Is the Performance Appraisal Enough to Guarantee Better Employee Performance - Essay Example

Is the performance appraisal enough to guarantee better employee performance? BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL DATA HERE HERE Is the performance appraisal enough to guarantee better employee performance? 1. Introduction One method of ensuring business employee motivation to achieve performance expectations is the exit interview conducted on an employee’s last day to prevent high, future turnover rates (Mercer, 2001). Additionally, there is the traditional performance appraisal, a form of checklist and assessment tool that identifies individual employee strengths and weaknesses.

Generally, there is a form of incentive attached to higher-performing employees, as measured by the appraisal, such as bonuses or promises of promotions. However, the performance appraisal does not, always, guarantee higher results or improved worker performance. “Organisations need to regularly and systematically audit, evaluate and continually improve their performance appraisal systems” (Wilson & Western, 2001, p.93). Is this being done in the contemporary business environment and is it enough? 2. Objectives This proposed study maintains three distinct objectives: 1.

What are the current performance appraisal tools in use by most contemporary organisations designed to foster improved human capital development and motivation? 2. What are alternative methodologies for improving performance unrelated to the performance appraisal? 3. What factors, internally, create higher levels of worker motivation either associated with or outside of the performance appraisal template? 3. Desk Research Purpose The purpose of the desk research portion of the study is to gain hard data on pre-existing performance appraisal templates and their known outcomes, in real-life business environments, to gain an understanding of how the process is implemented and how employees have historically responded to these methodologies.

Additionally, this secondary research effort will improve understanding of what drives motivational responses in modern worker populations, based on performance criteria laid out by real-life organisations. During the course of the research, alternative methodologies other than the performance appraisal, designed to build better human capital, will be explored. It will act as the foundational knowledge necessary to approach fulfilment of the study’s objectives and build an appropriate primary research design strategy.

Procedure Secondary research must be conducted that will include consultation with a variety of texts directly related to business performance, employee incentives, performance appraisals, psychological motivational theories and sociology. This will include consultation with appropriate journals and textbooks that describe performance-related phenomenon in the organisational environment. Additionally, reputable website content will be consulted as provided by university leadership across the globe and case study representations of motivational theory and the use of performance appraisals as a means of fostering improved organisational and worker efficiency.

Findings from this secondary research effort will be compiled to create the research tools needed for fulfilment of the primary research portion of this study. Hard data uncovered in this process, either in the form of statistics or case studies, will be presented in the study’s literature review as foundational knowledge. 4. Qualitative research Purpose “The study of business is afflicted by confusion between the results of a survey of what people think about the world and a survey of what the world is really like” (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2007, p.4). Because of this, the purpose of the qualitative research is to gain real-time, real-life data on what is actually occurring in the business environment today as related to performance.

Population & Sampling The population for this portion of the study will consist of approximately 40 workers and managers from several different industries to gain a cross-section of attitudes and methodologies related to employee performance. Procedure A questionnaire will be designed related to performance-related methodologies and distributed to the sample chosen. Respondents will be given a questionnaire template consisting of closed-ended questions related to attitude, motivation, manager/worker relationships, and incentives. 5. Quantitative research Purpose Quantitative research provides a statistical format for assessing trends in the workplace that can be presented in charted format.

It provides patterns and correlations through numerical analysis. Population & Sampling The population will consist of 30 – 40 workers in the same industries, different than the sample chosen for the qualitative portion of the study. This will give more data regarding worker attitudes related to performance and internal political structures. Procedure A 15- 20 question survey will be designed with a simple 1-10 ranking scale related to performance, motivation and attitude regarding manager/worker relationships.

“It provides researchers with signs and symbols that mean something rather than fractionalizing or limiting human capacity” (Adams, 2010, p.1). Data will be interpreted through mean analysis, identifying average response rates for the respondents. 6. Reporting The data from both portions of the study will be compared to the knowledge in the literature review to compare or contrast approaches and methodologies. Data will be reported in charted format, such as pie or line graphs, with mean analysis represented in similar chart format as associated with each question listed on the quantitative survey and qualitative questionnaire.