Performance Appraisals and Motivation In analyzing the effectiveness of performance appraisals on employee motivation one needs to start with a basic understanding of human nature. Some fundamental truths can be ascertained by simply observing common situations in our everyday lives. For instance, my mother is a much better housekeeper than I am. Motivational differences are, in my opinion, the cause of this. In my mother’s reality, a clean house is tied to her self-image. A clean house reaffirms her value as a person so she takes it seriously. Now I enjoy a clean, pleasant environment as well, but I don’t consider dust bunnies and undone dishes as having a deleterious effect on my value as a human being.On the other hand, I do consider knowledge and understanding of others and the world around me to be a significant component of my self-image. This requires me to constantly question my own opinions and viewpoints, whereas my mother is comfortable with the opinions and viewpoints she has established over her lifetime and is not motivated to a great deal of introspection. There are no value judgements attached to these statements; the point is that in almost any situation, from the mundane to the existential, from housekeeping to paradigms, motivation controlled by self-image varies greatly from one person to the next.Now, looking at corporate cultures in this context, one must wonder if any of this is taken into consideration when addressing issues of employee motivation. One of the most common tools, and often the only one, used is the yearly performance appraisal. To gain some insight into whether performance appraisals are effective motivational tools, specifically in relation to whether they take into account differences in reasons for motivation, I interviewed three people in regard to their past experience with performance appraisals. The following five questions were asked of each individual.When you were hired or ...
