Performance appraisal is a face-to-face conversation between the rater and the ratee to discuss issues of performance appraisal and to understand each other’s position in order to improve appraisal. Thus, effective performance appraisal systems involve two-way communication. That is, there must be active communication between the supervisor and the subordinate about the appraisal issues to discuss subordinate’s appraisal. The rater will tell about his/her judgement and rates that he/she is going to give to the ratee and shall ask ratee’s comment and argument in his/her favour, if any with reason and evidence. In this way, rating will be corrected and improved. Therefore, a feedback performance interview will be held between rater and ratee with this end. The feedback interview session must be productive, educative and informative so that there shall be open and free-minded discussion and rating shall be right and just.
Objectives of Appraisal Interview
Performance interview has got definite purposes. They are :
1. Recognizing and encouraging superior performance: Primary goal of performance appraisal interview to recognize the good deeds which will motivate the employee to repeat the same level and quality of performance and to encourage employees to perform and to continue higher levels of performance with superior quality.
2. Sustaining acceptable behavior: Appraisal interview also aims at pursuing employees to maintain an acceptable and desirable behaviour throughout their career in the organisation so that organizational work quality and quantity will increase.
3. Changing the behaviour: Appraisal interview is undertaken to cause a change into the behaviour of the employee whose performance is not meeting organizational standards.
Approaches to Appraisal Interview
Maier (1976) and Sherman (1994:92-100) have pointed out that the supervisor may conduct the performance interview in many ways. We know that this interview is a feedback session in which the supervisor will tell the employee where he/she stands in the eye of the organisation as per his/her level of performance. So, the supervisor /evaluator may provide this feedback through either of the following approaches:
1. Tell-and –Sell Approach: Under this approach, the evaluator reviews the employee’s performance and tries to persuade the employee to perform better. It works best with new employees.
2. Tell – and- Listen Approach: Under this approach, the evaluator allows the employee to explain reasons, give excuses, and describe defensive feelings about performance. It attempts to overcome these reactions by counseling the employee on how to perform better.
3. Problem-solving Approach: Under this approach, the evaluator identifies problems that are interfering with employee performance. Then, through training, coaching, or counseling, goals for future performance are set to remove those deficiencies.
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