I read with interest the article regarding a study by Towers Perrin that found that reward and performance management programmes are not keeping pace with the demands facing businesses. (www.recruiter.co.uk, 6 September 2007).

Creating the momentum for an overhaul of reward and performance improvement programmes, so that they are able to keep pace with the demands facing businesses today, means challenging the status quo and investing time and money in really understanding the business issues at hand.

All too often, companies feel it is safer (and easier) to leave the programme roughly unchanged. Making moderate changes enables programme managers to be seen to be doing their job, and the agencies will be seen to be "adding value".

Reinventing programmes is a fundamental part of our service as it defines service quality and it gets results. For example, while investigating the reasons behind a client brief for quarterly travel incentives, we found that there were fundamental issues with the business culture and work ethic that needed to be addressed. We felt the appropriate solution was an integrated communication and rewards platform, of which the incentives formed a small part. This programme has now been rolled out across several other business areas and has been driving results for over four years.

Effective performance improvement is a critical issue today and will only become more so. Companies are beginning to recognise the benefits of an integrated approach that supports business needs by driving the right attitudes and behaviours, ensuring that the whole team pulls together with the same objectives.

l Kirsty Dean, client services director, THA Group