Book Reviews : Dennis Daley (1992). Performance Appraisal in the Public Sector: Techniques and Applications. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. 184 pp. $47.95. ISBN: 0-89930-701-9

• Author: W. David Patton
• Date: 01 October 1993
• Published date: 01 October 1993
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X9301300409
• Subject Matter: Articles

BOOK REVIEWS
Dennis Daley (1992). Performance Appraisal
questions. The missing elements here
in the Public Sector: Techniques and Applica-
were examples of performance ap-
tions. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. 184 pp.
praisal systems successfully used in
$47.95. ISBN: 0-89930-701-9.
public agencies, with their respective
forms.
The important questions regarding
MODERN PERSONNEL MANAGE-
performance appraisal are more con-
cerned with the
ment has been described as &dquo;the tri-
teleological &dquo;why and
what&dquo; rather than
umph of technique
the mechanical &dquo;who
over
purpose,&dquo; and
performance appraisal
and how.&dquo; Because of the conflict be-
as &dquo;a process
in search of
tween
a technique.&dquo; In many
purposes, a number of criti-
cisms have arisen from
ways these statements remain true for
personnelists
public sector
as early as Douglas
managers. For perfor-
McGregor and as
mance appraisal, however, a satisfac-
recently as proponents of the current
tory technique has yet to
TQM movement.
emerge tri-
umphant ; that
The
technique will only
problems associated with per-
materialize when the
formance appraisal are
process has a
many. Most of
clear
these are levied
purpose. The problem of perfor-
against the judgmental
mance appraisal is mostly the search
appraisal, where decisions by manag-
for
ers are used for
a technique to address conflicting
promotion or pay-for-
purposes.
performance systems. Although merit
In this work, Daley explores the
pay systems are poorly linked to per-
dual
formance, and often suffer from in-
purposes of performance ap-
praisal through an excellent survey of
consistency between design and imple-
the literature. The first and
mentation
most
(unreliable
com-
legislative fund-
mon function is to evaluate perfor-
ing), they are politically popular.
In
mance
for the
linking
purpose of making deci-
pay to performance, a
sions on employee effectiveness, ad-
judgmental performance appraisal
...