BOLA: Staff Appraisal

Staff Appraisa

Two Perspectives

1. Appraisals as Control Systems

We must recognise that staff appraisal systems are standard operating procedures adopted by management to regularise behaviour - both of employees being appraised and managers doing the appraisal. Managers who implement the schemes are required to conform and do it to a time and a standard. There is no equivocation about this. Appraisal schemes are as much a control on the manager's doing it as staff on the receiving end.

Such policies fit neatly with the rational-legal model of a classical, Weberian organisation. Policy and procedures define, require and communicate criteria of performance, expectation and behaviour. Managers and their staff are required to:

meet routinely
review job roles and priorities systematically
focus on performance standards that are now being articulated by management
exchange feedback (and this must be two way (Theory Y vs Theory X)
plan, agree, conclude and document using organisational forms. These are then exchanged as records and assumed agreements.

Managers are controlled not just the workers! This discussion is taken further in "appraisal and control" which also discusses antipathy towards appraisal policies particularly in organisations where staff do not necessarily hold to the same unitary values as managers and controllers of the organisation.

2. A Developmental System

From a human relations perspective, an appraisal system which might be conducted in a Theory X fashion - would be too imposed, potentially coercive, one-sided. Imposed by the manager on the member of staff. It is done to the members of staff. Participants need to trust the situation and the evaluators and find satisfaction/value in the process itself. The parties have to be able to construe meaningful, tangible outcomes from the activity and continuity/follow-up events.

So what is the developmental proposition?

An appraisal system is costly to design, implement and maintain. The costs become apparent if one merely imagines what the costs are to set up a scheme and maintain it - year in year out for a business of, say, 5,000 employees. The "firm" incurring this cost needs to know that individual and group performances are significantly enhanced by an investment in systematic and resource-hungry appraisal. The benefits are significant and measurable compared to having no formal activities at all (relying on general, informal, non-systematic action).

At a participant level, appraisers have to find the process useful and not too arduous. They must get

a personal return from investing their commitment and energy in implementing the arrangements
they must be able to benefit from the constructive responses of appraisees.

Participative Management Cultures

Organisations committed to participative management and more open, interactive cultures stress the humanistic, development side of staff appraisal. This is typically the human resource management, investors in people doctrine. Such cultures are nevertheless keenly linked to quality, competitive business - the be excellent school. The messages of staff appraisal reflect

performance, achievement, focus and creativity balanced with the view that people matter
employees are just not labour or factor of production. They are valued - have meaning - in and of themselves as people.