ABSTRACT
Sterling's cultural tendency towards blame, where the only options were right or wrong, needed to develop into a relationship-based process with strong behavioural competences, in order to maximize the impact of Performance Management. Accreditation was a key element in the Performance Management programme. The programme, using The Company's learning principles, had a major 'preparation for learning' component. Sterling is difficult to describe as a learning organization. Because of its size, some parts of it show learning organization characteristics and other parts do not. For Sterling, like other financial institutions, the commercial environment in which it exists predisposes it to move quickly and this makes reflective learning difficult. The particular learning from work with Sterling in the design and implementation of the Performance Management programme, relates to how The Company managed the project and how the project affected relationship with Sterling.
