Performance appraisal: can we 'manage' away the curse?

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management

Background:

• Performance appraisals are a universally disliked organizational ritual.
• Traditional annual reviews have obvious shortcomings for both employees and managers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the persistent use of performance appraisals despite their flaws.
• To propose performance management as a more effective alternative.

Main Methods:

• The abstract discusses the concept of performance management.
• It highlights the importance of ongoing effort and continuous feedback.
• Mentions an example of an online system for continuous progress updates.

Main Results:

• Performance management aims to align employee actions with organizational goals.
• Continuous effort allows employees to course-correct.
• Online systems facilitate ongoing updates and progress tracking.

Conclusions:

• Performance management offers a solution to the shortcomings of traditional appraisals.
• Continuous engagement is crucial for effective performance management.
• The success of any performance appraisal or management system heavily relies on the managers implementing it.