Coca-Cola Case Study

Coca-Cola’s traditional performance- management system was no longer fit for purpose. Formal mid-year and year-end reviews, performance ratings and self-assessments were failing to support strategic goals. Associates were unclear on how their work contributed to business outcomes, and managers lacked the tools to have effective performance conversations.

A company-wide survey revealed a growing disconnect: employees did not believe performance ratings were fair and formal self-assessments lacked impact. Inconsistencies in process and perception made it difficult to have open, meaningful dialogue. Most importantly, the drive for change came from the business itself – not just from HR.

Coca-Cola needed a simpler, smarter way to enable performance at every level – one grounded in clarity, feedback and shared responsibility.

‘We were spending about 375,000 hours and roughly $23.4 million from a time and cost perspective. And what we found is that there was no correlation to our business performance... If you looked at a business unit within our organisation that was using performance management and meeting all of the compliance, their business results weren't any different than a business unit that may not have been compliant with our performance-management approach.’

Mark Kaestner
Group Director, Global Learning & Leadership Development, The Coca-Cola Company

Coca-Cola replaced its legacy approach with a new performance philosophy: Performance Enablement. The goal was clear – to mobilise people around the work that matters most.

Formal ratings, cascading objectives and written self-assessments were replaced with simple, human practices:

Aligning associate skills to priority work
Setting clear expectations
Delivering frequent informal feedback
Recalibrating priorities when needed

The rollout included:

A monthly reflection tool for managers to assess each direct report in under five minutes
A simple team framework to ensure work was focused and meaningful
Monthly upward feedback surveys from associates

To build belief and capability, Coca-Cola launched a global learning journey with scalable, practical interventions. Managers took part in simulations, MOOCs and alignment sessions. Job aids, playbooks and toolkits helped embed new behaviours.

A key moment in the campaign was the launch of Let’s Get REAL – a web series featuring real stories from across the organisation, designed to build emotional connection and create a movement around performance conversations.

The new approach quickly gained traction. Across the organisation, Coca-Cola saw sustained improvement in every item on the upward feedback survey.

In one business unit:

‘I have the support I need to be successful’ increased by 31%
‘I feel supported by my teammates’ rose by 16%

Managers became more engaged with the process:

71% completed their monthly reflections
59% of associates provided upward feedback

When asked which approach they preferred:

66% of associates chose performance enablement
Only 14% preferred the traditional model

Even among underperforming employees, the shift showed results. Of the 8% identified as struggling, 28% showed improvement within just 4–6 weeks.

‘We saw a significant change, from the old approach to the new approach, where individuals felt that the new approach helped enable higher performance. We also saw that when we talked with individuals around which approach they prefer, 66% preferred the new approach versus 14% that preferred the traditional approach.’

Mark Kaestner
Group Director, Global Learning & Leadership Development, The Coca-Cola Company