Attitudes towards performance appraisal

Abstract

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The present study presents the results of a survey that determines the current status of the employees' attitudes towards performance appraisal in the Namibian Public Service, with specific reference to the Ministry of Basic Education, Sports & Culture and the Ministry of Labour. The performance appraisal system in question was implemented in 1997 and suspended in 1998. The study was conducted within the theoretical framework of the "three-component model" on attitudes, which was applied to performance appraisal. Against this background, the variable 'attitudes towards performance appraisal' was operationalised and a questionnaire was developed in order to investigate attitudes towards performance appraisal. It was hypothesised that the overall attitude of employees towards performance appraisal will be negative. Survey data collected from 136 employees supported this prediction. No significant differences were found in the employees' attitudes towards performance appraisal regarding gender, age, income and years of employment. The study could also not find a significant difference in the two ministries. As a surprising result, significant differences in attitudes towards performance appraisal on cognitive level could be found with regard to qualification, quite in contrast to the expectations: the higher the qualification the more negative was the attitude. The results are discussed based on attempts of interpretation and recommendations for the design and implementation of a performance appraisal system