PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

Introduction

The history of performance appraisal is quite brief. Its roots in the

early 20th century can be traced to Taylor's pioneering Time and
Motion studies. But this is not very helpful, for the same may be said
about almost everything in the field of modern human resources
management.

As a distinct and formal management procedure used in the

evaluation of work performance, appraisal really dates from the
time of the Second World War - not more than 60 years ago.

Yet in a broader sense, the practice of appraisal is a very ancient

art. In the scale of things historical, it might well lay claim to being
the world's second oldest profession!
Performance appraisals, performance evaluation and assessment of
job skills, personality and behaviour - and tips for '360 degree
feedback','360°appraisals', 'skill-set' assessment and training
needs analysis tips and tools.

Important changes relating to age discrimination in UK employment

law became effective in October 2006, with implications for all types
of appraisals and job performance and suitability assessment.
Ensure your systems, training and materials for appraisals reflect
current employment law. It's helpful to understand these recent
laws also if you (young or old) are being appraised. The UK
(consistent with Europe) Employment Equality (Age) Regulations
2006, effective from 1st October 2006, make it unlawful to
discriminate against anyone on the grounds of age. This has several
implications for performance appraisals, documents used, and the
training of people who conduct staff appraisals.

For example, while not unlawful, the inclusion of age and date-of-
birth sections on appraisal forms is not recommended (as for all
other documentation used in assessing people). For further
guidance about the effects of Age Equality and Discrimination on
performance appraisals, and other aspects of managing people, see
the Age Diversity information. Of course many employment laws,
including those relating to other forms of discrimination, also affect
appraisals and performance assessment, but the age issue is worthy
of special not because the changes are relatively recent.
DEFINITIONS

Says Dulewicz (1989), "... a basic human tendency to make

judgements about those one is working with, as well as about
oneself." Appraisal, it seems, is both inevitable and universal. In the
absence of a carefully structured system of appraisal, people will
tend to judge the work performance of others, including
subordinates, naturally, informally and arbitrarily.
The human inclination to judge can create serious motivational,
ethical and legal problems in the workplace. Without a structured
appraisal system, there is little chance of ensuring that the
judgements made will be lawful, fair, defensible and accurate.

Performance management is the process of creating a work

environment or setting in which people are enabled to perform to
the best of their abilities. Performance management is a whole work
system that begins when a job is defined as needed. It ends when
an employee leaves your organization.

Many writers and consultants are using the term “performance

management” as a substitution for the traditional appraisal system.
I encourage you to think of the term in this broader work system
context.

A performance appraisal system is an integral employee practice of

the macro human resources (HR) framework of an organization. It is
a formal--and at times informal--and documented process of the
performance of workers, professionals and other staff members of
an organization. All professionally managed businesses and
enterprises have performance appraisal systems to measure the
intrinsic worth and work performance of employees and encourage,
motivate and reward them based on their performances.

Basic Purposes
Effective performance appraisal systems contain two basic systems
operating in conjunction: an evaluation system and a feedback
system.

The main aim of the evaluation system is to identify the

performance gap (if any). This gap is the shortfall that occurs when
performance does not meet the standard set by the organization as
acceptable.

The main aim of the feedback system is to inform the employee

about the quality of his or her performance. (However, the
information flow is not exclusively one way. The appraisers also
receives feedback from the employee about job problems, etc.)

One of the best ways to appreciate the purposes of performance

appraisal is to look at it from the different viewpoints of the main
stakeholders: the employee and the organization.

Employee Viewpoint
From the employee viewpoint, the purpose of performance appraisal
is four-fold:
(1) Tell me what you want me to Do
(2) Tell me how well I have done it
(3) Help me improve my performance
(4) Reward me for doing well.)

Organizational Viewpoint :-
From the organization's viewpoint, one of the most important reasons for
having a system of performance appraisal is to establish and uphold the principle of
accountability.

For decades it has been known to researchers that one of the chief causes of
organizational failure is "non-alignment of responsibility and accountability." Non-
alignment occurs where employees are given responsibilities and duties, but are not
held accountable for the way in which those responsibilities and duties are performed.
What typically happens is that several individuals or work units appear to have
overlapping roles.
The overlap allows - indeed actively encourages - each individual or business unit to
"pass the buck" to the others. Ultimately, in the severely non-aligned system, no one
is accountable for anything. In this event, the principle of accountability breaks down
completely. Organizational failure is the only possible outcome.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES :-

In the essay method approach, the appraiser prepares a written statement
about the employee being appraised.

The statement usually concentrates on describing specific strengths and

weaknesses in job performance. It also suggests courses of action to remedy
the identified problem areas.

The statement may be written and edited by the appraiser alone, or it be

composed in collaboration with the appraisee.

Advantages
The essay method is far less structured and confining than the rating
scale method. It permits the appraiser to examine almost any relevant issue
or attribute of performance. This contrasts sharply with methods where the
appraisal criteria are rigidly defined.

Appraisers may place whatever degree of emphasis on issues or attributes

that they feel appropriate. Thus the process is open-ended and very flexible.
The appraiser is not locked into an appraisal system the limits expression or
assumes that employee traits can be neatly dissected and scaled.

The greatest advantage of rating scales is that they are structured

and standardised. This allows ratings to be easily compared and
contrasted - even for entire workforces.

Each employee is subjected to the same basic appraisal process and

rating criteria, with the same range of responses. This encourages
equality in treatment for all appraisees and imposes standard
measures of performance across all parts of the organization.

Rating scale methods are easy to use and understand. The concept
of the rating scale makes obvious sense; both appraisers and
appraisees have an intuitive appreciation for the simple and
efficient logic of the bipolar scale. The result is widespread
acceptance and popularity for this approach.

Disadvantages

Essay methods are time-consuming and difficult to administer. Appraisers

often find the essay technique more demanding than methods such as rating
scales.

The techniques greatest advantage - freedom of expression - is also its

greatest handicap. The varying writing skills of appraisers can upset and
distort the whole process. The process is subjective and, in consequence,
difficult to compare and contrast the results of individuals or to draw any broad
conclusions about organizational needs.
Trait Relevance
Are the selected rating-scale traits clearly relevant to the jobs of all
the appraisees? It is inevitable that with a standardised and fixed
system of appraisal that certain traits will have a greater relevance
in some jobs than in others.

For example, the trait "initiative" might not be very important in a

job that is tightly defined and rigidly structured. In such cases, a low
appraisal rating for initiative may not mean that an employee lacks
initiative. Rather, it may reflect that fact that an employee has few
opportunities to use and display that particular trait. The relevance
of rating scales is therefore said to be context-sensitive. Job and
workplace circumstances must be taken into account.

Systemic Disadvantage
Rating scales, and the traits they purport to measure, generally
attempt to encapsulate all the relevant indicators of employee
performance. There is an assumption that all the true and best
indicators of performance are included, and all false and irrelevant
indicators are excluded.

This is an assumption very difficult to prove in practice. It is possible

that an employee's performance may depend on factors that have
not been included in the selected traits. Such employees may end
up with ratings that do not truly or fairly reflect their effort or value
to the organization. Employees in this class are systemically
disadvantaged by the rating scale method.

Perceptual Errors
This includes various well-known problems of selective perception
(such as the horns and halos effect) as well as problems of
perceived meaning.

Selective perception is the human tendency to make private and

highly subjective assessments of what a person is "really like", and
then seek evidence to support that view (while ignoring or
downplaying evidence that might contradict it).

This is a common and normal psychological phenomenon. All human

beings are affected by it. In other words, we see in others what we
want to see in them.

An example is the supervisor who believes that an employee is

inherently good (halo effect) and so ignores evidence that might
suggest otherwise. Instead of correcting the slackening employee,
the supervisor covers for them and may even offer excuses for their
declining performance.
On the other hand, a supervisor may have formed the impression
that an employee is bad (horns effect). The supervisor becomes
unreasonably harsh in their assessment of the employee, and
always ready to criticize and undermine them.

The horns and halo effect is rarely seen in its extreme and obvious
forms. But in its more subtle manifestations, it can be a significant
threat to the effectiveness and credibility of performance appraisal.

Perceived Meaning
Problems of perceived meaning occur when appraisers do not share
the same opinion about the meaning of the selected traits and the
language used on the rating scales.

For example, to one appraiser, an employee may demonstrate the

trait of initiative by reporting work problems to a supervisor. To
another appraiser, this might suggest an excessive dependence on
supervisory assistance - and thus a lack of initiative.

As well, the language and terms used to construct a scale - such as

"Performance exceeds expectations" or "Below average skill" - may
mean different things to different appraisers.

Rating Errors
The problem here is not so much errors in perception as errors in
appraiser judgement and motive. Unlike perceptual errors, these
errors may be (at times) deliberate.

The most common rating error is central tendency. Busy appraisers,

or those wary of confrontations and repercussions, may be tempted
to dole out too many passive, middle-of-the-road ratings (e.g.,
"satisfactory" or "adequate"), regardless of the actual performance
of a subordinate. Thus the spread of ratings tends to clump
excessively around the middle of the scale.

This problem is worsened in organizations where the appraisal

process does not enjoy strong management support, or where the
appraisers do not feel confident with the task of appraisal.
Rating Scales
The rating scale method offers a high degree of structure for appraisals. Each
employee trait or characteristic is rated on a bipolar scale that usually has
several points ranging from "poor" to "excellent" (or some similar
arrangement).

The traits assessed on these scales include employee attributes such as

cooperation, communications ability, initiative, punctuality and technical (work
skills) competence. The nature and scope of the traits selected for inclusion is
limited only by the imagination of the scale's designer, or by the organization's
need to know.

The one major provision in selecting traits is that they should be in some way
relevant to the appraisee's job. The traits selected by some organizations
have been unwise and have resulted in legal action on the grounds of
discrimination.