The Management Bible

Chapter 10. Building Employee Accountability

IT'S A NEW WORLD OUT THERE ...

Accountability and ...

• How managers can create an environment where employees will perform.

• The link between performance appraisals and accountability.

• You need a process.

• Common traps in the evaluation process.

• Be a partner with your employees, not an executioner.

ARE PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS OBSOLETE?

One of the goals, if not the most important goal, of the performance appraisal and review process is to motivate employees. Yes, we know that's not what comes to mind when most people think of their performance appraisal process, which goes to show how far afield we've gotten on this topic. At its best, the performance review process encourages employees to put forth their best effort and take initiative at work to achieve both organizational and personal goals. At its worst, the exact opposite happens and employees are made to feel unimportant, abused, and unappreciated for the job they've done. Tensions mount, feelings are bruised, and goodwill is lost.

Performance appraisals and reviews are a necessary and important part of work and, for better or worse, are a reality in most organizations. However, as many companies are learning, traditional performance appraisals fail miserably in positively influencing employee behavior. In reality, the performance appraisal process has few true supporters. Indeed, many managers feel that appraisals are ineffective—a fact that their employees would likely readily agree with.