Resources/Guides & Articles

Guides & Articles

Translating research into practice. Insights on performance management, AI architecture, and building systems that actually work.

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Interested in the primary research behind Valutare? Check out our Annotated Research Bibliography

Practical Guides

(5 articles)

Actionable frameworks and how-tos for managers and HR leaders.

Practical Guide

How to Give Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior

'Great job on the presentation.' It feels good to hear—and it doesn't give you anything specific to build on. Here's a research-backed framework for feedback that actually lands.

6 min readRead article
Practical Guide

Writing Goals With Clear Success Criteria

'Improve stakeholder communication' sounds like a reasonable goal. And it's difficult to use for driving improvement or fair evaluation. Here's how to write goals that actually work.

5 min readRead article
Practical Guide

Separating Development Conversations from Evaluation: A Manager's Guide

Your direct reports won't open up about growth areas if those areas affect their rating. Here's how to create genuine separation in practice.

5 min readRead article
Practical Guide

Running Effective 1-on-1s: A Research-Backed Framework

The 1-on-1 is the most important management ritual. It's also one of the easiest to let slip into routine. Here's a framework for 1-on-1s that actually build capability and connection.

5 min readRead article
Practical Guide

Building a Development Evidence Portfolio

'Tell me about your accomplishments this year.' It shouldn't be the hardest question in your performance review. Here's how to build an evidence portfolio that makes self-assessment substantive.

5 min readRead article

Research Insights

(12 articles)

What peer-reviewed research actually says about performance management—and what it means for practice.

Research Insights

What the Research Has to Say about Feedback

Surprisingly often, feedback makes performance worse, not better. Here's what a landmark meta-analysis found—and what it means for how we design performance systems.

6 min readRead article
Research Insights

The Idiosyncratic Rater Effect: Why Ratings Reveal the Rater

In a lot of performance‑review systems, your rating ends up saying as much about your manager as about you. That's not corporate cynicism—it's a widely replicated finding in organizational psychology.

5 min readRead article
Research Insights

Why Feedback Quality Beats Feedback Quantity

The logic behind 'more feedback' seems sound. But the research shows feedback quality matters far more than frequency—and volume without quality can make things worse.

5 min readRead article
Research Insights

Why Separating Development from Evaluation Matters

Would you openly discuss your weaknesses in the same conversation where your bonus is being decided? Probably not, which is why combining development and evaluation undermines both.

6 min readRead article
Research Insights

Manager Capability: The Bottleneck Most PM Systems Ignore

We spend millions on performance management software while 25-33% of managers lack basic skills for performance conversations. The research suggests there may be a more effective place to focus.

5 min readRead article
Research Insights

Why Strengths-Based Approaches Outperform Deficit Focus

Traditional performance management has a problem-hunting orientation. The research points to a different approach—and the benefit may be strongest for employees who are struggling.

5 min readRead article

Building Differently

(3 articles)

How we think about AI, architecture, and designing systems that actually work.

Building Differently

AI-Assisted vs. AI-Native: What's the Difference?

Most HR tech vendors are adding AI to their products. But there's a crucial difference between bolting AI onto existing processes and building around what AI makes possible.

5 min readRead article
Building Differently

Why Privacy Architecture Matters More Than Privacy Policy

'Your development data is confidential.' Every PM system makes this promise. But there's a difference between policy-private and architecturally-private.

5 min readRead article
Building Differently

Why Integration Matters: Point Solutions vs. Unified Architecture

The pitch for best-of-breed point solutions is compelling. The reality is messier. Here's why integration is an architecture decision, not a feature to add later.

5 min readRead article

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