Conducting Performance Appraisals Research Articles

MEMBANGUN BUDAYA AKADEMIK PADA PERGURUAN TINGGI PESANTREN

The purpose of this study is to explore the model of of organizational culture at Pesantren (Islamic boarding) university, the development of academic culture, and how to anticipate the obstacles, and who is responsible and will be involved in the change and development of the academic culture. Pesantren university is an institution, which organizes higher education programs and is bound by the Laws regulation, to build an academic culture, which is slightly different from pesantren culture. Building an academic culture means creating a new culture within the pesantren envnironment, which focuses on research and development activities, which mainly undertakes documenting the research. Building an academic culture, similar to building an organizational culture, which can be conducted in the following 6 stages; 1) evaluating the organization’s situation and determining strategic objectives and direction; 2) analyzing the existing culture and sketching the desired cultural; 3) analyzing the gap between what is in and what is desired; 4) developing a cultural development plan; 5) implementing the plan; 6) evaluating changes and new efforts to invlove in sustaining cultural change. Steps to build and maintain an academic culture, carried out in the following combination of programs: changes in recruitment and selection procedures; forms socialization and training programs; conducting performance appraisal system; promoting sucessful people in expressing and symbolizing the desired culture; leadership that communicates cultural values in speech, action and material arrangements; the use of academic symbols, in the form of language, action and material objects. The actors of change are the Founders and Leaders, who are assisted by the underlying structure with limited proportions. It is necessary that the appropriate Leadership role to the academic culture, not shifting from the basic values of Pesantren, and open attitude to the development of dynamic academic culture follow the demands of the development of Higher Education.

Penilaian Kinerja Karyawan dengan Metode AHP dan Rating Scale

PT. X organizes the office promotion every year, however it has not implemented the performance appraisal concept. This study was conducted on junior analyst at Laboratory Department of Routine Test in PT.X which has the highest number of employees in PT. X. This research aimed to find out the performance appraisal criteria and sub-criteria of the junior analysts, provide the weighting for each criteria and sub-criteria using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, and recommend the planning framework of performance appraisal for junior analyst using Rating-Scale method in order to conduct the office promotion. The main criteria derived from this research were attendance, working target attainment, work thoroughness, proactive, empathy, cooperation (team/organization), analytical thinking, and flexibility. The result showed the working target attainment as the most important of the criterion approximately 0.248. Moreover, the consistency ratio around 0.020. In addition, the result of this research is applicable and could be proposed for conducting performance appraisal of junior analysts at Laboratory Department of PT. X in order to perform the office promotion.

Factors influencing managers’ attitudes towards performance appraisal

Orientation: Managers often have negative attitudes towards performance appraisal because of its problematic nature, which is influenced by political and social contextual factors. These negative attitudes lead to reduced employee support, inaccurate performance appraisal ratings and, consequently, negative employee perceptions of the performance appraisal process. This state of affairs necessitates a deeper understanding of the factors influencing managers’ attitudes towards performance appraisal.Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence managers’ attitudes towards performance appraisal.Motivation for the study: Previous research has confirmed the importance of performance appraisals in organisations. However, managers’ dislike of and aversion to performance appraisal impact negatively on the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems and ultimately the development and performance of employees.Research design, approach and method: An interpretivist qualitative study was adopted, utilising naïve sketches and in-depth interviews to collect data from eight managers, purposively selected. The data were analysed by using Tesch’s descriptive data analysis technique.Main findings: This study revealed that performance appraisal is fundamentally an uncomfortable and emotional process for managers, which results in their adopting defensive attitudes. Because of many uncertainties, managers do not always display the ability or readiness to conduct performance appraisals. The organisational context might place the individual manager in a position to distort employee ratings, which in turn negatively influences that manager’s attitude.Practical and managerial implications: This study provides insight into the present-day experience of managers in respect of performance appraisal and highlights the factors that influence their attitudes.Contribution: The insight gained from this research into the factors impacting on the attitude of managers towards performance appraisals can assist organisations to better support and empower such managers to be more effective in their approach when conducting performance appraisals.

Appraising academic appraisal in the new public management university

Against a backdrop of new public management (NPM) thinking and managerialism generally applied to universities in a range of countries, this study examines one of its manifestations – performance management for academics. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 40 academics at an Australian university, this article identifies six stances regularly adopted by those conducting performance appraisal interviews with academics. These are labelled ‘nurturing’, ‘hard-driving’, ‘self-serving’, ‘coddling’, ‘disengaged’ and ‘hostile’. Each of these appraisal stances is described in detail and then considered from two perspectives – that of academics themselves and of NPM. The material presented suggests that while a ‘nurturing’ stance was viewed favourably by the academics interviewed, it is out of step with NPM thinking. ‘Hard-driving’ and ‘self-serving’ stances, which directly reflect NPM thinking, were disliked by many (although not all) of the interviewees who had experienced them. The most common appraising stance – a ‘disengaged’ one – was widely condemned, as was the ‘hostile’ stance, yet both stances have much in common with the ruthlessness of NPM.

Rater Competency in Conducting Performance Appraisal in the Malaysian Public Sector

The current performance appraisal system in the Malaysian public service (SSM) has placed heavy emphasis on rater competency in conducting the performance appraisal in a fair manner and to provide accurate ratings. The public sector has voiced out dissatisfaction with the SSM and the way it is being implemented. This study investigated raters' associated factors such as self-efficacy (PASE), knowledge (PSK), discomfort (PAD) which may impact rater competency. Rater PASE, PAD and PSK were found to significantly affect rater competency.

Management development needs of library managers belonging to Gauteng and Environs Library and Information Consortia (GAELIC) in South Africa

This article is based on the Masters dissertation that was submitted to the Department of Information Studies, University of Pretoria. The changing social and political environments in South Africa have created a lot of complex and challenging opportunities for the management of human resources in most organizations. In library and information service organizations, managers have received little or no training in human resources management. In order to establish what the training and development needs of managers in academic libraries in performing human resource management activities and tasks are, a survey by means of a questionnaire based on the Graham and Mihal model was conducted, using six South African university libraries, from the Gauteng and Environs Library and Information consortium (GAELIC). The results of this study or research paper showed that most library managers in the selected academic libraries need training and development in human resource management activities and tasks, especially those related to utilization and development of staff. They need to know more about conducting performance appraisals, motivating staff, improving staff relations and delegating responsibilities. They also showed a need for training and development on activities and tasks related to managing labour and employment relations. This includes understanding employment legislation, communicating with employees, improving and maintaining good working conditions as well as maintaining discipline. Although few library managers indicated the need for training and development in tasks related to human resource planning, some indicated they need training and development in tasks related to human resource provision such as selecting and appointing suitable library employees. Programmes that address these needs must be developed in South Africa. The programmes must be designed to equip library managers with skills and competencies that will enable library managers to manage staff effectively.

A comparative study of performance appraisals, incentives and rewards practices in domestic and multinational enterprises in the country of Brunei Darussalam

Very little work in the past has focused on the comparative analysis of human resource management (HRM) practices between domestic and multinational enterprises (MNEs). The majority of the work in this area has instead concentrated on comparing the HRM practices utilised by the subsidiaries of MNEs, and has mostly been conducted in the context of developed countries. In this paper, we examine how the HR practices of appraisals, rewards and incentives are offered, explained and monitored in domestic enterprises (DEs) versus MNEs, and how they are similar or different in nature. This paper is based on primary data collected from a cross-section of firms operating in the country of Brunei Darussalam – a context within which no previous work of this nature has been undertaken. An analysis reveals several interesting results: HR practices are more advanced and better structured in MNEs that conduct performance appraisals (PA) more frequently than DEs, and their feedback system is also rapid; incentives and rewards systems in MNEs follow market ethos and principles; the HR directors and employees of MNEs are more receptive to PA than those in DEs whilst, in contrast to DEs, incentives and rewards systems in MNEs follow market ethos and principles. Furthermore, with regard to size, younger firms are more likely to be following market principles in terms of explaining incentives and rewards systems to their employees, whilst older firms claim that working for them carries social and psychological benefits for employees.

The impact of interdependence on performance evaluations: the mediating role of discomfort with performance appraisal

This study investigates the link between interdependence, discomfort with conducting performance appraisal and subsequent evaluation tendency. Interdependence, an individual-level cultural value, was hypothesized to be related to discomfort, which, in turn, was expected to be related to evaluation leniency. Our results indicate a positive relationship between interdependence and evaluation leniency. Moreover, the data collected also confirmed the mediating role of discomfort in this relationship. These results highlight the impact that cultural background can have on performance appraisals. We discuss the implications of these results for performance appraisal and propose future areas of research on how other cultural aspects can influence evaluators discomfort and subsequent evaluations.

The effect of procedural justice in the relationship between charismatic leadership and feedback reactions in performance appraisal

In this study, the relationship between procedural justice, charismatic leadership and feedback reactions (i.e. perceived feedback utility and feedback accuracy) is investigated. We conducted both regression analyses and path analyses (n = 299) to establish whether there is a moderating or mediating effect of charismatic leadership in the relationship between procedural justice and feedback reactions of teachers. Our results indicate there is a mediating effect of charismatic leadership. This demonstrates that besides the appraisal system, charismatic leadership is important for feedback reactions. Hence, supervisors should take into account that they have an important function to fulfill when conducting performance appraisals and not see performance appraisal as just another perfunctory system in human resource management.

Manager as Learning Champion

A classic question facing every organization is, “Who should be responsible for the training/learning process?” Some contend HRD professionals should be responsible for this because they possess advanced knowledge of adult learning theory and maintain excellent instructional skills. Thus, many organizations still rely on HRD (human resource development) professionals to provide training to their employees. These individuals typically are experts in the design, development, and presentation of training programs. Most possess excellent interpersonal and communications skills, relate well to others, possess outgoing and enthusiastic personalities, the ability to engage people for long periods of time, and a solid foundation in adult learning, theory, and practice (Galbraith, 1991), While most trainers are highly talented professionals and are dedicated to employee well-being, learning, and change, they have a limited impact on improving organizational performance. One reason is that most HRD practitioners are not held accountable for improving employee performance, nor are they responsible for conducting performance appraisals used to improve employee performance. Furthermore, HRD professionals are not in a position to provide performance feedback and reinforcement so critical to learning transfer. As a result, some contend that managers should be responsible for employee learning because they are accountable for their performance output and quality. Thus, providing strategies used to transform managers into learning champions as well as an examination of alternative roles for HRD professionals will be provided.

Dimensions of performance appraisal systems in Jordanian private and public organizations

This article explores the attitudes of human resource managers working in the Jordanian private and public organizations towards the functions of their performance appraisal systems, and to the ways in which performance appraisal systems are implemented. A self-completion questionnaire was the main data collection method used in this study. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 74 organizations (38 private and 36 public organizations) that have a separate and formal HR department. The study contributes empirical information about human resource management in a relatively under-researched region. Major research findings of this empirical study include that performance appraisal systems had a moderate impact on the four functions of performance appraisal systems. These functions were grouped as: (1) between-individuals comparisons; (2) within-individuals comparisons; (3) systems maintenance; and (4) documentation. The results of the study revealed that private organizations’ performance appraisal had significantly greater impact than their counterparts in the public sector on promotion, retention/termination, lay-offs, identifying individual training needs, transfers and assignments. This study also indicated that performance appraisals were conducted once a year, and the appraisee managers were primarily responsible for conducting performance appraisals. The study concludes within a set of recommendations for improved practice. Chief among these recommendations is that performance appraisal systems in the Jordanian context need to better serve the four functions of performance appraisals discussed in this paper and the need to include other than the appraisee's manager in the appraisal process.

Transformational and Transactional Leadership: Association With Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice

Leadership in organizations is important in shaping workers' perceptions, responses to organizational change, and acceptance of innovations, such as evidence-based practices. Transformational leadership inspires and motivates followers, whereas transactional leadership is based more on reinforcement and exchanges. Studies have shown that in youth and family service organizations, mental health providers' attitudes toward adopting an evidence-based practice are associated with organizational context and individual provider differences. The purpose of this study was to expand these findings by examining the association between leadership and mental health providers' attitudes toward adopting evidence-based practice. Participants were 303 public-sector mental health service clinicians and case managers from 49 programs who were providing mental health services to children, adolescents, and their families. Data were gathered on providers' characteristics, attitudes toward evidence-based practices, and perceptions of their supervisors' leadership behaviors. Zero-order correlations and multilevel regression analyses were conducted that controlled for effects of service providers' characteristics. Both transformational and transactional leadership were positively associated with providers' having more positive attitudes toward adoption of evidence-based practice, and transformational leadership was negatively associated with providers' perception of difference between the providers' current practice and evidence-based practice. Mental health service organizations may benefit from improving transformational and transactional supervisory leadership skills in preparation for implementing evidence-based practices.

Evaluating Group Exercise Leader Performance

In Brief Learning Objective To recognize the need for conducting performance appraisals of group exercise leaders and to be able to properly use a performance appraisal tool specifically designed for group exercise leaders. This article includes a useful performance appraisal tool to evaluate group exercise leaders and discusses how the tool was developed and procedures for using it.

Electronic performance appraisals: The effects of e-mail communication on peer ratings in actual and simulated environments

Across three empirical studies, this paper explores the effect of using e-mail as a communication medium (versus pen-and-paper) when conducting performance appraisals of peers. The notion put forth by Media Richness Theory that paper-form and e-mail media should be considered identical for conveying this information was theoretically challenged and differences were empirically supported. Using two different settings, results demonstrate that evaluators offered more negative appraisals of their peers when using e-mail than when using traditional paper-form methods. Reduced feelings of social obligation in the e-mail condition were found to mediate this relationship, indicating that social psychological processes can influence the effects of different media on peer ratings.

Human resources for the non-HR manager

Contents: Preface. Part I: Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager. What's It All About? Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity Law. Part II: Organizational Entry. The Recruiting Process. Hiring New Employees. Interviewing Job Applicants. Part III: Measuring and Evaluating Employee Performance. Conducting Performance Appraisals. Designing Reward Systems. Helping Employees Manage Their Careers. Part IV: Organizational Discipline and Exit. Disciplining Employees. Ending the Employment Relationship. Part V: Day-to-Day Concerns in Human Resources Management. Controlling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Managing Age in the Workplace. Managing Employees With Disabilities.

Residual Control Charts for Improving Changeover Productivity

Although statistical control charts have been popularly used in monitoring process quality, the concepts of statistical control are essentially suited to the improvement of productivity in virtually any area of business. This article presents a new statistical control chart, the residual control chart, which was employed to improve machine changeover productivity in a textile manufacturing company. To control productivity of various manned operations, the authors identified variation due to the performance of technicians while controlling for the effect of other factors. Instead of making numerous charts for individual categories, the proposed control chart reduces the number of charts, while still blocking out the effect of extraneous factors. The residual chart may be used to help managers balance workloads, plan training programs, and/or assist in conducting performance appraisals.

Contact points and flash points: Conceptualizing the use of justice mechanisms in the performance appraisal interview

There has been a great deal of performance evaluation research, but little has been directed toward understanding subordinate responses to this process and developing ways to manage these responses. In contrast, the justice literature has identified mechanisms that directly influence recipient responses to organizational decisions. The present paper attempts to integrate justice theory and research into the performance appraisal interview. A conceptual model is presented that examines the relationship between three key justice mechanisms in the performance appraisal interview. Propositions are presented regarding the influence of these mechanisms using contact points (episodes where justice mechanisms are expected) and flash points (combinations of justice mechanisms that might lead to problems) as a basis for understanding how justice works in this context. Research is recommended to test these propositions. Implications for conducting performance appraisal interviews are discussed.

Are performance appraisals a bureaucratic exercise or can they be used to enhance sales‐force satisfaction and commitment?

AbstractIn some sales organizations the performance appraisal is treated as a bureaucratic exercise. As such, sales managers may essentially conduct appraisals in an arbitrary and perfunctory manner. This behavior could be based on the belief that conducting performance appraisals requires considerable amounts of time and effort, generates few rewards, and adds considerably to the manager's level of conflict and stress. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships existing between performance appraisals, salesperson organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. If various characteristics of performance appraisals that build commitment and satisfaction could be identified, then managers may be more capable of using performance appraisals that yield positive results. A survey of 185 retail salespeople and 58 retail sales managers provided the data required to evaluate the relationship between satisfaction, commitment, and various aspects of performance appraisals. The results of the study indicate that managerially mediated factors may be used to enhance salesperson job satisfaction and organizational commitment. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Research Note: An Exploratory Analysis of Salesperson Perceptions of the Criteria Used in Performance Appraisals, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment

In some sales organizations the performance appraisal is treated as a bureaucratic exercise required by some “higher-up” executive. As such, sales managers may essentially conduct appraisals in an arbitrary and perfunctory manner. This behavior could be the result of the manager's perception that conducting performance appraisals requires considerable amounts of time and effort, which provides few rewards, but adds considerably to the manager's level of conflict and stress. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships existing between one aspect of performance appraisals, salesperson perceptions of the appropriateness of the criteria used, and two other variables, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. A survey of retail salespeople provided the data required to evaluate the relationship between satisfaction, commitment, and the perceived appropriateness of the criteria used. The findings indicate that salesperson satisfaction levels are significantly correlated with the level of the perceived inappropriateness of the evaluation criteria used. However, the findings also indicate that the perceptions of the inappropriateness of the evaluation criteria are not significantly related to the salesperson's level of organizational commitment. Based on these findings, recommendations are made regarding the salesperson's role in the development of the performance appraisal process.

Performance appraisal in academic libraries: minor changes or major renovation?

Performance appraisals generally occur to provide documentation for current and future personnel decisions such as promotions, salary increases, staff development, and disciplinary reasons. After surveying library literature, it is apparent that most academic library administrations implement some type of performance appraisal, but a disparity exists regarding the process itself, the ultimate goals sought and those actually achieved. This situation emanates from the lack of objectives adhered to in conducting performance appraisals. This article will address the diversity existent in the performance appraisal process and the reasons for these differences.