Page 133 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

Chapter 6

Appraisal: An Individual

Psychological Perspective

Clive Fletcher
Goldsmiths’ College, London, UK

INTRODUCTION 116
RESEARCH ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 117
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES IMPACTING
ON APPRAISAL 119
THE APPRAISER 119
THE APPRAISEE 122
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN APPRAISER AND APPRAISEE 127
IMPROVING FUTURE RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 129
REFERENCES 131

SUMMARY
With the radical changes that have taken place in organisations in recent years, per-
formance appraisal (PA) systems have increasingly changed to reflect wider business
needs and priorities. However, the success of such systems remains strongly depen-
dent on the behaviour and dispositions of those participating in the appraisal process.
This chapter offers a psychological analysis of the role of motivation, personality, and
interpersonal relationships in PA. It examines variables impacting on the appraisers’
behaviour (including organisational politics and conflict avoidance), on appraisees’ be-
haviour (including need for achievement, goal orientation, self-awareness, self-efficacy,
self-esteem, locus of control, and feedback attitudes) and on the relationship between
the two parties. It is argued that research on such variables and how they influence the
handling of appraisal interviews will be more effective in enhancing PA effectiveness
than will further work on systems perspectives or the continued search for the “perfect”
rating scale.

Psychological Management of Individual Performance. Edited by Sabine Sonnentag.
C 2002 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 0-471-87726-3