Self‐appraisal and perceptions of the appraisal discussion: A field experiment

Abstract

Performance evaluation based on self-appraisal has been widely advocated because of its potential for increasing the effectiveness of the performance appraisal discussion. A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of a fonnal 'both-rate' self appraisal (where both manager and subordinate independently complete appraisals before the discussion) on perceptions of ratee and rater behaviors and outcomes. One hundred fifty-one ratees and 81 raters randomly assigned to self-appraisal and control groups participated in the study. Results indicated that the self-appraisal treatment had no main effects on ratee perceptions of their contributions to the discussion or satisfaction with the appraisal. Self-appraising ratees perceived less influence over the appraisal discussion, and less agreement with their manager's rating than did non-self appraisers. However, informal self-appraisal behavior was significantly and positively correlated with most dependent variables. Results suggest major differences between formal and informal self-appraisal which warrant future research.

Are Self-Evaluations Helpful or Harmful When Employees are Unaware of Their Marginal Contribution to Firm Welfare?

“…Studies that examine the effect of self-evaluations I identified, based on a meta-analysis by Cawley et al (1998), three studies that examine the effect of self-evaluations: Taylor et al (1995), Roberson et al (1993), and Inderrieden et al (2004). Taylor et al (1995) examine the effect of following due process in a compensation setting process on employee perception.…”

“…Two studies that directly examine the effect of self-evaluations and provide less ambiguous results are Roberson et al (1993) and Inderrieden et al (2004). Roberson et al (1993) examine the effect of self-evaluations in a study where they assign participants to one of two conditions.…”

“…Roberson et al (1993) examine the effect of self-evaluations in a study where they assign participants to one of two conditions. One group of employees was asked to self-assess their performance before a performance review interview and bring their assessment to the meeting, where it would be used as an input factor.…”

“…In addition, studies by Roberson et al (1993) and Inderrieden et al (2004) show lower levels of employee satisfaction when self-evaluations are employed. Campbell and Lee (1988) argue that self-evaluations should not be used for compensation setting due to their potential to create conflicts between the employee and employer.…”

“…Thus, self-ratings not only unmask existing perception biases, but also amplify them. Such a cost poses a behavioral effect that has thus far not been shown to exist in the literature, a gap pointed out by Roberson et al (1993). Ittner et al (2003) point out the importance of knowing about such behavioral effects, because they potentially moderate economics-based explanations and help us understand firm performance measurement practices, such as the 50% rate of abandonment of evaluation systems that incorporate self-evaluations (Waldman et al 1998).…”