Jane Humberstone of Jaguar Land Rover on connecting recognition and purpose
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has changed the way it thinks about performance management, says Jane Humberstone, the manufacturer’s Director of Global Reward and Mobility.
Speaking on the New recognition strategies to increase purpose, resonance and inclusivity REBA webinar on 8 June 2023, Humberstone said this change had been driven by the launch of a new business purpose.
JLR launched its new purpose in 2022 – ‘live the exceptional with soul’. “We talk of ourselves, as employees, as proud creators of modern luxury,” said Humberstone. “We also have a new behaviour set, which we call the creator’s code.”
As well as driving significant culture change, this new purpose has made the role of recognition more important. “We’ve updated our social recognition platform. This is based on the creator’s code, which really helps to embed the behaviours,” she added.
It’s also changed the way the organisation thinks about performance management. “We’ve taken away ratings and direct links between individual performance and bonus. Instead, we’re thinking about the key outcomes we want to drive,” she said.
Four drivers are shaping the approach at JLR. These are:
- Encouraging a sense of belonging to the business
- Creating unity and collaboration
- Ensuring people feel valued
- Rewarding exceptional performance.
Although the broad framework is in place, Humberstone said that the business was still experimenting with the type of recognition employees receive.
“We’re going to try some things and then we’ll iterate and we’ll change. It’s very different to what we’ve done before, but it’s putting so much more trust and empowerment in our people,” she said.
