ABSTRACT
The “E” in LODESTAR is for evaluating. Evaluation and the closely related concepts of appraisal and assessment are major managerial tasks, and often they are very troubling for the manager. The terms “evaluation,” “appraisal,” and “assessment” are often used interchangeably in the management literature and in criminal justice workplaces. Assessment focuses on the process of determining performance of individuals and organizations. Management theorists speak of tools and instruments used in the assessment process. Evaluation uses assessment processes to produce evaluations of individuals and work groups. Appraisal is the final aspect of the assessment-evaluation process. An appraisal is the score, rating, or ranking given an individual or organization. Because performance appraisals are the products of assessment and evaluation processes, the three are closely entwined, and one is difficult to distinguish from the other in practice. For the purposes of this chapter, the distinctions among them will not be developed further. Evaluation activities are needed both for individuals in the organization and for the organization as a whole, as well as for each of its operational subunits.
