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If you dread performance review season as much as your employees do then maybe it’s time to think about why. For decades, performance management has been a necessary part of organizational norms—filled with forms, ratings, and a year’s worth of feedback crammed into one meeting.
But times have changed. In Together’s 2026 Enterprise L&D: Trends and Predictions report, we found an interesting shift happening—the rise of performance enablement. In HR and L&D, we’ve seen firsthand how employee expectations have evolved over the years. Today’s workforce is looking for more than checkboxes and a 1-10 performance rating—they want guidance, growth, and genuine connection to their work. Enter: performance enablement. It’s a human-centered approach that’s working to redefine how people grow and succeed at work.
Let’s unpack what people performance enablement actually means, why HR and L&D teams are making the shift, and some examples to get your ideas flowing.
What is performance enablement and why is everyone shifting their approach?
When it comes to the performance enablement meaning, SHRM defines it as: “...an emerging model that helps companies foster employee experiences that increase alignment, productivity and retention.”
Or rather: how to support your employees with tools, guidance, and learning opportunities to empower them to do their best work.
But, before we get into the nitty-gritties of how performance enablement works, let’s take a look at performance management and why it’s becoming obsolete.
What is performance management?
Performance management was designed to measure how well employees meet goals. Think KPIs, annual reviews, competency ratings, and (if you’re lucky) a quick “good job” before moving onto next year’s objectives.
At its best, performance management keeps people accountable and ensures alignment with your company’s goals. But, at its worst? It is an anxiety-inducing, inflexible evaluation that feels like getting your report card in grade school.
Here are some common challenges and pitfalls:
- Delayed feedback: Employees only hear about issues months later.
- Low engagement: Reviews feel like a formality, not a growth opportunity.
- One-way communication: Managers talk and employees listen—for the most part.
- Stress and uncertainty: Annual appraisals feel like judgment day.
It’s these very challenges that are causing many organizations to shift to something more continuous, collaborative, and supportive.
The performance enablement approach
Performance enablement is what happens when you stop asking “how’d you do?” and start asking “how can we help you do more/better?”
It’s proactive people development that focuses on giving employees the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed every day rather than once a year.
In a people performance enablement model:
- Feedback is continuous and two-way
- Managers act as coaches and mentors, not judges
- Learning is embedded into daily work rather than just a compliance checkbox
- Success is measured by growth and capability, not just rigid metrics
The shift in how performance is framed can make a massive impact at an individual, team, and organizational level.
Performance enablement vs Performance management
Let’s do a quick comparison of performance enablement vs performance management and see the key differences.
In short: performance management looks backward; performance enablement looks forward.
Performance enablement examples in action
For performance enablement to make the most impact it needs to be embedded into everyday workplace habits and processes. Here are a few people performance enablement examples you can start implementing in your company:
- Weekly or biweekly check-ins: Managers and employees meet briefly to discuss progress, challenges, and goals. These chats focus on what’s next rather than what went wrong.
- Integrated learning moments: L&D connects employee development programs directly to performance goals. For example, recommending a short course, mentorship program, or job shadowing program when an employee takes on new responsibilities.
- Real-time feedback: Instead of waiting for review season, managers and mentors give feedback at the time—whether it’s a quick “great work on the presentation” or coaching to improve client communication.
- Peer learning circles: Small, cross-functional groups meet regularly to discuss projects and share insights. Peer learning and human connection is a large part of people performance enablement.
- Manager-as-coach training: Managers receive training on employee coaching and how to guide and empower their employees rather than simply evaluate them.
- Celebrating progress publicly: Employee recognition is a powerful tool to encourage learning and growth. Celebrate wins such as an employee learning a new skill or improving a process.
Building a culture of enablement
In another article on employee enablement, we explore the broader concept of employee and experience enablement as well as the four pillars of enablement and what they look like in practice. Here’s an overview for you:
Measuring the success of performance enablement (without killing the vibe)
Even a growth-focused culture needs data. It can help you see where your efforts are succeeding and where you may need to pivot while also keeping higher ups in the loop.
But, instead of just tracking productivity or project completion rates, consider metrics like:
- Employee engagement scores
- Retention and internal career mobility rates
- Skill acquisition and learning progress
- Frequency and quality of feedback conversations
If balanced with qualitative feedback—such as how employees feel about opportunities, supports, and resources—you’ll have a true picture of the state of performance enablement in your company. Key word: Balance. Hard data needs human context.
Mentorship as the secret ingredient of people performance enablement
We mentioned that human connection is at the heart of performance enablement and we mean it. Mentorship is a powerful (and underutilized) tool to create meaningful relationships that help employees learn, spread their wings, and feel supported.
A key part of this is psychological safety—meaning the freedom to ask questions, make mistakes, and grow while developing competence and confidence. It also bridges gaps between teams, generations, and perspectives which helps strengthen the foundations of a healthy work culture.
Here are a few ways mentorship supports performance enablement strategies:
- Peer mentoring programs that encourage learning across departments and functions.
- Leadership mentoring to help new managers grow into their roles.
- Reverse mentoring to promote inclusion and knowledge sharing between generations.
- Integration with employee resource groups (ERGs) to support diverse employee development.
Empower your people with performance enablement
Performance management had its moment, but it’s time to step aside for a new approach that fills in the gaps. The modern workplace demands agility, empathy, and continuous development that you just can’t get with traditional performance management.
As you brainstorm and explore what people performance enablement means to you and your company, consider one tried-and-true step: mentoring programs. Together’s mentorship platform helps you build initiatives that help both mentors and mentees develop those agility, empathy, and continuous development habits.
Chat with one of our experts to learn how Together can help you instill performance enablement into your organization—book a demo!
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