<p>This study found that the performance appraisal process, in particular, is an instrument of the performance appraisal system that contributes tremendous value to planning and implementation. The research found that the performance appraisal process in the City of Cape Town can be improved through addressing the process and improving the approaches followed by the managers in daily appraisals, which can be done by following the complete process and including all the steps it involves, and by having a positive attitude towards the performance appraisal process. This mini&ndash / thesis also provides a set of conclusions and recommendations for the performance management and performance appraisal system, particularly regarding appraisal process enhancement. It is hoped that the lessons learned through this study will inform current practices and provide information for future research at local government level.</p>

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study found that the performance appraisal process, in particular, is an instrument of the performance appraisal system that contributes tremendous value to planning and implementation. The research found that the performance appraisal process in the City of Cape Town can be improved through addressing the process and improving the approaches followed by the managers in daily appraisals, which can be done by following the complete process and including all the steps it involves, and by having a positive attitude towards the performance appraisal process. This mini&ndash;thesis also provides a set of conclusions and recommendations for the performance management and performance appraisal system, particularly regarding appraisal process enhancement. It is hoped that the lessons learned through this study will inform current practices and provide information for future research at local government level. / South Africa

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Supervisors are the primary drivers of performance management; however, little is known about factors that influence their implementation of these systems. The purpose of this study was to investigate how a supervisor individual difference—implicit person theory (IPT)—differentially predicts supervisor behaviors during, as well as both supervisor and employee reactions to appraisal interviews. In Study 1, MBA students reported their supervisors’ behaviors during their most recent performance appraisal interview (Time 1) as well as their subsequent reactions (i.e., perceived satisfaction, utility, success, supervisor support; Time 2). Their supervisors completed a measure assessing their own IPT (Time 3). Findings suggest that supervisors’ task-oriented behaviors predicted perceived satisfaction, utility, and success of the appraisal interviews, while supervisor’ relational-oriented behaviors predicted perceived supervisor support. In Study 2, supervisors recruited via MTurk completed all measures from Study 1 except perceived success. Results suggest that IPT was positively related to task-oriented behaviors and perceived utility, task-oriented behaviors mediated the relationship between IPT and all three reaction measures (i.e., perceived satisfaction, utility, and supervisor support), and relational-oriented behaviors significantly predicted supervisors’ perceived support. Overall, findings suggest that supervisors who believe people can change (hold a more incremental IPT) display more task-oriented behaviors during and see more utility in appraisal interviews. Additionally, task-oriented behaviors emerged as the key mechanism linking supervisors’ IPT and reactions to appraisal interviews. These findings demonstrate that supervisor individual differences, such as IPT, can influence performance appraisal and management outcomes.

Master of Science / Department of Psychology / Satoris S. Culbertson / Performance appraisals are an important component to any organization’s performance management system. They require supervisors to observe and retain information regarding employee performance. This study sought to investigate the effects of appraisal purpose in this process. This extension and replication of Williams, DeNisi, Meglino, and Cafferty’s (1986) lab study of appraisal purpose investigated whether designating an employee for a positive outcome results in lenient performance ratings and vice-versa for a negative designation. This outcome would indicate assimilation, whereby the designation acts as an anchor creating bias in the direction of the anchor. However, the negative and positive designations may both result in leniency, indicating a universal tendency toward leniency when memory for performance is limited. Furthermore, I investigated whether making a deservedness rating for each employee would result in less lenient or severe ratings, relative to the designation conditions. Finally, I investigated whether self-reported rater expertise would moderate the assimilation effect. A total of 108 undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university viewed confederates performing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a dummy and were instructed to observe performance in order to make a designation (positive or negative) or deservedness rating, or were given no instructions (control). They made an initial decision and were then asked to return two days later and rate each confederate’s performance again. Consistent with previous findings, raters making positive designations tended to give lenient ratings, relative to other conditions. Furthermore, as expected, those making negative designations gave relatively severe ratings. Finally, the results also partially supported my expectation that rater expertise in the performance domain moderates the biasing effects of appraisal purpose. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze sales people's perceptions of performance appraisal criteria in a telecommunications corporation. The study was prompted by the perceived disillusionment of the sales people with the current performance appraisal criteria. The perceptions of 67 sales people were assessed using a questionnaire developed by the researcher. One-way analysis of variance procedures (ANOVA) were used to determine if there were statistically significant differences in premise and telemarketing sales people's perceptions of performance appraisal criteria. Findings indicated that there were no statistically significant difference in premise and telemarketing sales people's perceptions of the 38 performance appraisal criteria statements. Findings did not indicate a statistically significant difference in premise and telemarketing sales people's perceptions of the performance criteria statements, the attitude or satisfaction statements, and the peripheral issue statements. Based on this study, the sales people appear to have clear perceptions of the performance appraisal criteria.

This master thesis discusses employees appraisal in a selected organization. The theoretical part is devoted to expressions from the area of staff appraisal. Topics such as performance management, performance appraisal and work performance are clarified. Further the common process of employees appraisal is described, including its meaning and functionality. appraisal criteria are specified and selected appraisal metods are described. A specific chapter is devoted to forced distribution method. In the end of this part characteristics of high quality and effective employees appraisal are listed. In the empirical part a specific organization is presented, including description and analysis of used employees appraisal system. The goal of the research is through the analysis of the employees appraisal system and with the help of interviews with its employees determine the characteristics of a quality employees appraisal system. Based on the results of the conducted research recommendations leading to higher efectivity of employees appraisal are formed. Keywords: performance appraisal, performance management, appraisal metods, forced ranking

Avec l'arrivée de l'époque de l'économie informatique, la société présente une demande et un besoin plus exigeants sur le secteur de télécommunication. Depuis les années 1980s, les réformes du marché mondial de la télécommunication s'orientent vers l'introduction de la régulation, la favorisation de la concurrence et la privatisation. Cependant, le marché de télécommunication chinois suit toujours le mode de gestion traditionnelle, c'est-à-dire monopolisent les entreprises d'état influencées elles-mêmes par le gouvernement. Le retard des réformes freine le développement de cette industrie et l'état malsain, dans lequel coexistent le prix trop élevé, le service peu satisfaisant et le chiffre d'affaires non suffisant, exige plus d'ouverture. Par rapport à beaucoup d'autres secteurs, celui de la télécommunication influence de façon plus profonde et stratégique le développement complet, cohérent et durable de l'économie chinoise. Par conséquent, les réformes de ce secteur attirent beaucoup d'attention. En plus, comme l'industrie de télécommunication a connu très tôt les réformes orientées vers le marché et qu'elle a donc un système relativement complet, ses prochains réformes seront pour les autres secteurs un exemple et une référence. Le présent travail s'intéresse ainsi aux réformes de l'industrie de télécommunication chinoise, ainsi que les performances qu'ils entraînent. C'est un sujet qui est non seulement significatif et crutial pour le développement cohérent de la société économique chinoise, mais aussi nécessaire et imminent pour une réponse. Le présent travail comprend six chapitres dont le contenu et la structure sont suivants : premièrement, la thèse suit l'ordre "caractéristiques - concurrence - régulation - réformes", et basé sur les théories de monopolisation naturelle, de concurrence effective et d'organisation industrielle, elle met en ordre et analyse la création, le développement et la mutation de l'industrie de télécommunication moderne de Chine, ce qui constituera le fondement théorique pour la recherche sur les performances des réformes de l'industrie de télécommunication chinoise. Deuxièmement, en tenant compte de l'impact des facteurs institutionnels sur l'organisation industrielle, la présente thèse met en avant un cadre d'évaluation RSCP (règlement-structure-comportement-performances), qui a pour objectif d'établir une concurrence effective dans les réformes du secteur de télécommunication de la Chine. Troisièmement, le présent travail divise, de manière chronologique, le parcours des réformes du secteur de télécommunication en 4 étapes (depuis le début de la réforme et l'ouverture de la Chine) : gestion monopolistique, soutien politique, introduction des concurrences et concurrences complètes préliminaires. En analysant la situation actuelle de la réforme du secteur de télécommunication de la Chine, la thèse tente d'évaluer ensuite ses performances. La thèse calcule à la fin l'indice des performances des réformes du secteur de télécommunication de la Chine et effectue ensuite une analyse statistique et des tests d'hypothèses basés sur le modèle de régression linéaire multiple. Le résultat montre que les réformes orientées vers le marché du secteur de télécommunication de la chine favorise, dans une certaine mesure, le développement de l'industrie chinoise de télécommunication, réduit efficacement les dépenses en services, augmente le nombre d'utilisateurs, et optimise la structure des services de télécommunications. En même temps, l'étude constate également que la qualité et la capacité du service doivent encore être améliorées. / With the advent of information economy people all over the world have a higher and more extensive demand on the communications industry. Since the 1980s there has emerged a dominant trend in countries around the world to deregulate the telecom industry and introduce market-oriented reforms. Up until the 1980s the Chinese telecom industry was still monopolized by the government and the country’s market-oriented reforms in the industry lagged behind many other rapidly developing nations. The problem of high expense, low service quality, and insufficient service capacity made it urgent to open up the Chinese telecom market. Compared to other competitive industries it can be said that the telecom industry comprehensively and strategically influences the overall harmonious and sustainable development of a national economy. Reform in the telecom industry covers a wide range of areas and is closely associated with the national welfare and people’s livelihood. As such it attracts great attention from the public at large. Compared to other industries in China whichare also regulated by the government, China’s telecom industry (the first to carry our market-oriented reforms in the country) is relatively mature as such it can be said that its future reform provides a reference point for market-oriented reforms in other industries as well in the country. Taking this fact into consideration the present thesis chooses market-oriented reforms and the performance of that reform in China’s telecom industry as our research objective. We consider this to be an essential element for the harmonious economic and social development of modern China. It is therefore an urgent issue to be addressed. The whole thesis consists of six chapters and its main content and structure are as follows: Taking into account the characteristics of competition – regulation – reform as a starting point, the thesis utilizes natural monopoly theory, effective competition theory, and industrial organization theory as the conceptual and theoretical basis for our work.It reviews previous work completed in the area then conducts an in-depth analysis of the foundation, development, and characteristics of modern telecom industry, laying atheoretical foundation for studying the performance of market-oriented reform in China’s telecom industry. Secondly, taking into consideration the impact of institutional factors on industrialorganization, the present thesis puts forward a regulation–structure–conduct –performance (RSCP) theoretical framework based on China’s national conditions and takes effective competition as the goal of China’s telecom industry reform. Thirdly, the thesis groups, in a chronological manner, China’s telecom reform into four different phases (since the beginning of the reform and opening up of the economy) which have been identified as: monopoly operation, policy support, introducing competition, and preliminary perfect competition. It then conducts an analysis of the reform background, reform procedure, and reform measures. By analyzing the current situation in China’s telecom industry reform, the thesis attempts to evaluate the performance of the reform in China’s telecom industry. The thesis then calculates the performance index of China’s telecom industry reform and conducts a statistical analysis and hypothesis testing based on correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models respectively. The result shows that market-oriented reform in China’s telecom industry, to some degree, promotes the development of China’s telecom industry, effectively reduces the expenses in telecom services, boosts the number of telecom service users, and optimizes telecom service structure. These positive developments notwithstanding, the study also finds that service quality and capacity are yet to be significantly improved in China’s telecomindustry.

Student Number : 9201253K - MEd research report - School of Adult Education - Faculty of Education / This research report investigates the relationship between critical self-evaluation and improved teaching practice. A sample of nine lecturers at the University of the Witwatersrand were identified, and, by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to disclose their attitudes towards performance evaluation as a practice at the University, and their personal views in relation to critical self reflection. Critical reflection involves an appraisal of that which is being reflected upon. When such appraisal involves assumption or presupposition, it “holds major potential for effecting change in one’s established frame of reference (Mezirow, 1998). This reflection leads to improved teaching practice. Lecturers at the University all support the notion of self-evaluation, but in practice only one of the nine participants actively and critically reflected upon his teaching. Most of the subjects sanction self-evaluation as a concept, do not practise critical reflection. The reasons for this are numerous as the conclusions to the study reveal, but most significant is that lecturers do not see any reason to reflect upon their own performance, nor see any benefit in doing so.

Titel: Målsamtal – Faktorer som skapar engagemang hos medarbetare Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Kateryna Semonenko och Thomas Holmberg Handledare: Tomas Källquist och Pär Vilhelmsson Datum: 2019 - juni Syfte: Tidigare vetenskapliga arbeten indikerar att det behövs mer forskning kring målsamtal och vilka faktorer som kan skapa engagemang. Studiens syfte är att få en förståelse för vilka konkreta faktorer en ledare kan använda sig av för att påverka målsamtal och skapa engagemang hos medarbetare. Metod: Denna studie utgår ifrån socialkonstruktivismen och hermeneutiskt perspektiv där vi har gjort en kvalitativ studie och använt oss av abduktiv ansats för att skapa förståelse för undersökningsområdet. Den teoretiska referensramen är uppbyggd på tidigare forskning samt litteratur och empiri samlades in från tio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Teoretisk referensram och empiri har sedan använts för att analysera data och ta fram studiens bidrag. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet identifierar sju konkreta faktorer som kan skapa engagemang genom målsamtal. Dessa konkreta faktorer har direkt och indirekt påverkan på engagemang. Konkreta faktorer som har direkt påverkan kan på egen hand skapa engagemang hos medarbetare medan konkreta faktorer som har indirekt påverkan har begränsad förmåga att skapa engagemang. Examensarbetets bidrag: I vår studie har vi fördjupat oss inom sju konkreta faktorer; tid, plats, frekvens, tydlig struktur, tydliga mål, antal medarbetare per ledare och förberedelser. I studien synliggörs hur dessa konkreta faktorer kan påverka medarbetarens engagemang i ett målsamtal. Dessa konkreta faktorer har även jämförts med varandra för att bedöma vilka konkreta faktorer som direkt eller indirekt påverkan på skapandet av engagemang genom målsamtal. Studien bidrar även med en förståelse för sambandet mellan begreppen engagemang, feedback, ledare och målsamtal. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Det skulle behövas mer djupgående forskning kring de faktorer vi har identifierat för att få en ännu bättre förståelse för hur de skapar engagemang genom målsamtal. Vi bedömer att det kan utföras djupare forskning ifall det finns ytterligare faktorer som kan skapa engagemang genom målsamtal. Vi anser att det skulle vara fördelaktigt ifall vidare forskning hade skapat ett tillvägagångssätt som kan mäta engagemang genom målsamtal för att kunna bedöma skapandet av engagemang. / Title: Performance Appraisal - Factors that create employee engagement Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Kateryna Semonenko and Thomas Holmberg Supervisor: Tomas Källquist and Pär Vilhelmsson Date: 2019 – June Aim: Previous research indicates that there is a need for further research concerning performance appraisal and factors that can create engagement. The purpose of this study is to obtain an understanding for which concrete factors a leader can use to effect performance appraisal and create employee engagement. Method: This study is based on social constructivism and hermeneutic perspective where we have done a qualitative study and used abductive approach to create an understanding for the research area. Theoretical frame is built on the previous research and literature. The empirical data was collected from ten semi-structured interviews. Theoretical frame and the empirical data have then been used to analyze data and produce the study's contribution. Result &amp; Conclusions: The result identifies seven concrete factors that can create engagement through performance appraisal. These concrete factors have direct and indirect impact on engagement. Concrete factors that have direct impact can on their own create employee engagement while concrete factors with indirect impact have limited ability to create engagement. Contribution of the thesis: We have in our study immersed ourselves into seven factors; time, place, frequency, clear structure, clear goals, number of employees per leader and preparation. In this study we explain how the factors can create engagement through performance appraisal. These concrete factors have been compared with each other to assess which factors have direct or indirect impact on the creation of engagement through performance appraisal. The study also leaves an understanding of the connection between the concepts engagement, feedback, leader and performance appraisal. Suggestions for future research: There is a need for more in-depth research based on the factors we have identified to obtain a further understanding on how these factors create engagement through performance appraisal. More research would be needed, including additional factors that could create engagement, as there are a greater variety of factors that can create engagement through performance appraisal. We believe that it would be beneficial if further research had created an approach that could measure engagement through performance appraisal in order to assess the creation of engagement.

O tema da sucessão é relevante porque a sobrevivência das empresas depende de dispor de pessoas em todos os níveis organizacionais preparadas para assumir posições críticas abertas pelo crescimento do negócio ou saída de seus atuais ocupantes. Nota-se tendência de as organizações buscarem o desenvolvimento dos talentos internos como parte de seu sistema de gestão sucessória. Entretanto, essa estratégia requer que a organização disponha de mecanismos que permitam identificar quando/quanto os indivíduos estão prontos para assumir posições de maior complexidade. Falha nessa identificação implica na perda dos investimentos no desenvolvimento das pessoas e nas consequências indesejáveis inerentes ao fracasso de líderes. O presente estudo teve como objetivo aprofundar a compreensão sobre como as organizações brasileiras identificam, no contexto do processo sucessório, pessoas aptas a assumir atribuições e responsabilidades de maior complexidade. Para tanto, optou-se pelo método do estudo de caso único. Com base no referencial teórico, desenvolveram-se cinco proposições que serviram para orientar a busca e análise dos dados. A primeira afirmava que organizações com práticas diferenciadas de gestão de pessoas têm um sistema de gestão sucessória que inclui a avaliação sistemática do desempenho e do potencial das pessoas. A segunda propunha que as organizações diferenciam as posições conforme o nível de complexidade das atribuições e responsabilidades. Ambas foram confirmadas pelos resultados do caso. A terceira era que as organizações determinam os requisitos das posições conforme o nível de complexidade das atribuições e responsabilidades, o papel de gestão e liderança e a orientação estratégica do negócio. Esta proposição foi parcialmente confirmada. Verificou-se que apenas requisitos de natureza técnica são diferenciados por nível de complexidade e que a determinação dos requisitos considera o papel de gestão e a orientação estratégica da organização. A quarta afirmava que as organizações adotam os requisitos da posição atual como critério para avaliar desempenho na dimensão de desenvolvimento e da posição de maior complexidade, para avaliar potencial, o que não foi confirmado. A quinta e última afirmava que as organizações utilizam o resultado das avaliações de desempenho nas dimensões de objetivos e metas, comportamentos e desenvolvimento, assim como da avaliação de potencial para identificar aquelas aptas a assumir posições de liderança de maior complexidade. Esta proposição foi confirmada. Não foi identificado um processo linear ou objetivo para a identificação de pessoas aptas a assumir posições de liderança de maior complexidade. Observou-se um processo fluido, flexível e subjetivo que considera um conjunto de informações geradas pelos processos de gestão de pessoas e de negócios. As avaliações de desempenho e de potencial fornecem informações que permitem identificar indivíduos com potencial de crescimento e desempenho acima do esperado para a posição que ocupam. Observou-se que estas são pré-condições para assumir atribuições e responsabilidades de maior complexidade. Além dos processos de avaliação de pessoas presentes na proposição, a organização estudada revelou outros processos que também são considerados na identificação de pessoas aptas a assumir posições de liderança de maior complexidade, como gestão de competências, mentoração e assessment, além de alguns processos de gestão de negócios como reuniões gerenciais e operacionais. / The theme of succession is relevant because companies\' survival depends on disposing of people at all organizational levels ready to take on the critical positions generated by business growth or departure of the incumbent. There is a trend whereby organizations are seeking to develop internal talent as part of their succession management system. However, this strategy requires mechanisms that allow the organization to identify when/whether individuals are ready to take on more complex assignments and responsibilities. Failure to do so implies losses in the investments made in development as well as the undesirable consequences of leader failure. The present study aims at enhancing the understanding of how Brazilian companies identify, in the context of the succession process, people ready to take on more complex assignments and responsibilities. In order to achieve this goal, the case study method was chosen. Based on theory review, five propositions were developed. These propositions served to guide data collection and analysis. The first stated that organizations with differentiated human resources management practices have a succession management system that includes the systematic appraisal of employee performance and potential. The second proposed that organizations differentiate work positions according to the level of complexity of the assignments and responsibilities. Both propositions were confirmed by case results. The third stated that organizations determine position requirements according to the complexity of the assignments and responsibilities, the management and leadership role, and the business strategic orientation. This proposition was partially confirmed. It was verified that only technical requirements are differentiated according to the complexity of the assignments and responsibilities and that the determination of the requirements considered the management role and the business strategic orientation. The fourth stated that organizations adopt current position requirements as criteria for performance appraisal in the dimension of development and the requirements of the next, more complex position, for potential appraisal. This statement was not confirmed. The fifth stated that organizations utilize the results of the performance appraisals in the dimensions of objectives and goals, behaviors and development, as well as those of the potential appraisal, to identify people that are ready to take on more complex leadership positions. This proposition was confirmed. The identification process that this study revealed was neither linear nor objective, but rather, fluid, flexible and subjective, considering a set of data generated in the various business and people management processes. The performance and potential appraisal processes supply information that support the identification of individuals that show superior performance in the current position and potential to grow to more complex positions. It was observed that these are pre-requisite conditions to take on more complex assignments and responsibilities. In addition to the appraisal processes stated in the propositions, the case studied revealed other processes that are also important in the referred identification such as competency management, mentoring and assessment, as well as business management processes such as management and operational meetings.