A Review, an Integration, and a Critique of Cross-Disciplinary Research on Performance Appraisals, Evaluations, and Feedback: 1980-1990

Abstract

Performance related pay and the performance appraisal system continue to have a strong presence in corporate America. The presence of the performance appraisal system ranges from more traditional paper-and-pen systems to the emergence of eAppraisal, a web-based software designed by Halogen to facilitate the appraisal process. The current study investigates trends in this area. Ninety-eight empirical studies on performance appraisals, published between 1990 and 2000, in business, communication, and psychology journals, were reviewed and integrated. This review examined published empirical studies in four categories: performance appraisal systems and practices, rating instruments, raters, and ratees. Results of this synthesis revealed the following: (a) Effective performance appraisal systems feature opportunities for employee "voice"; (b) PRP systems are being implemented with increasing frequency internationally; (c) BOS are superior to BARS and GRS in terms of goal specificity; (d) all types of appraisal systems are subject to rating distortion; (e) multirater, SAM, and peer review feedback programs should be used most frequently for developmental purposes and performance improvement; (f) perceived accuracy of performance feedback is an important component of the evaluation process; (g) acceptance of subordinate feedback is related to subordinate awareness of the supervisor's job; (h) supervisors tend to rate more favorably subordinates from the same nationality or race; (i) organizations should consider culture in terms of human resource development; and (j) variables that affect perceptions of ratees include age, power, pregnancy, and smoking habits. These findings reflected the following five trends: (a) quantitative studies that investigated counterrational dimensions in the performance appraisal process, (b) quantitative studies that investigated interaction effects between rater and ratee characteristics, (c) quantitative studies that investigated preferences of raters and ratees, (d) quantitative studies that investigated communication transactions, and (e) quantitative studies that investigated international applications. The researcher recommends continued research in the areas of counterrational dimensions, interaction effects, participant preferences, communication transactions, and international applications of the performance appraisal process. Wa n g u r i , D . M . ( 2 0 1 4 ) . A R e v i e w, a n I n t e g r a t i o n , a n d a C r i t i q u e o f C r o s s -D i s c i p l i n a r y R e s e a r c h o n P e r f o r m a n c e

Characteristics of performance appraisals and their impact on sales force satisfaction

“…However, because it is believed that employees may have negative attitudes toward performance evaluations, sales managers may fear, postpone, or even discontinue performance appraisals (Thomas and Bretz, 1994;Wanguri, 1995). Yet if managers fail to conduct (or devote inadequate attention to) performance appraisals, the resulting loss of human resource development opportunities can be considerable.…”

“…Thus, they may conduct appraisals without sufficient preparation. An absence of a formal and well-prepared evaluation may cause employees to feel slighted in the appraisal process itself (Wanguri, 1995). Therefore, the first hypothesis examines the impact that the formality of the evaluation process (degree of structure) has on sales force satisfaction.…”

“…Although overtly stating that the purpose of the appraisal should be to lead to performance improvement may seem trite, research has stated that some employees believe that their managers make minimal efforts in the appraisal process. The consequence of that lack of effort is a lack of information that could help the salespeople in question improve their performance and develop skills to enhance that performance (Wanguri, 1995). Thus, it may be that on occasion sales managers fail to implement their appraisal responsibilities in a manner that would produce the results intended by the overall organization, thus leading to lower levels of salesperson job satisfaction.…”

“…Increasing employee participation may not only enhance satisfaction but also increase perceptions of the fairness of the evaluation (Greenberg, 1986;Latham, Skarlicki, Irvine, and Siegel, 1993). Wanguri (1995) has stated that the opinions of employees, as they pertain to the appraisal system, may be a greater determinant of the system' s effectiveness than the validity or reliability of the system itself. It has been argued that if employees fail to understand, or accept, the criteria included in their appraisals, then motivation, satisfaction, and commitment would decline and turnover would increase (MacKenzie, Podsakoff, and Fetter, 1993).…”

Police officer performance appraisal and overall satisfaction

“…In this regard, additional training of supervisors may increase the recognition and value of new or altered performance activities, particularly among police agencies that are implementing changes in strategies and tactics. Several studies had indicated that appraisal accuracy could be improved through rater training (Arvey & Murphy, 1998;Wanguri, 1995), and a number of researchers had affirmed that specific training approaches were linked with employee satisfaction in the appraisal process (Spears & Parker, 2002;Thomas, 1997;Wanguri, 1995). Additionally, there was evidence that employee development and coaching skills could be improved through evaluator training (Fink & Longenecker, 1998;Roberts & Reed, 1996) and that training might increase perceptions of procedural justice (Boswell & Boudreau, 2000;Roberts & Reed, 1996;Tang & Sarsfield-Baldwin, 1996).…”