Query: performance appraisals

title: Performance appraisals and job satisfaction
abstract: The research in this article is focused on formal performance appraisals (PA) one of the most important human resource management practices in firms. In detail, the study analyzes the effect of PAs on employees' overall job satisfaction. We are able to differentiate between appraisals that are linked to monetary outcomes, such as bonus payments and promotions, and appraisals that have no monetary consequences. Building on a representative, longitudinal sample of around 10,500 German employees, we apply fixed effects regressions that allow us to more closely estimate the causal effect of appraisals on job satisfaction compared to previous cross sectional studies. We find a significantly positive effect of PAs on job satisfaction, which is primarily driven by appraisals linked to monetary outcomes. The results demonstrate that PAs linked to monetary outcomes are a powerful HR management tool that is appreciated by employees. Furthermore, we explore the moderating effects of personality traits (Big Five, locus of control) on the relationship between PAs and job satisfaction. The results show that if tangible benefits cannot be provided or are not tied to the assessment procedure, the use of appraisals with no monetary consequences can be detrimental for open minded and self determined employees, as appraisals could then potentially raise expectations that are not fulfilled. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

title: What Do Performance Appraisals Do?
abstract: Performance appraisals, the evaluation of an employee's job performance over the previous period by one's supervisor, are a standard practice in virtually every organization. They are one of the most important, time consuming, and unpopular tasks in management. Despite this, remarkably little is known about how performance appraisals operate, especially their consequences. Indeed, much of what is written from a practitioner perspective typically suggests that they do little. By contrast, we document empirical evidence of the importance of performance appraisals using data from a large US corporation. The results in this case show that appraisals are informative and directly influence many dimensions of employee outcomes, including employee bonuses, merit pay, employee promotions, and decisions to exit the firm. The evidence shows that the appraisal process here is consistent with a relational, open ended view of employment. It is not consistent with the common economic view that performance appraisals simply settle up contractually based employment relationships.

title: Leader member exchange, group and individual level procedural justice and reactions to performance appraisals
abstract: Previous research has established that relationships with authority figures and procedural justice perceptions are important in terms of the way in which employees react to organizational procedures that affect them. What is less clear are the reasons why exchange quality with authorities is related to perceptions of process fairness and the role of procedural justice climate in this process. Results indicate that individual level perceptions of procedural justice, but not performance ratings, partially mediate the relationship between exchange quality and reactions to performance appraisals, and that procedural justice climate is positively related to perceptions of procedural justice and appraisal reactions. These results support a more relational than instrumental view of justice perceptions in organizational procedures bound by exchange quality with an authority figure. Our study suggests that it is essential for managers to actively monitor and manage employee perceptions of process fairness at the group and individual levels.

title: Self focused attention affects subsequent processing of positive (but not negative) performance appraisals.
abstract: Cognitive behavioral models highlight the conjoint roles of self focused attention (SFA) post event processing (PEP) and performance appraisals in the maintenance of social anxiety. SFA, PEP, and biased performance appraisals are related to social anxiety; however, limited research has examined how SFA affects information processing following social events. The current study examined whether SFA affects the relationships between performance appraisals and PEP following a social event.  137 participants with high (n 72) or low (n 65) social anxiety were randomly assigned to conditions of high SFA or low SFA while engaging in a standardized social performance. Subsequent performance appraisals and PEP were measured.  Immediate performance appraisals were not affected by SFA. High levels of SFA led to a stronger, inverse relationship between immediate positive performance appraisals and subsequent negative PEP. High levels of SFA also led to a stronger, inverse relationship between negative PEP and changes in positive performance appraisals.  Future research should examine whether the current findings, which involved a standardized social performance event, extend to interaction events as well as in a clinical sample.  These findings suggest that SFA affects the processing of positive information following a social performance event. SFA is particularly important for understanding how negative PEP undermines positive performance appraisals.

title: Test Takers' Performance Appraisals, Appraisal Calibration, and Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategy Use
abstract: The current study explores the nature and relationships among test takers' performance appraisals, appraisal calibration, and reported cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in a language test situation. Performance appraisals are executive processes of strategic competence for judging test performance (e.g. evaluating the correctness or appropriateness of responses to given test tasks) Appraisal calibration denotes a perfect match between appraisal confidence and actual test performance. 294 English as a foreign language (EFL) students took an English test, which was designed to measure four language areas (listening, grammar, vocabulary, and reading) The students reported their level of appraisal confidence immediately after answering each test question. At the end of the test, they were asked to report their overall appraisal confidence and perceived cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in the test. First, it was found that test takers were not well calibrated in all test sections. Second, test takers' appraisal confidence could predict just above one third of the test performance variance. Third, test takers tended to be underconfident in easy questions but overconfident in difficult questions. Fourth, appraisal calibration was not strongly related to reported metacognitive strategy use. The implications of the study in light of strategic competence research and recommendations for further research are discussed.

title: Ecological Momentary Assessment of social functioning in schizophrenia: Impact of performance appraisals and affect on social interactions
abstract: Research concerning the complex interplay between factors that contribute to poor social functioning in schizophrenia has been hampered by limitations of traditional measures, most notably the ecological validity and accuracy of retrospective self report and interview measures. Computerized Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMAc) permits the real time assessment of relationships between daily life experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In the current study, EMAc was used to record daily social interactions, subjective performance appraisals of these interactions (e.g. "I succeeded/failed" "I was liked/rejected" and affect in 145 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants completed electronic questionnaires on a personal digital assistant (PDA) four times per day for one week. Time lagged multilevel modeling of the data revealed that more positive interaction appraisals at any point in a day were associated with greater positive affect which, in turn, was a strong predictor of more social interactions over subsequent hours. Social functioning, therefore, was linked to positive performance beliefs about social interactions that were associated with greater positive affect. The findings suggest a useful treatment target for cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychosocial interventions that can be used to challenge defeatist beliefs and increase positive affect to enhance social functioning in schizophrenia.

title: Performance Appraisals and Job Satisfaction
abstract: Formal performance appraisals (PA) are one of the most important human resource management practices in companies. In this paper, we focus on the reaction of employees to these performance assessments. In particular, we investigate the effect between the incidence of being formally evaluated by a supervisor and job and income satisfaction. Building on a representative, longitudinal sample of more than 12,000 individuals from the German Socio Economic Panel Study (SOEP) we apply fixed effects regressions and find a significantly positive effect of PA on job satisfaction, which is driven by appraisals that are linked to monetary outcomes. Furthermore, the moderating effects of personality traits (Big Five, locus of control) on the relationship between PA and job satisfaction are explored. We find a negative interaction term between PA without any monetary consequences and both employees scoring high on openness to experience and internal locus of control. This suggests that for these employees appraisals, which induce performance monitoring without any monetary consequences, have a detrimental effect on job satisfaction rates.

title: Politicisation of performance appraisals
abstract: Employees are a source of competitive advantage for organisations and human resource management seek to promote employee efficiency. One of the tools organisations utilise to achieve this goal is performance appraisals.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the weaknesses in performance appraisal and to determine whether it is politicised in the North West Department of Health and Social Development in South Africa.  Many organisations either ignore the existence of politics in the appraisal process or assume that its impact can be minimised if they refine their appraisal instruments. Executives admit that, in appraising others, they often intentionally avoid meeting the goal of accuracy in favour of achieving goals that have more to do with exercising discretion and maintaining departmental effectiveness. Ironically, these same executives lament that the appraisals they receive often do not accurately represent their abilities and performance (Gioia Longenecker, 1994) Research approach, design and method: Self administered questionnaires were used as a means of collecting data and analysis was done through the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)  The results of the study showed that respondents believe that performance appraisals are highly politicised.  If used effectively, performance appraisals may improve employee productivity and efficiency as well as motivation and performance. However, if performance appraisal is perceived as unfair and political, it can diminish rather than enhance employee attitudes and performance.  Amongst others, it is recommended that managers should consider separating assessment for development and assessment for rewards.

title: 1 Performance Appraisals and Job Satisfaction
abstract: Formal performance appraisals (PA) are one of the most important human resource management practices in companies. In this paper, we focus on the reaction of employees to these performance assessments. In particular, we investigate the effect between the incidence of being formally evaluated by a supervisor and job and income satisfaction. Building on a representative, longitudinal sample of more than 12,000 individuals from the German Socio Economic Panel Study (SOEP) we apply fixed effects regressions and find a significantly positive effect of PA on job satisfaction, which is driven by appraisals that are linked to monetary outcomes. Furthermore, the moderating effects of personality traits (Big Five, locus of control) on the relationship between PA and job satisfaction are explored. We find a negative interaction term between PA without any monetary consequences and both employees scoring high on openness to experience and internal locus of control. This suggests that for these employees appraisals, which induce performance monitoring without any monetary consequences, have a detrimental effect on job satisfaction rates.

title: Performance Appraisals and the Impact of Forced Distribution: An Experimental Investigation
abstract: A real effort experiment is investigated in which supervisors have to rate the performance of individual workers who in turn receive a bonus payment based on these ratings. We compare a baseline treatment in which supervisors are not restricted in their rating behavior to a forced distribution system in which they have to assign differentiated grades. We find that productivity is significantly higher under a forced distribution by about 6% to 12% However, the productivity effects are less clear cut when participants have prior experience with the baseline condition. Moreover, a forced distribution becomes detrimental when workers have access to a simple option to sabotage each other. This paper was accepted by Peter Wakker, decision analysis.