Performance 2026: Why We Must Fundamentally Redefine Performance Culture

A recent study by IBE Ludwigshafen and Hays makes one thing clear: performance is no longer seen as an individual virtue, but rather as the result of workplace conditions. Demanding performance without changing the underlying conditions will fail.

At DeepSkill, we support organizations in actively shaping this shift through systematic enablement.

1. The Perception Gap: When Leadership and Employees Talk Past Each Other

One critical finding of the study is the lack of a shared understanding of performance across hierarchy levels. While executives (43%) and HR leaders (48%) tend to frame performance as highly individual—“people just need to try harder”—employees see it very differently.

This gap creates a dangerous normative conflict. Only 32% of employees are currently willing to go the proverbial “extra mile,” while management often assumes that willingness as a baseline expectation.

In personalmagazin, Miriam Mertens warns against reducing performance to personal motivation alone: when conditions are perceived as unclear or unfair, the conversation shifts away from improving work design and toward simply judging individuals.

2. Performance Between Expectation and Overload

We observe growing ambivalence: performance remains a legitimate basis for compensation (45%). At the same time, 42% of people experience constant performance pressure as a serious burden.

Miriam Mertens puts it clearly:
“High pace, critical client situations, or decision pressure are perceived much more quickly today as exceptionally stressful.”

This is where our Business-Critical Skills approach comes in. Organizations that define performance purely as endurance and output risk burnout. True performance does not arise from permanent tension, but from balancing challenge and recovery.

We enable organizations to understand this balance as a business-critical capability—ensuring long-term performance rather than short-term exploitation.

3. Performance Readiness as a Leadership Challenge

Although performance remains highly valued, it is often insufficiently supported. Instead of investing in motivation, many organizations still rely on leadership styles centered on pressure. Only 28% of respondents recognize systematic approaches to fostering engagement in their organizations.

As Miriam Mertens emphasizes, modern leadership must clearly articulate goals and expectations instead of assuming them implicitly. Leaders must make time for recognition and appreciation—not just show up when problems arise.

“Just as strong performance must be intentionally incentivized and visibly valued, underperformance must have clear and recognizable consequences.”

4. When Performance No Longer Leads to Advancement

Perhaps the most painful finding: performance is no longer seen as a reliable path to development, recognition, or career progression. When 53% of respondents cite favoritism as the greatest barrier to their engagement, the performance promise collapses.

Without a clear link between individual contribution and personal opportunity, “quiet compliance” becomes a rational choice.

Our solution is objectivity through competency mapping. We make skill gaps and progress measurable and visible to management. This restores fairness in evaluation and transparency in development opportunities—rather than relying on informal networks.

Conclusion: Performance Requires the Right Conditions

The study shows that around 40% of employees would be willing to put in more effort if leaders genuinely cared about their development.

We help organizations bridge exactly that gap. Through systematic competency mapping and scalable learning journeys, we make behavioral change visible and performance manageable.

As Miriam Mertens emphasizes in personalmagazin, success is not determined by louder calls for hard work—but by the people we empower to actively shape transformation.

“Playtime is over” – or Do We Need a New Understanding of Performance? ⚡️

The debate around performance readiness is intensifying. Yet the Hays and IBE study shows that performance is not merely a moral obligation—it is the result of workplace conditions.

Miriam Mertens shares her perspective in the latest issue of personalmagazin. Her conclusion: demanding the “extra mile” without investing in team enablement will fail.

Her key points for modern performance:

• Close the gap: While management often assumes the “extra mile” as standard, employees experience unclear conditions as unfair pressure.
• Lead through enablement: Clearly articulated goals and genuine interest in development sustainably increase performance readiness.
• Performance requires balance: True performance arises not from constant strain, but from balancing challenge and recovery.

The bottom line: High performance does not require the old narrative of the “extra mile.” Real results come from targeted enablement and the right business-critical skills—not from pressure alone.

Read the full article with all of Miriam’s insights here (original article in German): Read the full article