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The short answer is “yes.” Even those Kings of Intensity, the International Game Developers Association recognize this in their very good article “Why Crunch Mode Doesn’t Work”. Although written for software developers, there’s lots of information applicable to the rest of us about productivity rates, sleep deprivation, etc.

Here’s an interesting statistic:

In our study, FDC [artillery Fire Direction Center — ER] teams from the 82nd Airborne division were tested during simulated continuous combat operations lasting 36 hours. Throughout the 36 hours, their ability to accurately derive range, bearing, elevation, and charge was unimpaired. However, after circa 24 hours they … no longer knew where they were relative to friendly and enemy units. They no longer knew what they were firing at. Early in the simulation, when we called for simulated fire on a hospital, etc., the team would check the situation map, appreciate the nature of the target, and refuse the request. Later on in the simulation … they would fire without hesitation regardless of the nature of the target.

Next time I’m in the hospital, I’m asking that resident how much sleep he’s had lately.

As the end of the year approaches, managers and employees approach the season (no, not that season) with dread. It’s performance review time.

At worst, performance reviews can be an exercise in frustration, tension, fruitless efforts to retrieve memories of untracked goals, and sometimes evasion and whitewashing. But at its best, the performance review can be an opportunity for reward, development and retargeting for the coming year.

Mark Goulston of Fast Company magazine offers some wise words.

It’s important for the manager to keep in mind the purpose of performance reviews in the first place. If you’re not careful, performance reviews can be taken as a look at past performance for which the employee expects to be either castigated for doing poorly or rewarded with a raise. But looking back is not what a performance review should be about. Instead, the right perspective would be to ask “what information can I provide this employee that will help him or her reach a higher level of performance in the future?”

Read the whole article here.