Human Resource Management International Digest

Performance assessment is a two-way street at Dell: Employees feed back high-quality information on
their managers
Jasmeet Singh
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Jasmeet Singh , (2014),"Performance assessment is a two-way street at Dell", Human Resource Management International
Digest, Vol. 22 Iss 5 pp. 11 - 13
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 Performance assessment is a two-way
street at Dell
Employees feed back high-quality information on their managers

Jasmeet Singh

Jasmeet Singh is a erformance assessment at computer giant Dell is not simply about mangers rating
Marketing Manager at
P their workers. The managers are themselves rated by their employees every six
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University of Wales months in the so-called Tell Dell survey.

Business School,
Wrexham, UK. The quality of information, it reveals, is consistently good – so good, in fact, that it is fed
directly into the company’s total-quality-management initiatives.
Michael Dell established the business that bears his name in 1984 in Austin, Texas, USA,
to design, manufacture and sell technology. It now has 100,000 employees around the
world, serving 5.4 million customers.
Dell employees are analyzed through employment reviews and 360-degree feedback.
Because the evaluation team speaks to everyone who works with the employee, the
emphasis is as much on good performance as a team member as an individual. This type
of performance appraisal can also reduce the tendency toward organizational politics.
Dell’s performance-driven culture ensures that the greatest rewards go to employees who
excel in their job. Dell targets its average pay at the market median and then pays
incentives for good work. Profit sharing is therefore an important incentive at the firm.
The business strategy is communicated to all the employees to encourage a shared vision.
According to Michael Dell, everyone in the organization has a fundamental idea of the
company’s goals and his or her part in helping to achieve those. The business uses monitors
in its work areas to display data so that each team can assess its progress toward its goals.
Dell sets objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-framed
(Smart). Managers provide constant coaching and feedback to help employees to achieve
these objectives.

Recruitment at dell
Dell HR is divided into operations and management. The former deals with employee
relations, pay and benefits. Staff from the latter attend local staff meetings and provide
consultancy to business units.
Dell recruits both internally and externally. Internal recruitment is among Dell employees
who have been trained to work at a higher level. External recruitment, usually for lower-level
jobs, uses campus interviews, temporary-work agencies and career sites on the Internet.
Applicants complete an online application form. If the details on this match the skills and
other characteristics needed for the job the candidate undergoes online or telephone

DOI 10.1108/HRMID-07-2014-0095 VOL. 22 NO. 5 2014, pp. 11-13, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0967-0734 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DIGEST PAGE 11
 screening. This five-minute process classifies candidates according to their previous
achievements, whether they have the specific competencies needed for the job and
whether the job suits the candidate’s needs.
Dell also recruits candidates recommended by current employees. The company has
formalized this process through an employee-referral program, which is a form of selection tool.
The core competencies measured when candidates are invited for interview are individual
responsibility, management skills or leadership potential, personal motivation, analytical
skills and people skills. Dell invites candidates to demonstrate how examples from their
own lives show that they have the required competencies.

Career development
Some 70 per cent of career development at Dell is through on-the-job experience. This
enables employees to discover opportunities to strengthen their skills, acquire new
strengths through stretch assignments and special projects and develop a
personal-performance plan.
Around 20 per cent of career development is learning through others. This involves finding
a mentor through Dell’s mentor-connect tool or joining a Dell employee-resource group.
Only 10 per cent of career development involves formal classes or training. This model is
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an industry standard that has proved effective for team members across departments and
at varying career levels. Individual team members are empowered to use all the resources
available to them as they seek to fulfill their aspirations. Team members work with their
supervisors to develop an individual development plan and follow through by meeting set
goals in a realistic time-frame.

Formal and informal learning programs

Dell provides several formal and informal learning programs, all designed for individual
career development. The courses are aligned with current business needs. Among the
programs currently on offer are:
 The leadership imperative: Each course in this series focuses on a different leadership
topic. The goal is to facilitate movement from a management culture to a leadership
one. The leader-led working sessions are designed to drive business results through
inspirational leadership.
 Business and financial acumen: Dell created this series to cultivate a shared
understanding of key business concepts and a common business language among
team members worldwide. Highly interactive, the courses are geared toward
executives, leaders and individual contributors.
 Manager and executive training: Dell’s Management From the Start program is for all
new leaders. It helps to ease the transition into leadership roles and provides a
foundation for success.
 Other professional development: From technical training to communication skills and
sales workshops, Dell’s professional-development courses encompass a breadth of
topics.

The business uses monitors in its work areas to display data

so that each team can assess its progress towards its goals.

PAGE 12 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DIGEST VOL. 22 NO. 5 2014

 Some 70 per cent of career development at Dell is through
on-the-job experience. This enables employees to discover
opportunities to strengthen their skills, acquire new strengths
through stretch assignments and special projects and develop
a personal-performance plan.

Research and development

Dell’s research and development efforts span the globe. Many innovations begin in-house,
led by a global team of engineers, product designers and technical experts. Others start as
a team effort with Dell’s strategic partners. These include technology suppliers, equipment
manufacturers, sales outlets and customers.
The company holds an Inventor of the Year competition among its employees. Andy
Sultenfuss is the firm’s first two-time winner. During his career with Dell, he has had more
than 50 invention disclosures authorized for filing with the USA patent office, 20 of which
have been granted US patents. His inventions have included thin mobility design, power
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management, liquid-crystal display and touch and sensors and gestures.

The Dell Think Tank program brings together industry leaders who are particularly vocal in
the social media to discuss trending topics affected by technology. The goal is to create an
open forum that fosters collaboration and reveals community needs and opportunities for
technology to play a larger role.
Keywords:
For Dell and its partners, the social think tanks are an opportunity to listen at first hand,
Performance management,
discuss business needs and foster relationships with participants and their respective
Recruitment,
communities. It also gives Dell and co-hosts an opportunity to capture good-quality
Career development,
feedback.
Employee development,
Human resource Dell has held think tanks on topics including education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and
management, the changing mobile workforce. Events are held in person and extended online for virtual
Computer industry participation on Twitter and via Livestream.

Corresponding author
Jasmeet Singh can be contacted at: js_jasmeetsingh@yahoo.com

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VOL. 22 NO. 5 2014 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DIGEST PAGE 13