Interview with Diego García: Roca Group Way

The launch of this year’s annual performance management evaluation has not gone ahead. Can you update us on the status of Roca Performance Management (RPM)?

“In 2020, after the lockdowns, one of the projects we began to look at from Corporate Human Resources was the current situation of the performance programme that has been in place across the Group since 2010. The arrival of a new CEO, with a new Management Committee and a new strategy, presented a good opportunity to change the RPM project. In 2021, a decision was made to go ahead with this initiative and we engaged the leading global management consultants Korn Ferry. This has given us an overview and a benchmark of the current state of the art in performance tools.

In 2022, we have worked with Korn Ferry to define the Group’s mission, vision and values, alongside the Management Committee, in alignment with the Group’s current strategy. We then worked with a group of 15 people from various areas and countries across the Group to define the full process for the next step in our new performance tool.

Initially, we had planned to use the new system for this year’s performance evaluation. However, we wanted to take the opportunity to redesign a new IT environment, working in partnership with the Digital Transformation Department. This will allow future growth beyond the performance management process framework. Given all the effort involved in launching the evaluation under the old process, we decided to wait for the new system and to immediately begin the disconnection from salary increments.”

What is the idea behind this change?

“There have been two major developments since the birth of these tools at the start of the century. The first has been the generation of more feedback in the organisation, which has seen development interviews play a growing role. The second has been the shift in the main focus towards the career development of participants, breaking the direct link with salary increments.

All this comes against the backdrop of the increasingly centralised management of processes, with much simpler processes that do not require as much effort by the organisation. Some quantitative processes are being replaced by more qualitative ones.

The software for managing and implementing our performance has also seen major changes, improving efficiency and streamlining these processes.

The idea is to better align performance management with the Group’s current strategy, which is focused on personal development, making it easier to use.”

What is Roca Group Way (RGW) and what is it based on?

“RPM was a project focused on the Corporate level, especially the company’s core values. We have amply covered this objective, since it has allowed us to transmit them across all Group companies.

The changes to the performance process were focused on the Group as the strategic platform for the business, based on global and current values. As part of this focus, we decided to come up with a new name that better reflects the goals driving this major change. Roca Group Way is the name we chose not just for the company’s performance management system but also for its talent management system, something that sets us apart from the competition.

Roca Group Way is the system we will use for talent management. Performance will be an integral part and, together with other applications that are being designed, it will allow us to create global talent policies.”

What does Roca Group Way involve and what are the benefits?

“Roca Group Way addresses one of the Group’s core strategic priorities: people. It helps us foster a sense of belonging in the Group under a shared corporate culture, without losing sight of diversity and the personal and career development of employees.

It represents a proactive and forward-looking response by the organisation to talent management in order to allow new generations to integrate into the organisation. There can be no doubt this response is fundamental and it will be a key part of the company’s future.”

Who will the system cover?

“This is something else we are looking at. As part of this global perspective, it needs to be expanded and rolled out to as many people as possible.

Initially, it will cover all Roca Group Management but the idea is to extend it to other groups in subsequent phases.

The overriding goal of the performance system will be to create value in the relationship between managers and their team members. The role of the former will be to clarify the performance expectations of the latter, recognising the merits and added value, and working together to identify objectives and steps for improvement and career development.

Creating this culture of feedback will be a key aspect of the project, which is why management is a key part of the initial phase.”

Which phase of the process are we currently in and when is implementation planned?

“Initially, the idea was to launch the first performance review at the start of 2023. However, the IT requirements of a major project like this have meant we have needed to postpone implementation until 2024.

Throughout the year, we will be working to create processes as part of the technology platform to support us in the management process. We will also be developing training for the HR managers who will be supporting us and who will play a key role in implementing the project.”