Management
Development
Approaches

For more Information in this area, click on the links below to go to each section:

1. Training Programs

2. Performance Appraisals

3. Organizational Surveys

4. The MFS Approach

Performance Appraisals

Disfunctional & Counterproductive?

Most appraisal systems rely on observations from immediate supervisors and emphasize what was accomplished in meeting a boss' requirements. Some assess how results were achieved through interactive processes. Yet, the systems rely predominantly on the boss' observations and assessments. This information may be valid from the boss's perspective, but it may not provide an accurate picture of the real needs and perceptions of the work group the manager influences.

Typically, performance appraisals are seen as merely a requirement for administrative and salary decisions. While the results are usually used for that purpose, real payoff occurs when the primary focus is on development and growth. There is, in fact, a growing awareness that the traditional approach to performance appraisals is probably dysfunctional and counterproductive.

Some pioneering organizations are even taking the bold step of scrapping their performance appraisal systems and replacing them with a process of coaching and mentoring for continual performance improvement.