Co-authored by Edie Goldberg, Ph.D., and Alan Colquitt, Ph.D.
MENLO PARK, CA, UNITED STATES, April 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Oxford University Press has announced the publication of Performance Enablement: A New Model for Driving Organizational Performance (2026), a new book that challenges traditional thinking about performance management and proposes a modern framework for driving organizational performance in today’s workplace.
Co-authored by globally recognized talent management expert Edie Goldberg and performance strategist Alan Colquitt, the book reexamines long-standing assumptions about performance management systems and introduces a new model centered on enabling performance rather than coercing it through rigid processes that evaluate and deliver consequences.
“As a former CHRO, I’ve witnessed firsthand how traditional performance management can sometimes destroy more value than it creates,” says Libby Sartain, Former CHRO at Yahoo and Southwest Airlines. “This brilliant work exposes why our current systems fail and presents a compelling new model. Goldberg and Colquitt don’t just critique—they provide practical solutions for the performance enablement transformation every organization needs.”
Performance Enablement arrives at a time when organizations are confronting fundamental questions about how performance should be managed, measured, and supported in an environment shaped by rapid technological change, evolving workforce expectations, and new models of work.
“Colquitt and Goldberg reimagine how organizations think about performance,” says Eva Sage-Gavin, Board Director and former CHRO at Gap Inc. and Sun Microsystems. “Their concept of performance enablement replaces outdated systems with a practical, human-centered approach that helps people grow, contribute, and succeed together.”
The book explores the evolving role of HR and asks whether the function should serve primarily as an enforcer of compliance or as an enabler of employee performance. It examines the long-debated question of whether traditional performance ratings remain useful or whether they introduce bias and undermine engagement.
“In the book, we wanted to examine the tension between high performance and employee well-being as well as the limits of annual reviews, and the shift toward continuous feedback,” said Edie Goldberg. “We also wanted to revisit the role of managers, asking whether they truly enable the performance of their team or sometimes focus more on monitoring and critiquing performance.”
The authors also explore the growing role of artificial intelligence in performance management systems and consider how technology will transform existing approaches to feedback and evaluation.
At the center of the book, though, is the concept of “performance enablement,” a modern approach to organizational performance that emphasizes transparency, coaching, continuous feedback, and systems designed to support employees in achieving results rather than evaluating them after the fact.
The authors argue that organizations that adopt this model will be better positioned to align people strategies with business outcomes in a rapidly evolving workplace.
“We’re also interested in how distributed and hybrid work environments are reshaping expectations around performance and accountability, “ added Alan Colquitt. “With this book, we wanted to challenge long-standing assumptions about pay-for-performance systems by presenting research that questions the effectiveness of traditional incentive-based compensation models.”
Early endorsements highlight the book’s contribution to rethinking how performance works in modern organizations. Otti Vogt, Founder of the Global Society for Good Leadership and former Chief Transformation Officer at ING, calls it “essential reading” for reimagining performance management beyond “forced rankings and ‘pay for performance.’” Dr. John Boudreau, Professor Emeritus of Management and Organization at USC, notes that it “transforms performance from a transactional exercise into a dynamic process that builds direction, alignment, support, and progress.”
Other academic leaders in organizational psychology have also praised the book as an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about the future of work.
“Shifting from management to enablement changes the assumptions, actions, and impact of delivering performance, “ says Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan. “The eight Performance Enablement principles and four key Performance Enablement practices that Edie and Alan identify and make user-friendly come from both experience and research and lead to a valuable paradigm shift.”
ABOUT EDIE GOLDBERG
Edie Goldberg is a globally recognized expert in talent management and the future of work. Over the past 30 years, she has helped organizations design HR strategies that improve engagement, performance, and business outcomes. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a recipient of the HRPS Lifetime Achievement Award.
ABOUT ALAN COLQUITT
Alan Colquitt is an expert in organizational effectiveness and performance systems. His work focuses on helping organizations design and implement performance strategies that align employee outcomes with broader business objectives. Alan is also a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
ABOUT OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford University Press is the world’s largest university press, publishing in more than 70 languages and dedicated to advancing excellence in research, scholarship, and education.
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