Práticas de gestão de desempenho voltadas para a inovação: a experiência de organizações portuguesas e brasileiras

Abstract

This research paper discusses how individual performance management practices have been implemented to support and to foster innovation. Brazilian and Portuguese organizations are increasingly pursuing innovation, according to recent results from Innovation Research in Brazil (PINTEC) and Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in Portugal. These surveys have its flaws in identifying certain aspects of how organizations implement innovations. The research presented in this paper tackles the following question: How are individual performance management practices being implemented in order to support and to foster innovation? Taking a qualitative approach, this research is based on multiple case studies of 6 organizations from Brazil and 5 from Portugal. Sectors included pharmaceutical, energy, infrastructure, aviation, cosmetics, information technology, mining, automotive, and agricultural research. Data collection encompassed innovation - and HR- related documents and interviews with line managers responsible for innovation management and HR management departments. Content analysis was used to categorize and analyse the collected data. The research results indicate relevant categories to connect innovation and HR performance management. It can be seen that policies and practices that connect individual performance management, competency models and business performance emerge as bridges between innovation and individual outcomes at work. However, performance management must go beyond the assessment tool per se and incorporate work plans or action plans for people developing innovations, plan and follow up competences and performance, promote feedback, among others. Companies denote more emphasis on performance evaluation as something instrumental and limited than the broader management of individual performance and, why not, its link to organizational performance. This paper defends the need for more systemic and grounded articulation between HR practices and innovation that promote competitiveness, making explicit the contribution of individuals and groups to organizational results.