Performance Appraisal Methods

“It is a systematic evaluation of an individual with respect to performance on the job and individual’s potential for development.”

Definition 2: Formal System, Reasons and Measures of future performance

“It is formal, structured system of measuring, evaluating job related behaviors and outcomes to discover reasons of performance and how to perform effectively in future so that employee, organization and society all benefits.”

Meaning of Performance Appraisals

Performance Appraisals is the assessment of individual’s performance in a systematic way. It is a developmental tool used for all round development of the employee and the organization. The performance is measured against such factors as job knowledge, quality and quantity of output, initiative, leadership abilities, supervision, dependability, co-operation, judgment, versatility and health. Assessment should be confined to past as well as potential performance also. The second definition is more focused on behaviors as a part of assessment because behaviors do affect job results.

Performance Appraisals and Job Analysis Relationship

Job Analysis à	Performance Standards à	Performance Appraisals
Describe the work and personnel requirement of a particular job.	Translate job requirements into levels of acceptable or unacceptable performance	Describe the job relevant strengths and weaknesses of each individual.

Objectives of Performance Appraisals

Use of Performance Appraisals

1.    Promotions

2.    Confirmations

3.    Training and Development

4.    Compensation reviews

5.    Competency building

6.    Improve communication

7.    Evaluation of HR Programs

8.    Feedback & Grievances

4 Goals of Performance Appraisals

General Goals	Specific Goals
Developmental Use	Individual needs Performance feedback Transfers and Placements Strengths and Development needs
Administrative Decisions / Uses	Salary Promotion Retention / Termination Recognition Lay offs Poor Performers identification
Organizational Maintenance	HR Planning Training Needs Organizational Goal achievements Goal Identification HR Systems Evaluation Reinforcement of organizational needs
Documentation	Validation Research For HR Decisions Legal Requirements

Performance Appraisal Process

1.    Objectives definition of appraisal

2.    Job expectations establishment

3.    Design an appraisal program

4.    Appraise the performance

5.    Performance Interviews

6.    Use data for appropriate purposes

7.    Identify opportunities variables

8.    Using social processes, physical processes, human and computer assistance

Difference between Traditional and Modern (Systems) approach to Appraisals

Categories	Traditional Appraisals	Modern, Systems Appraisals
Guiding Values	Individualistic, Control oriented, Documentary	Systematic, Developmental, Problem solving
Leadership Styles	Directional, Evaluative	Facilitative, Coaching
Frequency	Occasional	Frequent
Formalities	High	Low
Rewards	Individualistic	Grouped, Organizational

TECHNIQUES / METHODS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

Numerous methods have been devised to measure the quantity and quality of performance appraisals. Each of the methods is effective for some purposes for some organizations only. None should be dismissed or accepted as appropriate except as they relate to the particular needs of the organization or an employee.

Broadly all methods of appraisals can be divided into two different categories.

• Past Oriented Methods

• Future Oriented Methods

Past Oriented Methods

1.    Rating Scales: Rating scales consists of several numerical scales representing job related performance criterions such as dependability, initiative, output, attendance, attitude etc. Each scales ranges from excellent to poor. The total numerical scores are computed and final conclusions are derived. Advantages – Adaptability, easy to use, low cost, every type of job can be evaluated, large number of employees covered, no formal training required. Disadvantages – Rater’s biases

2.    Checklist: Under this method, checklist of statements of traits of employee in the form of Yes or No based questions is prepared. Here the rater only does the reporting or checking and HR department does the actual evaluation. Advantages – economy, ease of administration, limited training required, standardization. Disadvantages – Raters biases, use of improper weighs by HR, does not allow rater to give relative ratings

3.    Forced Choice Method: The series of statements arranged in the blocks of two or more are given and the rater indicates which statement is true or false. The rater is forced to make a choice. HR department does actual assessment. Advantages – Absence of personal biases because of forced choice. Disadvantages – Statements may be wrongly framed.

4.    Forced Distribution Method: here employees are clustered around a high point on a rating scale. Rater is compelled to distribute the employees on all points on the scale. It is assumed that the performance is conformed to normal distribution. Advantages – Eliminates Disadvantages – Assumption of normal distribution, unrealistic, errors of central tendency.

5.    Critical Incidents Method: The approach is focused on certain critical behaviors of employee that makes all the difference in the performance. Supervisors as and when they occur record such incidents. Advantages – Evaluations are based on actual job behaviors, ratings are supported by descriptions, feedback is easy, reduces recency biases, chances of subordinate improvement are high. Disadvantages – Negative incidents can be prioritized, forgetting incidents, overly close supervision; feedback may be too much and may appear to be punishment.

6.    Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales: statements of effective and ineffective behaviors determine the points. They are said to be behaviorally anchored. The rater is supposed to say, which behavior describes the employee performance. Advantages – helps overcome rating errors. Disadvantages – Suffers from distortions inherent in most rating techniques.

7.    Field Review Method: This is an appraisal done by someone outside employees’ own department usually from corporate or HR department. Advantages – Useful for managerial level promotions, when comparable information is needed, Disadvantages – Outsider is generally not familiar with employees work environment, Observation of actual behaviors not possible.

8.    Performance Tests & Observations: This is based on the test of knowledge or skills. The tests may be written or an actual presentation of skills. Tests must be reliable and validated to be useful. Advantage – Tests may be apt to measure potential more than actual performance. Disadvantages – Tests may suffer if costs of test development or administration are high.

9.    Confidential Records: Mostly used by government departments, however its application in industry is not ruled out. Here the report is given in the form of Annual Confidentiality Report (ACR) and may record ratings with respect to following items; attendance, self expression, team work, leadership, initiative, technical ability, reasoning ability, originality and resourcefulness etc. The system is highly secretive and confidential. Feedback to the assessee is given only in case of an adverse entry. Disadvantage is that it is highly subjective and ratings can be manipulated because the evaluations are linked to HR actions like promotions etc.

10.  Essay Method: In this method the rater writes down the employee description in detail within a number of broad categories like, overall impression of performance, promoteability of employee, existing capabilities and qualifications of performing jobs, strengths and weaknesses and training needs of the employee. Advantage – It is extremely useful in filing information gaps about the employees that often occur in a better-structured checklist. Disadvantages – It its highly dependent upon the writing skills of rater and most of them are not good writers. They may get confused success depends on the memory power of raters.

11.  Cost Accounting Method: Here performance is evaluated from the monetary returns yields to his or her organization. Cost to keep employee, and benefit the organization derives is ascertained. Hence it is more dependent upon cost and benefit analysis.

12.  Comparative Evaluation Method (Ranking & Paired Comparisons): These are collection of different methods that compare performance with that of other co-workers. The usual techniques used may be ranking methods and paired comparison method.

• Ranking Methods: Superior ranks his worker based on merit, from best to worst. However how best and why best are not elaborated in this method. It is easy to administer and explanation.

• Paired Comparison Methods: In this method each employee is rated with another employee in the form of pairs. The number of comparisons may be calculated with the help of a formula as under.

N x (N-1) / 2

Future Oriented Methods

1.    Management By Objectives: It means management by objectives and the performance is rated against the achievement of objectives stated by the management. MBO process goes as under.

• Establish goals and desired outcomes for each subordinate

• Setting performance standards

• Comparison of actual goals with goals attained by the employee

• Establish new goals and new strategies for goals not achieved in previous year.

Advantage – It is more useful for managerial positions.

Disadvantages – Not applicable to all jobs, allocation of merit pay may result in setting short-term goals rather than important and long-term goals etc.

2.    Psychological Appraisals: These appraisals are more directed to assess employees potential for future performance rather than the past one. It is done in the form of in-depth interviews, psychological tests, and discussion with supervisors and review of other evaluations. It is more focused on employees emotional, intellectual, and motivational and other personal characteristics affecting his performance. This approach is slow and costly and may be useful for bright young members who may have considerable potential. However quality of these appraisals largely depend upon the skills of psychologists who perform the evaluation.

3.    Assessment Centers: This technique was first developed in USA and UK in 1943. An assessment center is a central location where managers may come together to have their participation in job related exercises evaluated by trained observers. It is more focused on observation of behaviors across a series of select exercises or work samples. Assessees are requested to participate in in-basket exercises, work groups, computer simulations, role playing and other similar activities which require same attributes for successful performance in actual job. The characteristics assessed in assessment center can be assertiveness, persuasive ability, communicating ability, planning and organizational ability, self confidence, resistance to stress, energy level, decision making, sensitivity to feelings, administrative ability, creativity and mental alertness etc. Disadvantages – Costs of employees traveling and lodging, psychologists, ratings strongly influenced by assessee’s inter-personal skills. Solid performers may feel suffocated in simulated situations. Those who are not selected for this also may get affected.

Advantages – well-conducted assessment center can achieve better forecasts of future performance and progress than other methods of appraisals. Also reliability, content validity and predictive ability are said to be high in assessment centers. The tests also make sure that the wrong people are not hired or promoted. Finally it clearly defines the criteria for selection and promotion.

4.    360-Degree Feedback: It is a technique which is systematic collection of performance data on an individual group, derived from a number of stakeholders like immediate supervisors, team members, customers, peers and self. In fact anyone who has useful information on how an employee does a job may be one of the appraisers. This technique is highly useful in terms of broader perspective, greater self-development and multi-source feedback is useful. 360-degree appraisals are useful to measure inter-personal skills, customer satisfaction and team building skills. However on the negative side, receiving feedback from multiple sources can be intimidating, threatening etc. Multiple raters may be less adept at providing balanced and objective feedback.

Evaluation in PA

Evaluation Criteria in Performance Appraisal

Organizational Support Factors for Performance Appraisal Systems

Performance appraisal serves many organizational objectives and goals. Besides encouraging high level of performance, the evaluation system is useful in identifying employees with potential, rewarding them equitably, and determining employee needs for development. All these activities are instrumental in achieving corporate plans and long-term growth, typical appraisal system in most organizations have been focused on short-term goals only.

From the strategic management point of views, organizations can be grouped under 3 different categories as defenders, prospectors and analyzers.

Defenders: They have narrow and stable product market domain. They don’t need to make any adjustment in technology, structure or methods of operations etc. They devote entire attention on improving existing operations. Because of emphasis on skill building successful defenders use appraisals as means for identifying training needs. It is more behavior oriented.

Prospectors: They continuously search for new products and opportunities. They experiment regularly to new and emerging trends. They more focus on skills identification and acquisition of human resources from external sources prospectors often use appraisals for identifying staffing needs. The focus is on results.

Analyzers: They operate in two type of product domain markets. One is stable and other is changing. They watch their competitors closely and rapidly adopt the ideas that are promising. They use cost effective technologies for stable products and matrix technologies for new products. Analyzers tend to emphasize on skills building and skills acquisitions and employ extensive training programs. Hence they use appraisal more for training and staffing purposes.

However performance appraisal systems has strategic importance in three different ways.

Feedback Mechanism: Performance evaluation is the central mechanism that not only provides feedback to individuals but also aids in the assessment of the progress of organization as a whole. Without appraisals managers of any firm can only guess as to whether or not employees are working towards realization of the organization goals.

Consistency between strategy and job behavior: Performance appraisal not only is a means of knowing if the employee behavior is consistent with the overall strategies focus but also a way of bringing to the fore any negative consequence of the strategy – behavior fit. Thus the performance appraisal system is an important mechanism to elicit feedback on the consistency of the strategy – behavior link.

Consistency between Values and Job Behavior link: Performance evaluation is a mechanism to reinforce values and culture of the organization. Another importance is to align appraisal with organizational culture.

Thus the purpose of performance evaluation is to make sure that employee’s goals, employees behavior and feedback of information about performance are all linked to the corporate strategy.

Essentials of a Good Performance Appraisal System:

1.    Standardized Performance Appraisal System

2.    Uniformity of appraisals

3.    Defined performance standards

4.    Trained Raters

5.    Use of relevant rating tools or methods

6.    Should be based on job analysis

7.    Use of objectively verifiable data

8.    Avoid rating problems like halo effect, central tendency, leniency, severity etc.

9.    Consistent Documentations maintained

10.  No room for discrimination based on cast, creed, race, religion, region etc.

Problems of Rating:

1.    Leniency & Severity

2.    Central Tendency

3.    Halo Error

4.    Rater Effect

5.    Primacy & Recency Effect

6.    Perceptual Sets

7.    Performance Dimensions Order

8.    Spillover Effects

9.    Status Effect

Coaching Process

Performance Coaching Process

BEFORE THE APPRAISAL	Keep good records	Both praise and criticism are most meaningful when supported by factual examples
	Review previous goals	Use previous goals to evaluate progress
	Get input from others	Seek feedback from others who work with the appraisee in areas they will have objective knowledge of and get examples where available
	Prepare carefully	Prepare in advance so that you can deliver the message that you intend to
	Prepare administrative details	agree on a time – set aside at least one hour. Avoid postponing the appointment, and give the employee full attention. select a location – office or conference room is best. ask employee to prepare – ask the employee to review his/her goals, and come prepared with questions.

DURING THE APPRAISAL	Explain the meeting agenda	Outline what is about to happen for the session
	Encourage communication	listen encourage two-way communication ask for ideas on how they can improve their performance ask for how they feel you can help them ask for feedback on the appraisal section
	Stay focused	Keep the session focussed on past and future performance, summarise discussion issues often to ensure agreement
	Communicating shortcomings	The employee expects and should know what he/she needs to improve
	Be open	Be versatile and open-minded if you hear things that cause you to change your opinion

DURING THE APPRAISAL	Evaluation process	Begin with the positive things that were well done Follow this with areas that need improvement and a plan on how to address them Conclude with a reinforcement of your desire to help the person grow and improve
	Making promises	Don’t make promises you do not have control over (e.g. salary increments, promotions, transfers etc)
	Review goals	Concentrate on a few areas- things that make a difference.  Try to encourage continuation and growth in the areas of strength. Set up “smart” goals that will build strength in areas needing attention

AFTER THE APPRAISAL	Administration	Complete the paperwork required for the results of the appraisal Make sure the appraisee signs on the bottom line Mark the calendar on when your next appraisal session with the person will be
	Follow-up	Follow-up on agreements made during the appraisal
	Learning	Review what you have learnt about the employee, your records and systems, yourself, the appraisal process and your management style

Feedback Skill

Developing Feedback Skill

1. Feedback meetings that address people’s weaknesses can elicit anxiety and

defensiveness, so start the meeting by stating the following expectations:

• The meeting is developmental – not punitive. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and should have the opportunity to continue to grow professionally.

• The meeting should lead to positive results and opportunities to further develop strengths and address blind spots. Everyone has areas they can improve.

• There will be an opportunity to develop goals and an actionable developmental plan.

• There will be further instances of 360 feedback to give the leader an opportunity to track leadership development over time.

• The leader should feel free to ask for feedback at any point; feedback conversations need not be limited to once a year.

2. Address the individual’s strengths and point out areas they received positive feedback, supporting these with examples of behaviors the leader has shown.

3. Address areas in which the individual received feedback that they need to improve,

supporting these with examples of behaviors the leader has shown. Time should be allowed for discussion of the person’s feelings, possible disagreement, and understanding of the data.

4. Areas in which there were large differences in the way the leader perceived him/herself and others perceived him/her should be discussed in order to increase selfawareness.

5. Areas in which there were large differences in the way different rater groups (i.e. subordinates, customers, peers) perceived the leader should be explored to increase self-awareness.

6. Opportunities for development should be outlined as a final step in the meeting. This

should include an action plan, coaching or training opportunities that may be available

for the leader, and times for follow up meetings throughout the year.

How to Give Effective Performance Feedback

Guidelines for Managers

Performance feedback is an essential element of the supervisor/subordinate relationship.  The vast majority of people want to make a difference in their place of work.  They want to be recognized for their accomplishments and learn how to become even better.  They want to know where they stand.  People crave feedback that is honest, positive, objective, and fair.

Surprisingly, something as simple and effective as performance feedback is often rare.  Even in the United States Air Force, where formal feedback is a mandatory part of the evaluation system, as many as half of the workforce say they rarely get feedback from their supervisors.

I see three main obstacles to giving effective feedback in today’s leadership environment.  First is the pace of operations; supervisors often say they are so busy they don’t have the time to devote to giving feedback properly.  Second is the collegial atmosphere in many modern workplaces.  The good news is that many supervisors have taken time to know their subordinates and their families.  Their “door is always open.”  The bad news is that this familiarity can make it hard to look someone in the eye and tell him or her they could be more effective.

The third obstacle might be the readiness of the subordinate to receive feedback.  Subordinates might have trouble recognizing there are areas in which they can improve.  They might be defensive or concerned for their jobs.  There might be personality differences or other issues between the supervisor and subordinate that interfere with communication.  An effective supervisor must be aware of all the dynamics of the relationship and make appropriate adjustments in the approach to feedback.

A formal feedback process has important advantages for supervisors.  It motivates subordinates and helps them become more effective.  By establishing a dialogue with subordinates, supervisors can better understand their individual wants and needs, and the climate of the organization.  In organizations like the Air Force, where retaining quality people is a high priority, an effective performance feedback system is essential.

Principles for Giving Performance Feedback

Specific – Feedback must be based on observable behavior, not one’s feelings or the conclusions drawn from the behavior.  For example, “Last Friday morning I saw you help Mary fix a problem on her computer.  Your willingness to share your expertise is a great example of teamwork and makes this a more effective organization.”  This specific example, tied to a positive organizational outcome, is more effective than saying “You are a helpful person,” since the subordinate can link the feedback to an actual event.

Timely – Feedback should be given in a timely enough manner so that both parties can recall the specific behavior involved.

Actionable – Feedback should be based on something over which a person has control.  When necessary, the supervisor should identify ways to improve performance.

Measurable – Goals and objectives should be stated in terms so that both parties will know if the goals are achieved.

Achievable – Performance measures should be realistic and within the resources that are available to the subordinate.

Positive – Give both positive and critical feedback, but tip the balance in the positive direction.  The Center for Creative Leadership suggests a 4:1 ratio of positive to critical feedback.

Non-evaluative – Opinions, perceptions, and reactions should be differentiated from facts.  Don’t psychoanalyze; avoid inferences and interpretations.  Avoid labels.

Establish a dialogue – The effective feedback session is not a one-way communication.  The supervisor should ask the subordinate if he or she fully understands what is being said and then listen carefully to the response.  The supervisor should ensure the subordinate understands his or her role in the organization and how that role contributes to the goals and mission of the organization.

Initial Feedback

The supervisor should meet with the subordinate soon after the arrival of the new member.  In the Air Force, initial feedback is required within the first 60 days of arrival.  The purpose of the initial feedback session is to help establish the relationship between the rater and ratee.  It is also about setting expectations for the upcoming rating period.  It is not necessary to negotiate objectives with the subordinate, but the supervisor should help the subordinate take ownership of the goals and internalize expectations.  Both parties should leave the initial feedback session with a clear understanding of what is expected.  The supervisor provides a written record of the feedback session.  This written record is held in confidence between the rater and ratee.

Annual Feedback Versus Routine/Daily Feedback

The Air Force requires that supervisors conduct a follow-up feedback session mid-way through the evaluation period.  This session should be conducted using the principles above, and should address the extent to which the expectations were met.  As before, a confidential, written record is provided.

The annual performance appraisal system is not a substitute for good communication within the workplace or for timely routine feedback.  For example, if the subordinate is consistently late for routine meetings, it makes no sense to wait until the annual appraisal cycle to make that person aware of the problem.  In the same way, workers who consistently perform above standards should not have to wait months to know that their work is appreciated.  Supervisors should not assume that, because certain behaviors are obvious to them, they are equally obvious to the subordinate.  Daily or routine feedback needs to remain consistent with the principles above.

Finally, supervisors who routinely give feedback (both positive and corrective) to subordinates may want to follow up with a personal note or memo.  It is possible that the feedback is so routine (or the subordinate so unreceptive) that the subordinate misses the message or doesn’t even realize that feedback has taken place.

Giving feedback is a key responsibility of a leader.  Work climate surveys strongly suggest that job satisfaction, morale, and retention are closely related to the ability of a leader to provide feedback.  Senior leaders must set the example for the organization by giving timely feedback and demanding that leaders at all levels do the same

Appraising

How and When to appraise

Although in day-to-day work, supervisors continually appraise their subordinates, the daily appraisal lacks summation and objectivity. To overcome these deficiencies most organisations opt for periodic appraisals through the process of ‘Performance Appraisal’, either annually or semi annually. In addition ‘Special Appraisals’ may also be carried out at the end of an employee’s probation period or at the time of his promotion. Some important points to be kept in mind while carrying out appraisals are:-

• Frequency of appraisal must satisfy the purpose for which they are being made.
• Special appraisals must be made at the end of employee’s probationary period or at the time of his promotion.
• More frequent appraisal may be required for new employees.
• In the case of an unsatisfactory rating the subsequent appraisal is generally carried out earlier than usual to assess whether the employee has improved.

Who Should Appraise

Performance appraisal is essentially a command function; hence it should be carried out by line managers.  HR managers should only be involved only in coordination of the activity. Traditionally appraisal is carried out by one or more superiors in the line channel; however they may also be carried out by peers, subordinates or even by the employee himself. In certain cases clients/customers are also involved in the process of appraisal.

What Should be Appraised

Every organisation has to decide upon the aspects to be appraised. Generally, the aspects to be apprised are determined on the basis of job expectation and established a plan for improvement. The aspects to be appraised may be in the form of personal attributes/characteristics of the employee, his contribution to organisational objectives like production, savings in terms of cost, return on capital etc. The aspects to be covered in appraisal may vary with the purpose of appraisal and type and level of employees.

Purpose Served by Performance Appraisal

1.    Identifies personal attributes or characteristics of each employee. (elaborate)

2.    Helps to assess performance of each employee and their contribution to the organisation during the concerned period.

3.  Identifies strengths and weaknesses of employees and assists in formulation of appropriate programs for their training and development

4.    Serves as a feedback to the employees. It lets the employees know whether his performance meets the standard expected from them and what improvements are desired.

5.    Establishes an effective monitoring system in the organisation whereby the superiors and executives are required to be more observant of their subordinates because they will be required to periodically fill in the appraisal forms and would be called upon to justify appraisals made by them.

6.    Serves as a tool to identify potential in employees for promotion to higher position or for transfer to another more suitable job.

7.    Enables evaluation of policies adopted for recruitment, selection and placement as well as the policies adopted for training and development.

8.    Leads to maintenance of permanent records of attributes, characteristics and performance of all employees, thereby avoiding subjective judgment by based only on personal knowledge at the time of taking important decisions.

Essentials of a Good Appraisal System

1.    It should be simple i.e. easy to understand and should not be very long and time consuming. It should not be excessively verbose or use ambiguous terms and phrases.

2.    The system must be explained to and accepted by employees at all levels.  All employees must be convinced that the system essential for their own betterment and in overall organisational interest.

3. There are various methods of ‘Performance Appraisal’. A method that works well for one company may not work for another. An organisation must adopt the method which conforms to their requirements and is most suitable considering the organisation’s structure and operations.

4.    There can not be one common ‘Appraisal Form’ for all level of employees.  Separate forms should be used for different levels of employees.    Each form should be prepared keeping in mind specific requirements of that particular level.

5.    The appraisal method adopted should be both valid and reliable. Validity of appraisal method is the degree to which it is truly indicative of the intrinsic attributes and characteristics as well as the standard of performance of each employee. Reliability of the appraisal method is the consistency with which the appraisals are made, either by different appraisers or by the same appraiser. Performance of an employee may vary from time to time but his basic – intrinsic attributes and characteristics can not change.

6.    Appraisal should be based on performance of the employee only during the period of review, i.e. without any consideration of his past performance.

7.    The appraisal must clearly bring out whether the employee is fit for promotion, the jobs or positions in which he can be suitably employed and also recommendations for training that the employee is required to be provided.

8.    The system must be just and equitable.  It should duly protect rights and interests of the organisation as well as of the individual employees.

9.    To prevent subjective reporting and vindictiveness every employee must be appraised by at least two or more persons.

10.  All negative/adverse remarks must be conveyed to the employees and he should be provided an opportunity to represent against the same. A formal procedure must be established to process any such representations.

11.  The appraisal system must be periodically evaluated, reviewed and modified to retain it’s validity, reliability and effectiveness.

Reasons For Failure of Performance Appraisal.

1      Unclear Objective.  An appraisal does not serve its purpose when the appraiser is not clear about objective or aim of the appraisal leading to highlighting of irrelevant aspects of the employee’s performance and exclusion of crucial aspects.

2      Strictness or Leniency.  Based on individual perceptions many appraisers are either too strict or too lenient. This leads to imbalance in appraisal pattern in the organisation. In an organisation an appraiser who is very strict may give five points out of ten to an employee who deserving seven. In the same organisation if there is another appraiser who is very lenient, he may give seven points to another employee who is less efficient and deserves only five points.  In such a situation because of strictness/ leniency of appraisers less efficient employee may be promoted.

3      Central Tendency.  This is opposite of strictness and leniency.  An appraiser having central tendency tends to avoid giving high or low points and instead rates all employees as average.  This leads to failure of appraisal system as all the employees, good, bad and average, end up with same raring.

4      Biased Appraisal.   It occurs when appraisal is influenced by individual differences like age, sex, caste, race, personal likings/relations etc.

5      Halo Effect.  The problem occurs when rating of one trait of the ratee is influenced by the appraiser’s favourable opinion of some other trait. For example an employee who is very well behaved may be rated high for sincerity even if he is actually not very sincere.   Another example of halo effect is that influenced by good or bad performance of an employee in one aspect of the job, an appraiser may rate him high or low in other aspects of the job e.g. an employee who is good in machine operating may be reported as good in maintenance also.  Halo Effect also occurs when influenced by good performance of an employee in the past the appraiser rates him high even though his performance during the period of review was average or below average.

6      Pitch Fork Effect.  This is exactly opposite of Halo effect. It occurs when an employee who has performed well during the period of review is given low grading because of his substandard performance in the past.  Similarly because of poor performance in one aspect, an employee may receive overall low grading or low grading in other aspects as well.

7      Recency Error.  Appraiser is supposed to honestly appraise performance of the employee for the entire period of appraisal. However, at times, instead of giving equal weightage to performance over the entire period, appraisal is influenced by happenings/occurrences in the recent past.  Such an error is called recency error.

8      Length of Service Bias.  It occurs when the appraiser thinks that employees having more experience or longer service are better and irrespective of their performance tends to rate them higher.

9      Competitive Appraiser.  Some appraisers compete with other appraisers in the organisation in giving higher rating than others leading to excessively inflated appraisals. Such appraisers are called competitive appraisers.

Mentoring Process

What is mentoring?

“Mentoring is advising, teaching, counseling and role modeling.  Formal mentoring matches a senior or more experienced person—the mentor—to a junior or less experienced person—the mentee.

Mentors focus on a mentee’s achievements, success in school and preparation for the workforce through a one-to-one relationship that is non-threatening and non-judgmental to both parties.

It is a relationship that changes over time as each grows, learns, and gains experiences in the relationship.”

Types of Mentoring

•          Peer Mentoring

–        Mentor/mentee—similar ages

–        Mentor experience > mentee experience

•          Group Mentoring

–        Multiple mentees

•          Professional Mentoring

–        Major difference in life experience

Foundations of Mentoring

Attributes —The mentor will demonstrate

1. Strong performances and continuous improvement on each performance that they mentor
2. Ability to grow the performance abilities of mentees
3. Professional behavior and attitudes
4. Commitment to improving the enriched learning environment project—both the team and the overall environment

•          Clearly defined educational goals

–        Measurable elements of engineering performance

•          Clearly defined expectations

–        For the professors

–        For the mentors

–        For the mentees

•          Mentor Training

–        Mentoring is a learned performance (not an innate skill)

HOW TO SELECT PROMISING MENTORS

Effective mentors share a number of characteristics. The profile sketched below is based on a synthesis of observations described by many mentors and authors. While any single mentor may not possess all of the characteristics, effective mentors have many of these qualities:

Knowledge of Their Field

• They are considered by peers to be experts in the field.

• They set high standards for themselves.

• They enjoy and are enthusiastic about their field.

• They continue to update their background in the field.

Demonstrated Skills in Their Field

• Their work demonstrates superior achievement.

• They use a variety of techniques and skills to achieve their goals.

Earned Respect of Colleagues

• They listen to and communicate effectively with others.

• They exhibit a good feeling about their own accomplishments and about the profession.

• They recognize excellence in others and encourage it.

• They are committed to supporting and interacting with their colleagues.

• They are able to role-play others and understand their views.

• They enjoy intellectual engagement and like to help others.

• They are sensitive to the needs of others and generally recognize when others require support, direct assistance or independence.

• They exercise good judgment in decisions concerning themselves and the welfare of others.

Some Characteristics of a Good Mentor

• Approachable and welcoming

• Shares information and experiences openly

• Good communication skills

• Trustworthy

• Provides accurate and appropriate feedback

• Technical expertise

• Motivating, encouraging, positive and empowering

• Allocates appropriate time to mentoring

• Sensitive to the needs of the coach/official

The Mentoring Process

• Goal setting

• Observation

• Analysis

• Providing feedback

• Action planning

• Review