Purdue survey tracks agribusiness trends in performance management

The survey was produced for agribusiness leaders to critique their performance management.
The survey was produced for agribusiness leaders to critique their performance management. | File photo

The Center for Food and Agricultural Business of Purdue University recently published "The Performance Management in Agribusiness Survey" based on November 2015 data to help food and agriculture businesses address trends in performance management. 

The results were the basis of the National Conference for Agribusiness where over 600 agribusiness professionals offered their input and experience on six different themes: strategy and talent requirements, talent acquisition, performance management, learning and development, engagement and retention, and succession planning.

"Survey respondents confirmed what we suspected: performance management matters," Michael Gunderson, Purdue associate professor of agricultural economics and associate director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, said. "But, historically, economics researchers haven't really focused on understanding the roles of individuals in the economy or within the business environment.

The survey was produced for business leaders to critique their performance management and have employees grade the company for which they work.

"Notably, it was employees, rather than managers or executives, who were more likely to respond that goals weren't challenging enough," Gunderson said. "This suggests that if there is a question regarding the challenge, managers might push employees a bit further. Some managers struggle in conducting performance management with only results in mind, given that sometimes luck can play a role in outcomes. In our survey, sales, marketing and human resources professionals were much more likely to use a combination of outcome and behavioral assessment relative to finance and operations professionals."