structure, they can:

• Prepare for conversations using real data
• Ask more focused and relevant questions
• Provide clearer and more actionable feedback
• Link development to learning opportunities
• Track progress over time

Supporting managers shifts performance conversations from reactive discussions to structured development conversations.

From Individual Capability to Organisational Consistency

According to research, organisations achieve more consistent performance outcomes when learning, feedback and performance are connected and supported by structured frameworks and data, rather than relying solely on individual manager capability.

The most effective organisations don’t rely solely on individual manager capability.

Instead, they create environments where:

• Learning, feedback and performance are connected
• Managers have access to relevant data
• Conversations are supported by consistent frameworks

This leads to:

• More consistent experiences across teams
• Clearer development pathways
• Improved capability across the organisation

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Deloitte research highlights a shift toward more continuous and integrated approaches to performance management, aimed at improving consistency and organisational outcomes.

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A Research Perspective

Research from organisations such as Gallup, Deloitte and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development highlights that managers have a significant influence on employee performance and engagement, yet often require more structured support, tools and guidance to run effective performance and development conversations.

Research from Josh Bersin highlights that high-performing organisations integrate learning, performance management and feedback into a continuous development process.

Across this series, a consistent theme has emerged.

Performance development is most effective when three elements work together:

• Learning is connected to performance
• Conversations are informed by meaningful data
• Managers are supported with structure and tools

When these elements operate in isolation, performance development can become fragmented and difficult to sustain.

However, when they are connected, organisations can create a more continuous and effective approach to developing capability.

Managers should not be expected to solve this on their own. With the right systems, data and support in place, performance conversations become more:

• Confident
• Consistent
• Impactful

At the end of the day, this approach enables organisations to move from managing performance to developing capability at scale.

References

Gallup (2023). State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

Deloitte (2023). Global Human Capital Trends 2023. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) (2023). Performance Management Factsheet. https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/factsheets/performance-management-factsheet/

McKinsey & Company (2023). The State of Organizations 2023. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-state-of-organizations

Josh Bersin (2018). Continuous Performance Management: Innovation Reigns. https://joshbersin.com/2018/07/continuous-performance-management-innovation-reigns/

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