The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of employees towards performance appraisal (PA) with special reference to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) in the Eastern Cape Province. The research objectives included, inter alia; assessing employee perceptions towards effective administration of PAs, assessing perceptions of employees towards the fairness of the PA process, identifying the motivating factors for the improvement of employee performance and identifying the challenges facing the PA process. To achieve these objectives, a mixed methods research approach was used. The mixed methods approach utilised a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling technique whereby employees with tenure of at least one year and above in the organisation were targeted. Employees who met this criterion were considered to have reasonable understanding of the PA process and practice of Stats SA. The literature review for this study revealed that employee perceptions towards the PA process are crucial in determining the long-term effectiveness of the PA system. It also emerged that the appraisal process can become a source of extreme dissatisfaction when employees believe the system is biased, political or irrelevant. The findings revealed that 65% of employees perceive the administration of PAs as ineffective whilst 35% of employees consider PA administration at Stats SA to be effective. Ineffective administration of PA was further confirmed by 81% of managers who stated that the evaluation process is not integrated effectively with other human resource (HR) processes at Stats SA. Furthermore, 58% of employees are not satisfied with the fairness of the appraisal process. These negative perceptions towards the PA process were reaffirmed by 88% of managers who also indicated that they are not satisfied with the fairness of the PA process. The research showed that the motivating factors for improving job performance include allocation of adequate resources, training, recognition and appreciation, improved communication along with a good working relationship as well as a performance bonus. According to the research findings, 45% of employees consider the current Performance Management System (PMS) at Stats SA as having a motivational effect on staff to improve their performance whilst 42% held a contrary view and 13% were unsure. The respondents identified the challenges facing the PA process at Stats SA, namely; favouritism and bias, dropping of scores by the provincial moderating committee without clarifying the criteria followed, supervisors scoring themselves high whilst scoring those who are doing the work on the ground low, failure by HR to provide guidance and training on performance management (PM), failure by supervisors to provide performance feedback after the appraisal process, failure to comply with PM policies and procedures, the ambiguous role of the provincial moderating committee, and a narrow focus on monetary reward. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of a Performance Management System (PMS) such as the Performance Appraisal System depends on the achievement of various purposes and objectives for which the PMS is designed and implemented in an organisation. This requires managers and supervisors to be fully involved and committed in the day to day management of employee performance in order to ensure that the strategic goals of the organisation are fully achieved.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:26634 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Mniki, Sicelo |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Arts |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MPA |
| Format | xiv, 160 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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