Putting the System Into Performance Management Systems: A Review and Agenda for Performance Management Research

Abstract

It has been 13 years since the last comprehensive review of the performance management (PM) literature, and a lot has changed in both research and practice in that time. The current review updates (identifying new research directions post 2004) and extends this previous work by creating a systems-based taxonomy and conceptual model of PM. We then use this model to interpret and integrate the extensive work in this area and to identify fruitful and systems-based directions for future PM work. As input to our conclusions, we reviewed the last 36-plus years of PM research (1980–2017) and conducted a comprehensive coding of all empirical PM articles. We offer several specific directions for future PM research, with the ultimate goal of improving PM in practice.