Page 160 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

introduction of a performance appraisal system 143
INTEGRATION IN A PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CONCEPT

The appraisal system should be regarded as part of the personnel management concept
and should be integrated into it. The results of the appraisal must have consequences for
the employees. These could be financial consequences if the appraisal system is used for
salary distribution. If it is used as a management technique or for personnel development,
these could be training, challenging tasks or projects which give the employee the chance
to develop his or her abilities, skills, and competences. Apart from training these can
be management development programs, but also tasks forces which are assigned to
employees as a challenge.

TRAINING

An appraisal system has to be implemented by information workshops or training. It is
not useful to give the information only by a user manual. Defects and loss of quality
in the course of performance appraisals regularly appear when the superiors have to
take on this task suddenly and unprepared. The majority of company superiors are not
prepared to conduct a high-quality performance appraisal process without additional
training. Effective training prepares the appraisers for their tasks. Such training consists
of the following aspects:
information for the appraiser as well as the person to be appraised about the goals, the

use, and the risks of a performance appraisal system
information about the appraisal criteria and how they were developed

information about the evaluation process

training on how to apply the evaluation criteria

information about possible errors that can occur during appraisal or tendencies towards

faulting (e.g. likeability effects, excessive weighting of single features)
training of perception and evaluation skills

training of communication skills, with respect to the performance evaluation and to

the presentation of one’s role and self-image to others
study of the development of future goals of performance (as far as this is included in

the process).
Manuals and textbooks for the use of a performance appraisal system as well as
behaviour examples for performance standards frequently constitute necessary devices
to help the appraiser.
Within the training, the appraisal system and the appraisal criteria should be explained.
This is an important step to ensure the same standards of the appraisal—or at least a
certain standard. Moreover, the appraisal procedure is described. The appraisal dialogue
is discussed and at best is exercised in role plays. That is particularly important when
there is no feedback culture in the organization. The experience shows that superiors
try to avoid these role plays. The reasons are often that they are used to talking to their
employees and they of course regard this as a part of their management role. But role
plays show that even experienced managers have difficulties in giving feedback in a
frank and constructive way. To tell someone what his or her strengths and weak points
are is a very difficult task for many superiors.