We are all familiar with performance management software, but when I looked at a performance management app it surprised me in, well, a surprising number of ways.
The first surprise was simplicity. Unlike software with many functions, the app — called Katch — focuses on a single thing: better feedback.
I thought I’d need a demo, but realized a couple of screen shots were are all I needed to grasp the basics.
The second surprise is that the distinction between “mobile app with desktop capability” and “desktop software with mobile capability” may seem a matter of semantics; however it turns out to have a fundamental impact on how we envision the tool being used.
A desktop application brings to mind someone sitting down and spending 20 minutes on a task; a smartphone app brings to mind someone spending two minutes on a task. In the case of feedback, this is the difference between success and failure because many people will only ask for (and give) feedback if they can do so on the fly.
Here is how Katch works: an employee selects a few competencies on the app and asks a colleague or customer for a quick rating and comment. Sure there are other features but the simple request for immediate feedback is the heart of it.
The app is simple and giving feedback is not new, so why is this exciting?
Here is what I see: I imagine a new recruit eagerly seeking out feedback: “How’d I do boss? Boss?” Gradually they will discover that timely feedback is a powerful tool to guide and motivate their own development.
They will also come to see that the act of giving and received feedback builds relationships. It will become an everyday tool, similar to “Liking” something on Facebook.