Most people know Adobe Systems for its Photoshop software and the Acrobat and Adobe Reader programs for creating and viewing its portable document format (PDF) files. Recently, Adobe has been shifting its focus from packaged software programs to online software. During that transition, Adobe’s senior vice president of people resources, Donna Morris, wondered whether its HR systems—particularly performance management—also needed a new strategy. Evidence signaled a need for change at the 11,500-employee company. Adobe was using a process of annual reviews that ranked employees. Morris’s team calculated that Adobe’s managers spent 80,000 hours per year on the process, equivalent to the time of 40 full-time employees. Was the effort improving performance? Probably not. Every year, immediately following the feedback sessions, voluntary departures by employees spiked. On the corporate blog, Morris wrote a piece about her desire to eliminate formal performance appraisals. It became one of Adobe’s most popular blog posts, and comments poured in from employees who were delighted with the idea and disappointed in managers’ apparent lack of recognition of their accomplishments and failure to support their career development. Morris determined that she had to act. She announced that Adobe would go forward with abolishing performance appraisals, along with related schedules and forms. Instead, the company would prepare managers to carry out a practice called the Check-In, through which they provide ongoing feedback and coaching. The timing of the feedback is up to the managers, consistent with Adobe’s strategy of encouraging managers to act as "business owners" of the group they lead. Managers were trained to focus on goals, objectives, and career development. Instead of tying pay increases to rankings, managers relate them to employee achievement of their goals. Instituting a less formal system poses some challenges. For example, without a schedule for conducting performance reviews, Adobe needs a way to ensure that managers are engaging in performance-related discussions. For this, Adobe has employees meet with managers two levels above (their boss’s boss) to discuss whether they have the support they need for their team to meet its goals. The HR department emphasizes training managers in the skills needed for providing feedback. Reactions to the changes have been overwhelmingly positive. In annual surveys, employees say the Check-ins are easier and more effective than the old system, and that their managers are getting better at helping them improve. Also telling are the rates at which employees leave. Involuntary departures are more common, suggesting that managers are having franker conversations with employees who do not improve. Voluntary departures have dropped by 30%, and a larger share of these are what Adobe calls "non-regrettable" departures.

Questions must provide detailed answers.

How can managers at Adobe ensure that the feedback they provide during check-ins is effective?

In terms of the criteria for effective performance management, what advantages does Adobe gain and lose by shifting its methods from rating individuals to measuring results?

Part three of three how are exchange rates determined in a flexible exchange rate system? us dollar compared to the pound inflation and deflation us dollar compared to the euro supply and demand read the statement. country a is running a trade deficit. what must country a do to reverse this trend? it must hire more workers to increase products for export. it must continue the course it is currently following. it must print more money so people will spend more. it must increase trade exports with other countries. what are consequences of a weak dollar? (select all that apply.) increase in the cost of exports unemployment in import industries increase in the cost of imports unemployment in export industries which is an example of regional cooperation to promote economic growth? neighboring countries negotiate tariffs and duties regarding trade. neighboring countries sign a pact to limit immigration into their countries. neighboring countries remain separate but work together to promote peace. neighboring countries set up quotas on resources that can be sold. why would wealthy nations have an interest in the development of poor nations? (select all that apply.) it opens up new markets for goods and services. it leads to migration between the countries. they want to improve tariff revenues with imports. they feel an ethical or moral obligation to do so. how can the world bank developing nations economically? it can work to remove serious health problems so resources can shift to economic growth. it can provide loans to developing countries to build new infrastructures. it can protect and negotiate free trade deals between neighboring nations. it can sell medical drugs and other treatments to clinics at a very low cost, saving the patients money. which is a characteristic of the takeoff stage of rostow's five stages of economic growth? the population as a whole has its basic needs met and enjoys a high standard of living focused on consumer goods. advancements in technology require a skilled labor force competent in electronics, medicine, and engineering. a country begins to grow rapidly and new industries start to emerge that drive further economic development. the labor of a country is unskilled and focuses on agricultural production, animal husbandry, and the harvesting of timber. how can a developing nation improve its economy if it lacks natural resources? it can default on loans owed to foreign banks. it can place high tariffs on all of its imports. it can engage in international trade. it can flood foreign exchange markets with its currency. how might developing countries obtain funding? (select all that apply.) they can obtain financial assistance from world bank. they can attain microloans from neighboring countries. they can gain loans from private investors. they can acquire grants from foreign countries. what reasons do protectionists cite most for restricting trade? (select all that apply.) to protect national security and prohibit us reliance on other countries to protect us taxpayers from increased income and corporate tax rates to protect us infant industries that tend to have high production costs to protect us jobs due to cheap labor in other countries