I can confirm IBM uses an evaluation technique that is modeled off the stack technique. All employees have a band for their job. Rank employees by performance per band. Then assign raises/promos based on performance relative to band.
I can assure you that this description of the system doesn't begin to describe the hilarity involved. Any system where you have people proud to be ignorant of what their subordinates doing then being tasked to do meaningful evaluations is nonsensical in my mind. I guess its a 'growing pain' ... like how a heart attack is a growing pain.
I worked for a very large Mega Indian IT corp. Where many clueless folks got promoted en masse, in the 90's and early 2000's IT rush here.
What I saw was 95% of the middle management layer was thick. Practically of no use, and acted nothing more than an inefficient communication buffer between higher management and devs. They treated developers like tissues, choking innovation at every level. To make it look as though programmers are useless bunch of lot, and whatever good is happening in the organization it was because of them. The qualification of most these managers at best described was 'can write emails'.
Performance evaluation in such companies is a joke, Only managers pets get promoted. And company functions like gangs working for their survival rather than for the company.
