Performance Management: from control to development

Authors: Soltani Ebrahim, van der Meer Robert, Williams Terry

Management Science Working Paper No. 2 (2005)

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Abstract

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There is prima facie evidence that potentially major changes were taking place, or are being planned, in the way the employees? performance is appraised. In an attempt to clarify such changes, this paper sets out to examine the nature and to probe the significance and implications of these developments. In this light, these issues have been tackled from a theoretical perspective. It argues that rather than its being seen as technical readjustments prompted by immediate concerns with competition and efficiency, appraisal is an integral part to what has been identified as HRM. Specifically, the aims are four-fold: first, to discuss the origin, definition, and purposes of performance appraisal; second, to present methods of appraising performance, followed by analysing effectiveness of the current performance appraisal systems in place from which the main criteria of an effective performance appraisal can be extracted; third, to consider the main implications for practitioners by outlining the critical steps for developing an effective performance appraisal; and fourth and finally, to examine the implications for future research.