REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Performance Appraisal System Attributes: Clarity, Openness, and Fairness

The performance appraisal system must possess the attributes of clarity, openness, and
fairness. These attributes are related to the historic values of the student affairs profession. While
specific implementation of these attributes may vary, the following should be represented in
effective performance appraisal:
Ongoing Reie! of Position an" Performance # Effective performance appraisal systems
conduct ongoing evaluations of both the position and the staff member occupying it. With
ongoing position analysis and performance appraisal, there are few surprises, and changes in the
environment are quickly incorporated into the official appraisal system.
$ob %escriptions - ob descriptions should be reliable, valid, understandable, and specific
enough to provide direction for staff behavior. ob descriptions should focus on what the staff
member does !e.g. advises the student government association" and what outcomes are e#pected.
These outcomes should be clearly linked to departmental and institutional ob$ectives and needs.
ob descriptions should use action words such %plans% or %supervises% rather than
%demonstrates initiative% or %is likable.% ob descriptions should provide guidelines for staff so
they know the specific behaviors e#pected to perform. The responsibilities of the staff member
should be listed in order of importance and weighted relative to importance, if possible.
Participatory an" Interactie Appraisal # &ppraisal system processes should be designed in
concert with all stakeholders and open to constant interaction with them. 'lans made $ointly by
staff and administrators have a better chance of working than plans made independently by either
party.
Wor&able formats t'at Aoi" Systemic (ias - Effective performance appraisal systems must
include workable formats that avoid systematic biases. (hecklists of performance criteria
completed at the same time every year should be avoided. This type of approach simply fails to
produce any useful information for individual or organi)ational improvement.
*ther biases include giving preferential treatment to some but not all staff, rating all staff
the same, being overly lenient or overly harsh toward some or all staff, and practicing conscious
or unconscious racial or gender pre$udice.
&dopting a format that includes the standards of clarity, openness, and fairness and that
involves more than one appraiser may help to control some of these biases.
Susan )* +eat' fiel" of T'e Tra"itional Performance Appraisal Process
Says, +,anagers cite performance appraisal as the task they dislike the most. This is
understandable given that the process of performance appraisal, as traditionally practiced, is
fundamentally flawed. -t is incongruent with the values-based, vision-driven, mission-oriented,
participative work environments favored by forward thinking organi)ations today. -t smacks of
an old fashioned, paternalistic, top down, autocratic mode of management which treats
employees as possessions of the company..
(aal-s of Performance )anagement . Appraisal an" Wor&#Relate" Articles
Says, +'erformance management and performance appraisal !or employee reviews,
annual reviews, etc" are some of the most misused tools anywhere. & fortune is wasted on inept
processes, poor forms, and result from mistaken ideas about what performance management is
for, and why we do it..
/erar" )cLaug'lin of +o! to Prepare for a Performance Appraisal
Says, +'erformance appraisal should be treated as an ongoing developmental process
rather than a formal once-a-year review. /oth employee and reviewer to ensure that targets are
being achieved should closely monitor it. /y preparing yourself diligently and demonstrating a
willingness to co-operate with your reviewer to develop your role, you will create a positive
impression. To enable you to assess your own performance as ob$ectively as possible, try to view
it from your manager0s perspective. ,ake sure you are conversant with the company0s
assessment policies and procedures.11
%ule!ic0 Says t'at %... & basic human tendency to make $udgments about those one is working
with, as well as about oneself.% &ppraisal, it seems, is both inevitable and universal. -n the
absence of a carefully structured system of appraisal, people will tend to $udge the work
performance of others, including subordinates, naturally, informally and arbitrarily.
'erformance appraisal systems began as simple methods of income $ustification. That is,
appraisal was used to decide whether or not the salary or wage of an individual employee was
$ustified.