David Ducheyne Algorithms are quietly reshaping how organisations manage performance. From real-time dashboards and predictive analytics to automated feedback and rankings, algorithmic performance management is becoming reality. The promise is compelling: more objectivity, greater efficiency, and decisions based on data rather than gut feeling. But there is a catch. Recent research shows that the success of algorithmic performance management has far less to do with the quality of the algorithm than with the quality of leadership around it. The Myth of the Neutral Algorithm Algorithmic systems are often introduced as neutral and objective tools. By analysing large volumes of data (KPIs, behavioural patterns, productivity metrics) they are supposed to remove bias and standardise decision-making. Yet employees rarely experience these systems as neutral. Algorithms are typically not very transparent. People do not know exactly how decisions are made, which data points matter most, or how m

Lessons from Ben Redshaw (Orchard Tree Consulting) HRPro is member of the EAPM, the European Association of People Management. CIPD extended an invitation to hrpro members to attend the conference in Manchester. One of the standout sessions of this year's conference explored how artificial intelligence is transforming the HR function — and what comes next. The session, chaired by Haifa Modi, Senior Policy and Practice Advisor for Technology at CIPD, featured Ben Redshaw, founder and director of Orchard Tree Consulting, Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, and member of the CIPD AI Advisory Group. This was his core message: AI in HR has reached an inflection point — and now it’s our time as a profession. Here"s an impression of that session. From IT-led to HR-owned For much of the past decade, the introduction of AI in organisations has been led by IT teams. Their focus was necessarily technical: ensuring systems were secure, compliant, and stable. But as AI tools increasingly shape the work i