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Appraising and
Improving Performance

Managing Human Resources
Bohlander • Snell
© 2007 Thomson/South-Western.
All rights reserved.

Performance Appraisal and Other HRM Functions
Performance appraisal judges
effectiveness of recruitment
efforts

Recruitment

Quality of applicants
determines feasible
performance standards

Selection

Selection should produce
workers best able to meet
job requirements

Performance appraisal
determines training needs

Training and
Development

Training and development
aids achievement of
performance standards

Performance appraisal is a
factor in determining pay

Compensation
Management

Compensation can affect
appraisal of performance

validates selection function

justifies personnel actions

© 2007 Thomson/South-Western. All rights reserved.

Appraisal standards and
Labor Relations methods may be subject to
negotiation

8–2

Performance Appraisal Programs
• Performance Appraisal
 A process, typically performed annually by a
supervisor for a subordinate, designed to help
employees understand their roles, objectives,
expectations, and performance success.

• Performance management
 The process of creating a work environment in which
people can perform to the best of their abilities.


8–3

Figure 8–1

Purposes for Performance Appraisal


8–4

Figure 8–3

Establishing Performance Standards


8–5

Performance Standards Characteristics
Strategic
Relevance

Individual standards directly
relate to strategic goals.

Criterion
Deficiency

Standards capture all of an
individual’s contributions.

Criterion
Performance capability is not
Contamination reduced by external factors.
Reliability
(Consistency)


Standards are quantifiable,
measurable, and stable.

8–6

Figure 8–4

Alternative Sources of Appraisal

Source: From The Wall Street Journal—permission, Cartoon Features Syndicate.

8–7

Sources of Performance Appraisal
• Manager and/or Supervisor
 Appraisal done by an employee’s manager and
reviewed by a manager one level higher.

• Self-Appraisal
 Appraisal done by the employee being evaluated,
generally on an appraisal form completed by the
employee prior to the performance interview.

• Subordinate Appraisal
 Appraisal of a superior by an employee, which is
more appropriate for developmental than for
administrative purposes.

8–8

• Peer Appraisal
 Appraisal by fellow employees, compiled into a
single profile for use in an interview conducted by
the employee’s manager.
 Why peer appraisals are used more often:
1. Peer ratings are simply a popularity contest.
2. Managers are reluctant to give up control over the
appraisal process.
3. Those receiving low ratings might retaliate against
their peers.
4. Peers rely on stereotypes in ratings.


8–9

• Team Appraisal
 based on TQM concepts, that recognizes team
accomplishment rather than individual performance

• Customer Appraisal
 A performance appraisal that, like team appraisal, is
based on TQM concepts and seeks evaluation from
both external and internal customers


8–10

Figure 8–5

Pros and Cons of 360-Degree Appraisal

• PROS
 The system is more comprehensive in that responses are
gathered from multiple perspectives.

 Quality of information is better. (Quality of respondents is more
important than quantity.)
 It complements TQM initiatives by emphasizing internal/external
customers and teams.

 It may lessen bias/prejudice since feedback comes from more
people, not one individual.
 Feedback from peers and others may increase employee selfdevelopment.
Sources: Compiled from David A. Waldman, Leanne E. Atwater, and David Antonioni, ―Has 360-Degree Feedback Gone Amok?‖ Academy of Management
Executive 12, no. 2 (May 1998): 86–94; Bruce Pfau, Ira Kay, Kenneth Nowak, and Jai Ghorpade, ―Does 360-Degree Feedback Negatively Affect Company
Performance?‖ HRMagazine 47, no. 6 (June 2002): 54–59; Maury Peiperl, ―Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right,‖ Harvard Business Review 79, no. 1
(January 2001): 142–47; Joyce E. Bono and Amy E. Colbert, Understanding Responses to Multi-Source Feedback: The Role of Core Self-Evaluations,‖
Personnel Psychology 58, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 171–205.

8–11

Figure 8–5

Pros and Cons of 360-Degree Appraisal (cont’d)

• CONS
 The system is complex in combining all the responses.
 Feedback can be intimidating and cause resentment if employee
feels the respondents have ―ganged up.‖
 There may be conflicting opinions, though they may all be
accurate from the respective standpoints.
 The system requires training to work effectively.
 Employees may collude or ―game‖ the system by giving invalid
evaluations to one another.
 Appraisers may not be accountable if their evaluations are
anonymous.
Sources: Compiled from David A. Waldman, Leanne E. Atwater, and David Antonioni, ―Has 360-Degree Feedback Gone Amok?‖ Academy of Management
Executive 12, no. 2 (May 1998): 86–94; Bruce Pfau, Ira Kay, Kenneth Nowak, and Jai Ghorpade, ―Does 360-Degree Feedback Negatively Affect Company
Performance?‖ HRMagazine 47, no. 6 (June 2002): 54–59; Maury Peiperl, ―Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right,‖ Harvard Business Review 79, no. 1
(January 2001): 142–47; Joyce E. Bono and Amy E. Colbert, Understanding Responses to Multi-Source Feedback: The Role of Core Self-Evaluations,‖
Personnel Psychology 58, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 171–205.

8–12

360-Degree Performance Appraisal System
Integrity Safeguards
• Assure anonymity.
• Make respondents accountable.
• Prevent ―gaming‖ of the system.
• Use statistical procedures.
• Identify and quantify biases.


8–13

Training Performance Appraisers
Common rater-related errors
Error of central tendency
Leniency or strictness errors
Similar-to-me errors

Recency errors
Contrast and halo errors

8–14

Rater Errors
• Error of Central Tendency
 A rating error in which all employees are rated about
average.

• Leniency or Strictness Error
 A rating error in which the appraiser tends to give all
employees either unusually high or unusually low
ratings.

• Recency Error
 A rating error in which appraisal is based largely on
an employee’s most recent behavior rather than on
behavior throughout the appraisal period.

8–15

Rater Errors
• Contrast Error
 A rating error in which an employee’s evaluation is
biased either upward or downward because of
comparison with another employee just previously
evaluated.

• Similar-to-Me Error
 An error in which an appraiser inflates the evaluation
of an employee because of a mutual personal
connection.


8–16

Rater Errors: Training and Feedback
• Rating Error Training
 Observe other managers making errors
 Actively participate in discovering their own errors
 Practice job-related tasks to reduce the errors they
tend to make

• Feedback Skills Training
 Communicating effectively
 Diagnosing the root causes of performance problems
 Setting goals and objectives


8–17

Performance Appraisal Methods
Graphic Rating
Scale

Trait
Methods

Mixed Standard
Scale

Forced-Choice

Essay


8–18

Trait Methods
• Graphic Rating-Scale Method
 A trait approach to performance appraisal whereby
each employee is rated according to a scale of
individual characteristics.

• Mixed-Standard Scale Method
 An approach to performance appraisal similar to other
scale methods but based on comparison with (better
than, equal to, or worse than) a standard.


8–19

Highlights in HRM 2
Graphic Rating
Scale with
Provision for
Comments


8–20

Highlights in HRM 3
Example of a Mixed-Standard Scale


8–21

Trait Methods
• Forced-Choice Method
 Requires the rater to choose from statements
designed to distinguish between successful and
unsuccessful performance.
 1. ______ a) Works hard
 2. ______ a) Shows initiative
 3. ______ a) Produces poor quality

_____ b) Works quickly
_____ b) Is responsive to customers
_____ b) Lacks good work habits

• Essay Method
 Requires the rater to compose a statement describing
employee behavior.


8–22

Behavioral Methods
Critical Incident

Behavioral Checklist

Behavioral
Methods

Behaviorally Anchored
Rating Scale (BARS)
Behavior Observation
Scale (BOS)


8–23

Behavioral Methods
• Critical Incident Method
 Critical incident


An unusual event that denotes superior or inferior
employee performance in some part of the job

 The manager keeps a log or diary for each employee
throughout the appraisal period and notes specific
critical incidents related to how well they perform.

• Behavioral Checklist Method
 The rater checks statements on a list that the rater
believes are characteristic of the employee’s
performance or behavior.


8–24

Behavioral Methods
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)
 Consists of a series of vertical scales, one for each
dimension of job performance; typically developed by
a committee that includes both subordinates and
managers.

• Behavior Observation Scale (BOS)
 A performance appraisal that measures the frequency
of observed behavior (critical incidents).
 Preferred over BARS for maintaining objectivity,
distinguishing good performers from poor performers,
providing feedback, and identifying training needs.


8–25

Highlights in HRM 4
Example of a BARS for Municipal Fire Companies
FIREFIGHTING STRATEGY: Knowledge of Fire Characteristics.

Source: Adapted from Landy, Jacobs, and Associates. Reprinted with permission.

8–26

Highlights in HRM 5
Sample Items from Behavior Observation Scales


8–27

Results Methods
• Productivity Measures
 Appraisals based on quantitative measures (e.g.,
sales volume) that directly link what employees
accomplish to results beneficial to the organization.
Criterion contamination
 Focus on short-term results


• Management by Objectives (MBO)
 A philosophy of management that rates performance
on the basis of employee achievement of goals set by
mutual agreement of employee and manager.


8–28

Figure 8–6

Performance Appraisal under an MBO Program
MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES


8–29

Summary of Appraisal Methods
• Trait Methods
 Advantages
Are inexpensive to develop
 Use meaningful dimensions
 Are easy to use


 Disadvantages
Have high potential for rating errors
 Are not useful for employee counseling
 Are not useful for allocating rewards
 Are not useful for promotion decisions



8–30

Summary of Appraisal Methods (cont’d)
• Behavioral Methods
 Advantages
Use specific performance dimensions
 Are acceptable to employees and superiors
 Are useful for providing feedback
 Are fair for reward and promotion decisions


 Disadvantages
Can be time-consuming to develop/use
 Can be costly to develop
 Have some potential for rating error



8–31

Summary of Appraisal Methods (cont’d)
• Results Methods
 Advantages
Have less subjectivity bias
 Are acceptable to employees and superiors
 Link individual to organizational performance
 Encourage mutual goal setting
 Are good for reward and promotion decisions


 Disadvantages
Are time-consuming to develop/use
 May encourage short-term perspective
 May use contaminated criteria
 May use deficient criteria



8–32

Figure 8–7

Summary of Various Appraisal Methods


8–33

Appraisal Interviews
Types of Appraisal Interviews
Tell and Sell - persuasion
Tell and Listen - nondirective

Problem Solving - focusing the
interview on problem resolution
and employee development


8–34

Figure 8–8

Factors That Influence Performance


8–35

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Appraisal

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