Performance Appraisal in the Public Sector: Techniques and Applications

Performance appraisal is a key tool for meeting the managerial needs of the modern organization. Daley examines the entire process of designing a performance appraisal system from determining its organizational purpose to constructing an objective appraisal instrument for measuring employee performance. Emphasis is also placed on the role of employee feedback and appraisal training. The cognitive behavior that shapes and influences the rating process is detailed. The book integrates the literature and practices detailed in business management, psychology, and sociology with that focusing on the public sector.

After an overview of performance appraisal research and the effect of public-private differences, Daley examines the reasons for performance appraisal and the basic mechanics--why?, what?, when?, who?--of establishing an appraisal process. Special emphasis is placed on the role of performance appraisal in the organization. He looks at the array of appraisal instruments that exists concentrating on the development of objective Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales and Management by Objectives approaches. The role of employee feedback and the performance appraisal interview for delivering it are detailed. Daley focuses on the problems that plague raters. Organizational and employee misunderstandings along with traditional rater error problems are diagnosed. The importance of programs for training the rater are presented. An ideal resource for managers engaged in performance appraisal, this book can also serve as a supplemental reading for courses in management and human resources/personnel.

DENNIS M. DALEY is Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at North Carolina State University. He has served as the Director of the MPA programs at North Carolina State University and the University of Mississippi. He is widely published in the field of human resources/personnel management. His articles have appeared in Administration & Society, the American Review of Public Administration, the International Journal of Public Administration, Public Administration Quarterly, Public Personnel Management, the Review of Public Personnel Administration, and State and Local Government Review.