Performance Appraisals: Can Their Purposes Sometimes Contradict Each Other?

Hi all, hope somebody can help. In what ways might the purposes of performance appraisal be contradictory? Thanks in advance :)

I'm not sure I completely understand your question, but performance management processes can have a variety of formats and purposes such as:

- improving individual performance
- acknowledging success and achievement
- determining salary increases
- assessments for promotion
- addressing poor performance or underachievement, etc.

If you look at these, you can see how some may work against others. For example, acknowledging success may be undermined if the main purpose is to determine salary. Or if the performance process is to manage poor performance, the process and documentation may need to be quite different from those used for other purposes.

In the organization where I previously worked, there was a performance management process that was focused primarily on individual improvement and acknowledgement. The process for dealing with underperformance was a completely separate and different process. There was yet another process for dealing with disciplinary issues.

Is this the kind of contradiction you are thinking about?

Close enough. But what I don't really understand is why it contradicts. I mean, it was stated that the purposes of performance appraisal are, for example, to provide feedback and training and development. But why might there be contradictory or conflicting purposes? I hope you can give me more examples if this is the case.

By the way, here are the purposes of PA that I'm using for my presentation, and hopefully, maybe you can spot the contradictions:

1) To provide feedback on performance
2) To issue rewards and sanctions
3) To serve as input for determining training, recruitment, and placement needs
4) Provides an opportunity to discuss career objectives
5) Provides a performance history not based on human relations theory
6) Provides an opportunity to view one's performance in the context of broader organizational goals
7) Provides an opportunity for clearer articulations and definitions of performance expectations

P.S. Thanks for your reply! 😄