Practical Management – Why Your Performance Conversations Aren’t Working

WorldsView Conversation Café | 20 May 2026 | Online

Across 2026, WorldsView Academy is exploring Practical Management – not as a set of tools or frameworks, but as a serious craft.

In January, we began by reclaiming management as a profession.
In February, we explored how managers shape organisational design.
In March, we examined managers as decision-makers.

In May, we turn to a question that sits at the centre of organisational life:

What does it really mean to manage performance and accountability?

On a practical level, if it is not done well, this shows up in:

• big-ticket performance management systems that don’t improve performance
• performance reviews that feel procedural rather than developmental 
• targets that are met, as overall performance fails 
• teams that are busy, but not performing 
• managers who are held accountable, but not given control 
• managers who have full control, but no accountability – driving personal agendas as the organisation fails around them

Performance is often spoken about as if it were obvious. In some organisations, it is tightly defined, measured, and tracked – volumes, quality, output, efficiency. In others, it is less settled – interpreted, negotiated, and sometimes only recognised after the fact.

Accountability is no clearer. What does accountability look like in a regulated environment, where compliance dominates? How does it differ in a professional team, where judgement and expertise carry more weight?

What happens when performance is clear, but accountability is spread across groups and teams – or when accountability is high, but performance remains unclear?

This Conversation Café is designed as a working session, not a presentation.

Together, we will explore:

• What “performance” might mean in different organisational settings 
• How accountability operates – in practice, not in policy 
• The role of supervisors, managers, executives, and boards in shaping both 
• Where performance and accountability break down — and why 
• What managers can realistically do within the constraints they face 

You will leave with a clearer understanding of the terrain, and a practical sense of where you can act.

Who should attend

This session is designed for:

• Managers responsible for delivering performance through teams 
• Executives accountable for organisational outcomes 
• HR and L&D leaders tasked with strengthening management capability 

If you are responsible for performance – or held accountable for it – this conversation is for you.

Why attend

Many organisations invest heavily in performance systems, frameworks, and tools.

Fewer spend time examining the real work of managing performance and accountability.

This session creates space to do exactly that – with others facing similar challenges.

If these questions resonate with your experience of organisational life, we invite you to join us.