Performance appraisal methods

(Tools of ) Performance appraisal methods include 11 appraisal methods / types as follows:

1. Critical incident method
This format of performance appraisal is a method which is involved identifying and describing
specific incidents where employees did something really well or that needs improving during
their performance period.
2. Weighted checklist method
In this style performance appraisal is made under a method where the !obs being evaluated
based on descriptive statements about effective and ineffective behavior on !obs.
3. Paired comparison analysis
This form of performance appraisal is a good way to ma"e full use of the methods of options.
There will be a list of relevant options. #ach option is in comparison with the others in the list.
The results will be calculated and then such option with highest score will be mostly chosen.
4. Graphic rating scales
This format is considered the oldest and most popular method to assess the employee$s
performance.
In this style of performance appraisal the management !ust simply does chec"s on the
performance levels of their staff.
5. Essay Evalation method
In this style of performance appraisal managers/ supervisors are re%uired to figure out the strong
and wea" points of staff$s behaviors. #ssay evaluation method is a non&%uantitative techni%ue. It
is often mi'ed with the method the graphic rating scale.
!. "ehaviorally anchored rating scales
This formatted performance appraisal is based on ma"ing rates on behaviors or sets of indicators
to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of wor"ing performance. The form is a mi' of
the rating scale and critical incident techni%ues to assess performance of the staff.
#. Performance ranking method
The performance appraisal of ran"ing is used to assess the wor"ing performance of employees
from the highest to lowest levels.
(anagers will ma"e comparisons of an employee with the others instead of ma"ing comparison
of each employee with some certain standards.
$. %anagement "y &'(ectives )%"&* method
()* is a method of performance appraisal in which managers or employers set a list of
ob!ectives and ma"e assessments on their performance on a regular basis and finally ma"e
rewards based on the results achieved. This method mostly cares about the results achieved
(goals) but not to the way how employees can fulfill them.
+. 3!, degree performance appraisal
The style of +,- degree performance appraisal is a method that employees will give confidential
and anonymous assessments on their colleagues. This post also information that can be used as
references for such methods of performance assessments of ./- 01- 12-3
1,.-orced ranking )forced distri'tion*
In this style of performance appraisal employees are ran"ed in terms of forced allocations.
4or instance it is vital that the proportions be shared in the way that 1- or /- 5 will be the
highest levels of performances while .- or 2-5 will be in the middle level and the rest will be in
the lowest one.
11. "ehavioral &'servation .cales
The method based on the scales of observation on behaviors is the one in which important tas"s
that wor"ers have performed during their wor"ing time will be assessed on a regular basis.
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It is critical that employees 6buy in$ to a performance appraisal system if organisations are to
ma"e it effective. The system has to be seen to be fair and in order to do this it should meet two
criteria: /t needs to 'e 'oth relia'le and valid.
7s a manager it$s essential to be aware of the following common errors when rating your staff
as part of their performance appraisal. It can alter how effective you are when delivering
feedbac" and can compromise the integrity of the message you ultimately want to deliver.
1. The Halo Error
This happens when one person rates another person on several different dimensions and gives a
similar rating for each dimension. 8taff often do this when they have a generally good
relationship with the person they are rating and don$t want to be too harsh. 9owever if
employees are to develop and grow it$s important they receive honest ob!ective feedbac" from a
performance appraisal.
2. The Leniency Error
:ust as some professors are "nown as 6easy 7$s$ some managers tend to give relatively high
ratings to virtually everyone under their supervision. The opposite is The 8trictness #rror which
is where a manager gives everyone low ratings. )oth errors s"ew the performance appraisal
results and should be avoided.
3. Central Tendency Error
This happens when managers lump everyone together around the average or middle category.
This gives the impression that there are no very good or very poor performers on the dimensions
being rated.
4. Recency Error
This occurs when a rater allows recent events to influence a performance appraisal rating over
earlier events. 7n e'ample is being critical of an employee who is usually on time but shows up
one hour late for wor" the day before his or her performance appraisal.
5. Personal Bias Error
This performance appraisal error occurs when e'pectations and pre!udices cause a rater to fail to
give the !obholder complete respect. ;ommon e'amples include showing bias based on race or
gender.
If managers are aware of and recogni<e these common errors the performance appraisal process
will be far more ob!ective and well rounded.
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1.
9 Common Errors in Performance Appraisals
Supervisors should be aware of common errors resulting in biased performance appraisals.
If you work, you have no doubt gone through the process of a performance appraisal.
Many employees and supervisors view performance appraisals as negative events. When
done properly, however, performance appraisals are a balanced and accurate assessment
of an employee's performance and a good point from which to set future goals. To reach
this objective, supervisors should be aware of common errors that can result in inaccurate
appraisals.
Central Tendency Error
o Some supervisors tend to rank all employees at about average regardless
of an employee!s performance. A supervisor who believes in never rating an
employee as e"cellent is demonstrating central tendency error.
Contrast Error
o Supervisors who rate subordinates as they compare against each other
rather than how they compare against the performance standards commit
contrast error. #his error can cause an employee who is performing average
against performance standards to rate high because his peers are under
performing.
False Attribution
o $alse attribution is the tendency to attribute bad performance to internal
causes and good performance to e"ternal causes. %n other words if an employee
performs well it!s because the employee had help such as a good leader& and if
the employee performs badly it!s because the employee did something wrong
such as procrastinate.
Halo Effect
o #he halo effect is when a supervisor forms a positive impression of an
employee!s skill in one area and then gives her high ratings across all rating
criteria. 'umans tend to view some traits as more important than other traits.
(hen a supervisor rates employees with the traits that he deems more important
higher in all rating areas than employees who do not possess those traits the
supervisor is committing the halo effect error.
Leniency Error
o )eniency error is the tendency of a supervisor to rate an employee higher
than what his performance warrants. *easons that a supervisor might do this
could include avoiding confrontations or feeling that by giving the employee a
high rating he will work harder to live up to the rating.
Perceived Meaning
o Perceived meaning becomes an issue when appraisers do not agree on
the meaning of the rating criteria. $or e"ample one supervisor may perceive an
employee!s constant reporting of problems as initiative while another supervisor
may feel this behavior demonstrates dependence on supervisory assistance
instead of initiative.
Recency Error
o *ecency error happens when a supervisor uses recent events to rate the
employee. #his usually occurs due to a lack of documentation of the employee!s
performance over the course of the entire performance appraisal period. An
employee who performed highly over the course of the appraisal period may be
rated low if the most recent events where negative.
Severity Error
o Severity error is the opposite of leniency error. %n severity error a
supervisor tends to rate an employee lower than what her performance warrants.
A potential cause of the error could be the use of unrealistic standards of
comparison such as the supervisor rating a new employee against himself. %n
this scenario the supervisor forgets that it took time to reach the level of
performance he operates at and a new employee would not have had enough
time to develop to that level.
Stereotyping
o Stereotyping is the tendency to apply the same generali+ations to all
members of specific social groups. ,ne of the more common types of
stereotyping that occur in the workplace is gender stereotyping. *esearch
conducted by -adeline 'eilman a professor of psychology at ./0 suggests
that women are often evaluated more negatively than men even when both are
trained to do a 1ob the same way.