An Appreciative Approach to Performance Appraisal
While the problems just enumerated are inherent in any performance appraisal system, they are much less likely to be prominent or insurmountable if this system is appreciative in nature. Professionals and knowledge workers can retain their autonomy, while also benefiting from the information provided by their colleagues regarding areas in which they are particularly effective. We are always open to surprise and new learning when someone points to an area in which we are competent that has not previously been in our sight.
The holders of complex and shifting jobs also can benefit from an appreciative approach to performance appraisal. People who occupy these positions are often overwhelmed by the multiple and ambiguous demands being placed on them. They can much more easily set priorities, find areas of clarity and control, and reestablish their own sense of self-esteem and competency, when given feedback regarding areas of effective performance. What if there are multiple stakeholders involved in a performance appraisal? Then an appreciative approach is of particular value, for the recipient of the feedback can focus on areas in which several different people discovered strengths and competence. They are less inclined to focus on areas where the various stakeholders disagreed about failure or incompetence. We can more readily find the thimble, or a point of maximum effectiveness, when appreciative feedback comes from several different directions or perspectives.
What is distinctive about an appreciative approach used in the appraisal of an employee’s performance? First, an appreciative appraisal requires that we place any review of an employee’s performance within a specific time and place. Performance appraisal should always be contextual in nature, if it is to be appreciative. What was happening around the employee when he was being observed or rating? In what ways is the setting in which the employee works skill-enhancing and in what ways is the setting de-skilling? As many process-engineering gurus have noted, we should first look to the system and processes of the system when looking at the performance of any employee. The characteristics of the system and its processes are likely to have a much greater impact on the performance of any one employee than are the specific skills, knowledge or aptitudes that this employee possesses.
