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Effective performance management of professionals in knowledge based organisations has particular significance, but is an under researched area in the literature. Universities and colleges are knowledge based organisations especially dependent on the expertise, commitment and innovation of their staff. The paper analyses performance appraisal systems in universities and colleges with particular emphasis on staff perspectives and expectations. A brief history of performance appraisal in HE and FE is provided and related to issues of power, accountability and control. Academic staff from two business schools, together with a national sample of those teaching performance appraisal within CIPD professional programmes, were constituted as an “expert witness” group and their views sought on performance appraisal in their institutions. These data are used to develop a philosophy of performance appraisal for academic institutions, to assess the acceptability of particular performance criteria to academic staff, and to highlight the importance of staff involvement in appraisal system design.

The purpose of this article is to examine whether the incentivizing type of performance appraisal (typical of New Public Management) has indeed been superseded by a post-New Public Management (NPM), developmental type of performance appraisal in European Civil Services.

The literature review lead to a unidimensional, twofold typology: incentivizing (NPM) and developmental (post-NPM) performance appraisal. The empirical basis of the research is two surveys conducted among top civil servants in 18 European countries.

First, there are crucial discrepancies between performance appraisal systems in contemporary European central government administrations and current theorizing on performance appraisal. Contrary to our expectations developed on the basis of the latter, “developmental” and “incentivizing” do not seem to be two distinct types of performance appraisal; rather, they are two independent dimensions, defining altogether four different types of performance appraisal systems.

The authors results give orientation to policymakers and public service managers to engage in designing or applying performance appraisal systems, in particular by identifying assailable presumptions underlying many present-time reform trends.

Citizens and communities are direct stakeholders in the development of public service performance appraisal both as possible or actual employees of public service organizations and as recipients of public services.

The paper proposes a new fourfold typology of performance appraisal systems: incentivizing, developmental, symbolic and want-it-all.

The aim of this paper is to study and empirically test the relationship between employees' perceptions of the two motivation-enhancing human resource management (HRM) practices of reward and performance appraisal and both incremental and radical innovation. The paper examines whether innovative work behaviour (IWB) mediates the hypothesised relationship.

Data were collected from 313 unit managers in manufacturing, pharmaceutical and technology companies in Jordan. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS v27 was employed to analyse the data and test the hypotheses.

The study finds that employees perceive rewards to be significant and to directly influence incremental and radical innovation. Additionally, employees perceive that performance appraisal to be significant for incremental innovation. The study also finds that IWB mediates the relationship between rewards, performance appraisal and incremental and radical innovation. No support was found for the impact of performance appraisal on radical innovation.

Distinctively, this paper considers both incremental and radical innovation in studying the link between HRM practices and innovation. It also takes an intra-organisational perspective by considering employees' perceptions of rewards and performance in fostering innovation. Additionally, it assesses the impact of IWB in mediating the relationship between rewards, performance appraisal and innovation. IWB is rarely empirically studied in the HRM–innovation link specifically when linked with radical and incremental innovation.

Performance appraisal is a longstanding, widespread and well‐developed practice in industry. Suggests that it possesses considerable potential to facilitate effective human resource management. Also argues, however, that it is often not given the attention it deserves and is flawed in practice. Traces the origins and development of performance appraisal, reviews why and how organizations use it, and concludes by examining who conducts staff appraisal.

Compares the traditional performance appraisal systems with Deming′s philosophy of operating a production system focused on quality for the consumer. W. Edwards Deming has long challenged the effectiveness of traditional performance appraisal systems used by American managers. He criticizes the traditional performance appraisal system of rewarding “win‐lose” results rather than supporting “win‐win” aims, thereby placing so much emphasis on judging and ranking people and using extrinsic motivational means. He recommends replacing the traditional performance systems that encourage win‐lose behaviour with systems that promote co‐operative and supportive behaviour. The Deming approach to performance appraisal involves a complete change of the traditional system to one that concentrates on managers being highly focused on quality and long‐term improvement. The successful implementations of Deming′s management approach in several American organizations were examined as available means of integrating performance appraisals into their quality system. The more successful companies have found remarkable improvement in consumer recognition, sales, market share, operating costs, customer satisfaction, employee morale, and of course quality. Such actions will not only help to strengthen these companies′ market position, but will help to improve the overall global competitiveness of American industry.

The Nature of Business Policy Business policy — or general management — is concerned with the following six major functions:

The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of appraisal systems to sustainable organizational effectiveness. It argues that competitive advantage is increasingly reliant on discretionary effort. As the emphasis of appraisal has shifted from a developmental to a performance focus, perceived unfairness in both procedures and outcomes threatens to undermine commitment and, therefore, sustainable performance.

Drawing on a range of theoretical frameworks, current practices and experiences are examined and future trends considered. Empirical research includes a ten-year study of practising managers and ethnography, questionnaires and interviews in two large organizations.

Appraisal frequently creates actual and perceived injustice in terms of both procedures and rewards. It also generates tensions between managing performance and encouraging engagement.

This study indicates that further research in other sectors will contribute to the development of greater understanding of sustainable strategic approaches to HRM.

Emphasis on performance in appraisal devalues developmental aspects and sometimes affects employee well-being. Separation of the two through mentorship schemes may help to address the paradox, whereby the performance management element of appraisal undermines rather than enhances organizational effectiveness.

The conventional wisdom of the appraisal culture is challenged. We argue it is essential to expand the discourse between performance, justice and ethical value systems if sustainable competitive advantage and well-being are to be achieved.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying structure of employees' justice perceptions in the context of their organizations' performance appraisal practices.

Ten multi‐item scales were designed to measure the perceived fairness of performance appraisal practices. A nested confirmatory factor analysis of employee responses (n=188) compared the four justice dimensions (i.e. procedural, distributive, interpersonal, informational) to five plausible alternatives. Construct validity was demonstrated through a structural equation model of matched employee and supervisor responses (n=117).

The confirmatory factor analysis showed evidence of four distinct but highly correlated justice constructs. Results supported hypothesized relationships between procedural justice and helpful behaviors toward the organization via appraisal system satisfaction; distributive justice with appraisal satisfaction; and interpersonal and informational justice and helpful behaviors toward the supervisor via supervisor satisfaction.

This study underscores the importance of fostering perceptions of justice in the context of performance appraisal. The scales developed in this study could be used to isolate potential problems with an organization's performance appraisal practices. Originality/value – The paper integrates prior research concerning the positive effects of procedural, distributive, interpersonal, and informational justice on affective and behavioral responses towards performance appraisals.

Performance appraisals generally occur to provide documentation for current and future personnel decisions such as promotions, salary increases, staff development, and disciplinary reasons. After surveying library literature, it is apparent that most academic library administrations implement some type of performance appraisal, but a disparity exists regarding the process itself, the ultimate goals sought and those actually achieved. This situation emanates from the lack of objectives adhered to in conducting performance appraisals. This article will address the diversity existent in the performance appraisal process and the reasons for these differences.

“Nobody w ants to get one. Nobody wants to give one.” The problem was that the supervisors and managers of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) did not know how to use the Institute's new performance management system and had not been trained on how to prepare and deliver effective performance appraisals. The problem further included the fact that RIC was required to improve its effectiveness and timeliness with performance appraisals in preparation for its 2002 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) review and felt bound to be timely for its employees as sound management practice. The research question was: “What should be contained in a training program for effective performance appraisals that drives performance accountabilities in a mutually satisfying way for adults who can find themselves as either appraisees or appraisers?” Procedures to develop a performance appraisal training program included a review of the literature, selection of formative and summative committee members, and design and validation of criteria and contents of a performance appraisal training program. The results of the study included the creation of a two‐module performance appraisal training program that included a module on the new performance management system contents and the manager's role within that system, and a module on preparing, delivering and assessing effective performance appraisal experiences. The conclusions reached included that it was possible to design a performance appraisal training that incorporated adult learning principles including learner‐centered strategies that also reinforced ownership of timeliness. Face‐to‐face training experiences were augmented by online training materials, allowing for access by 20 RIC locations. RIC has approved recommendations for further evaluation of the effectiveness of the performance appraisal system. Recommendations to apply adult learning principles to internal adult learning venues have received broader acceptance within the wider management and employee groups.