ABSTRACT
It seems clear that all private and public organizations must utilize a formal or informal appraisal system to measure employee performance. In order for any public agency to answer the question “How are we doing?” as an organization, it is necessary to gather information, to truly re©ect, and to determine how individual employees are performing with regard to assigned tasks and unit goals. Performance appraisal is therefore a required process in which, for a speciƒed period of time, an employee’s work behaviors or characteristics are individually rated, judged, or described by a rater. e results are not simply kept, but used by the organization. Performance appraisal systems are also used as a tool for organizations to motivate their employees to improve performance and productivity (Coens & Jenkins, 2000; Cardy & Dobbins, 1994; Murphy & Cleveland, 1991). Carroll and Schneier (1982) describe performance appraisal as a process of identifying, observing, measuring, and actually developing human performance in organizations.
