Appraisal Politics Research Articles

Workers’ Perception of Performance Appraisal in Selected Public and Private Organizations in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

This study set out to examine empirically workers’ perception of performance appraisal in selected public and private organisations operating in Lagos metropolis. The study adopted the survey research design. A total of 205 research subjects were drawn from the target population using the simple random sampling technique. However 174 copies of questionnaire were returned upon which the data analysis was based. This represents 85percent response rate. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16. The findings of this study showed that workers have an optimistic view of performance appraisal as a means for promoting, evaluating and equitably compensating employees, and forming the basis for many employee training programmes as well as its motivational effect on workers’ performance. The authors recommend that for appraisal to yield the desired outcomes, adequate attention should be paid to the avoidance of appraisal politics and the pursuance of fairness and transparency in the process. More so, training programmes could be initiated by organisations to offer tips for avoiding appraisal errors. Open-reporting system as opposed to closed-reporting system should be encouraged for performance appraisal to have a motivational effect on workers’ performance. Keywords: Workers’ Perception, Performance Appraisal, Public, Private, Performance Management, Organisations.

Archiving for self-ascertainment, identity-building and permanent self-questioning: archives between scepticism and certitude

Archives are facing many challenges as information overload and increasing societal diversity. These two trends ask for decided measures, one in terms of selection and the other in terms of expanded information preservation to document all societal groups appropriately. These opposing trends force archivists to rethink permanently their appraisal politics and their functional orientation. Basic archival functions have to be aligned on one hand with services for an organisation related to democratic standards as accountability and transparency and on the other hand with a memory politics aiming at an extensive documentation of the enormous societal diversity by preserving the (cultural) patrimony of all groups to facilitate their identity-building. By looking back in our institutional history and comparing the Swiss and the Canadian approach in appraisal as well as the larger political context of documenting, we aim to show that a clear functional orientation, a transparent and participatory process of selection, a cooperative approach in fulfilling existing challenges and duties as well as a sound understanding of our institutional past help to make the necessary choices. It is important to stress, firstly, that archives as multifunctional institutions serve the principles of democracy and support the rule of law, and secondly, that by selecting documents for preservation and by reducing the mass of information, we nonetheless will preserve an abundant documentary heritage, which will not only serve to stabilize societal (or communitarian) identity but it will still serve as a reservoir feeding essential scepticism as an engine for progress.

THE POLICY AND POLITICS OF POLICY APPRAISAL: EMERGING TRENDS AND NEW DIRECTIONS

Over the last 20 years, policy appraisal has emerged as a popular topic for discussion amongst policy-makers and academics alike. Much research effort has been devoted to developing tools and techniques to inform appraisal activities, but there has been, until recently, a distinct paucity of research on what might be termed the ‘policy and politics’ of policy appraisal. This is surprising, since policy appraisal is undoubtedly an important site of political behaviour, with its own institutions, instruments and policy actors. This paper takes stock of recent research on policy appraisal, draws out some common threads, and makes some suggestions for future research on what is a rapidly expanding field of European public policy analysis.

Appraisal Politics: Revisiting from Assessors' Perspective

Politics is a bane of administrative systems such as performance appraisals. It not only debilitates the system's credibility in the eyes of various stakeholders, but also adversely affects the employees' morale and the organizational effectiveness. While admitting that rooting it out completely is impossible, it is in the organizational interest that it is mitigated to a large extent. In case of performance appraisals, assessees and assessors, both try to influence the assessees� performance rating to advance self-interests. The former typically aims at higher ratings/rewards, and uses informal influence means such as upward connections, ingratiation, etc., to achieve it. The latter may use appraisals to fulfil their vested interests like building in�groups by rewarding certain favoured assessees, and projecting good departmental performance, by manipulating assessees� ratings (inflation or deflation). Some managers consider these actions legitimate because it helps them manage effectively. While these manipulations may fulfil the assessors' short-term goals, it hurts the organization in the long run by compromising performance culture, demoralizing genuine performers, discrediting pay for performance policies, etc. This paper focuses on the assessors' perspective and conceptualizes their perceptions of politics in appraisals (PAPS). We argue that PAPS constitutes the assessors' perception about political behaviours of other stakeholders�reviewers, assessees, and fellow appraisers�and shapes their own perceptions. These perceptions will be influenced by certain contextual factors in which appraisals are conducted. We have focused on four such factors: ambiguity about policies, procedures, performance standards, criteria, etc. assessors' accountability with respect to appraisals assessors' and assessees' instrumentality linked to appraisal organizational support in terms of assessors� training to conduct better appraisals. We argue that these are key variables closely related to many job and organizational characteristics, and thus are fair representation of the appraisal context. In relation to these antecedents, we propose that these reduce assessors� PAPS when: Appraisal process and system ambiguity is low. The assessors are accountable to a neutral authority for following appraisal procedures which enhance rating accuracy; on the other hand, assessors' outcome accountability accentuates politicking. Some of the procedures which enhance accuracy are frequent feedback, 360-degree feedback, assessees' involvement in the process, etc. The assessors are trained to conduct fair appraisals. The assessors' and the assessees' appraisal instrumentality directly affects PAPS as well as moderates the above relations. It is further proposed that PAPS predict the assessors' intentions to pursue certain appraisal goals. It can be rating accuracy if political perceptions are low; and, it can be other political goals, if these perceptions are high. These intentions predict actual assessor actions. This paper contributes to appraisal literature and informs managers about mitigating appraisal politics.

Effects of performance appraisal politics on job satisfaction and turnover intention

There is evidence that performance ratings are often manipulated for political purposes. The present study examined the effects of employees' perceptions of political motives in performance appraisal on their job satisfaction and intention to quit using survey data from an occupationally heterogeneous sample of white‐collar employees (N=127) from various organizations. Regression analysis results indicated that when employees perceived performance ratings to be manipulated because of raters' personal bias and intent to punish subordinates they expressed reduced job satisfaction that, in turn, led to greater intentions to quit their jobs. Manipulations of ratings for motivational purposes, however, had no effect on job satisfaction and turnover intention.

Board Dynamics and the Politics of Appraisal

While the management literature is accepting of the value of a performance appraisal, there is disagreement in the governance literature as to the role, value and contribution of board appraisals to board effectiveness. This disagreement centres on the politics associated with the “horizontal” appraisal of colleagues implied by board assessment as opposed to the “vertical” appraisal implicit in management. Such disagreement is complicated by the degree of discomfort board members may feel when encountering the more subjective issues of interpersonal dynamics and process as opposed to the more objective measures of performance. However, subjective measures are frequently vital in determining board effectiveness. This paper proposes a conceptual model for the evaluation of boards. It then explores the implications of different approaches to the evaluation of board effectiveness by highlighting selected methodologies for the evaluation of board processes and procedures, individual directors, the chair and the chief executive. In this, the implications of different types of performance measure are considered in the context of the type of organisation, its purpose, reporting requirements, ethos and style of operation. A set of suggestions as to approaches to board evaluation is provided together with reactions of experienced directors to these ideas.

Delving into the dark side: The politics of executive appraisal

Delving into the dark side: The politics of executive appraisal

The Politics of Appraisal: Lessons of The Introduction of Appraisal Into Uk Universities

The Politics of Appraisal: Lessons of The Introduction of Appraisal Into Uk Universities

The Management of Chinese Cadre Resources: The Politics of Performance Appraisal (1949-84)

The Management of Chinese Cadre Resources: The Politics of Performance Appraisal (1949-84)

On the Politics of Performance Appraisal: A Qualitative Study of Executives as Raters.

This paper presents in-depth findings about the political aspects of performance appraisal. A qualitative research method was employed and the main findings suggest that political considerations ar...