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1. Purpose of a performance appraisal
In this file, you can ref useful information about purpose of a performance appraisal such as
purpose of a performance appraisal methods, purpose of a performance appraisal tips, purpose of
a performance appraisal forms, purpose of a performance appraisal phrases … If you need more
assistant for purpose of a performance appraisal, please leave your comment at the end of file.
Other useful material for you:
• performanceappraisal123.com/1125-free-performance-review-phrases
• performanceappraisal123.com/free-28-performance-appraisal-forms
• performanceappraisal123.com/free-ebook-11-methods-for-performance-appraisal
I. Contents of getting purpose of a performance appraisal
==================
Except for the anticipation of a potential salary increase, many employees suffer anxiety,
apprehension, and sometimes fear as their performance appraisal date approaches. While there
are certainly under-achievers who may have some solid reasons for experiencing this
apprehension, most employees need not be concerned. Much of this unwarranted anxiety stems
from common misunderstandings about performance reviews. Here are some unwarranted causes
of performance appraisal apprehension.
 Managers and supervisors love writing and delivering performance appraisals. You may
not be aware that they dislike writing and discussing performance reviews as much as
you do. Surprised? This is interesting on two levels. If you took your own survey of
managers, supervisors, and human resource (HR) people, all would expound on the
importance and necessity of formal performance appraisals. But, if you dig a bit deeper,
you’d often find a second level of feelings. If your participants are honest, they’ll tell you
they aren’t thrilled with doing appraisals, will find any number of reasons to delay their
writing, and often spend much time deflecting the reminders from HR that performance
reviews are due.
 Managers and supervisors are very comfortable writing performance appraisals. The truth
is that the writers of performance reviews are more uncomfortable writing and delivering
these appraisals than you are receiving them. Specifically stating areas of high and low
performance is not an assignment that managers welcome. Many are embarrassed to
discuss the high performance specifics and dread discussing the areas that need

2. improvement. Managers realize the need for the discussion, but are rarely comfortable
having it.
 Because the real reasons and purposes for performance appraisals are often
misunderstood by managers, the performance appraisal meeting can put the participants
on “opposite sides of the table”. This can obviously create a win-lose or defensive
situation where one need not exist. This particular misunderstanding can often be the
most damaging for both parties. You and your manager should not be forced into an
adversarial position, but it often happens at performance appraisal time because of this
misunderstanding of the goal and purpose of the review.
These common misunderstandings of the nature and purpose of performance appraisals create
unnecessary stress, apprehension, and sometimes confrontation where none should exist.
Performance appraisals were never meant to be anything but positive, even with the areas
needing improvement factor. For reasons that have become forgotten ,or at least clouded, they
have become a source of stress and anxiety for both employee and supervisor. The true purpose
of performance reviews is actually a non-threatening and useful exercise. If you and your
manager can rekindle this purpose, you both will enjoy a better workplace experience and more
beneficial career path.
The Primary Purpose of Performance Appraisals
The primary purpose of performance appraisals has always been and remains to help improve
performance in the future. All of the other issues are really unimportant. Yet it’s the other issues
that tend to obscure the primary purpose and cause the many unintended consequences for you
and your supervisor.
The focus should never be on those things the employee has done “wrong” in the past year. First,
that is a subject for a history course. Past actions, events, and results are – well, simply the past.
They can’t be changed even if you or your manager wanted to change them.
If you can both stay on track and on purpose, the performance appraisal process will help both
you and your manager. While you cannot control the actions or opinions of your supervisor, you
can understand the primary purpose of a performance appraisal. Your responses and reactions to
the contents can help your workplace enjoyment and promotion possibilities.
Whether your performance review is stellar or more modest, your reaction to it can determine
future events. Understanding the primary goal of a performance appraisal, improved
performance in the future, should help you be more comfortable with the process. Assuming

3. your supervisor was honest and straightforward with his/her comments, you can use this
information to improve your image and performance.
Having some empathy for the discomfort of your manager presenting your appraisal should also
help you relax and take a more positive position regarding the pluses and minuses in your annual
review. If you and your supervisor can stay on the same page with the real purpose of the
performance appraisal, the meeting will be more akin to a coach and player discussion than an
adversarial encounter. Hopefully, this atmosphere will lead to a stronger bond between you and
your manager while opening the door for even better performance and promotion opportunities
in the future.
Try to avoid being apprehensive or confrontational, even if your supervisor may have some
shortcomings regarding the real purpose of the performance review. Your understanding and
knowledge of the primary purpose of the appraisal may help keep the meeting on track and lead
to future performance and promotion chances.
==================
III. Performance appraisal methods
1.Ranking Method
The ranking system requires the rater to rank his
subordinates on overall performance. This consists in
simply putting a man in a rank order. Under this method,
the ranking of an employee in a work group is done
against that of another employee. The relative position of
each employee is tested in terms of his numerical rank. It
may also be done by ranking a person on his job
performance against another member of the competitive
group.
Advantages of Ranking Method
i. Employees are ranked according to their performance
levels.
ii. It is easier to rank the best and the worst employee.
Limitations of Ranking Method
i. The “whole man” is compared with another “whole man”
in this method. In practice, it is very difficult to compare
individuals possessing various individual traits.
ii. This method speaks only of the position where an
employee stands in his group. It does not test anything
about how much better or how much worse an employee
is when compared to another employee.

4. iii. When a large number of employees are working, ranking
of individuals become a difficult issue.
iv. There is no systematic procedure for ranking individuals
in the organization. The ranking system does not eliminate
the possibility of snap judgements.
2. Rating Scale
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
3. Checklist method
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
4. Critical Incidents Method

5. 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.
5. 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.
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.

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