1 D o you think having some parts of the appraisal process (such as 3 60-d egree feedback at Amersham Pharmacia and Biotech) is a good idea? Longenecker (1997) conducted a survey and found that the most common reasons for the failure of an appraisal system for managerial staff were: unclear performance criteria or an ineffective rating instrument; poor working relationship with the boss; and the appraiser lacking sufficient information on the appraisee’s actual performance. Other reasons given were lack of ongoing feedback and lack of focus on the improvement of performance through management development schemes. Lesser concerns that were expressed were inadequate skills of appraisal and the performance review process lacking adequate structure or content.

A particular concern voiced by Torrington et al. (2011) is the importance of the ownership of the appraisal scheme. If it is designed and imposed by the HR department, that would leave little ownership of the system by line managers. Also, if the paperwork has to be returned to the HR department, the system may be viewed as a form-

filling exercise for somebody else’s benefit with no practical value as far as performance on the job is concerned.