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Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire and What to Do Instead

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Extensive research, good case studies, knowledgeble discussion of legal issues are strengths of this book. However, there are numerous weaknesses:
1 Linking enlightened management directly to ineffective appraisal systems. They are not nedessarily related.
2 Not acknowledging managers insight on employees performance.
3 Assuming apprasials are generally a high corporate priority compared with other management activities.
4 Not recommending one or two focused appraisal functions as an alternative to no appraisals.
5 Not providing an explaination of how to administer most pay raise systems (Hay for example).
6 Not clearly identifying how the rating drives pay, promotion and bonus. An alternative is required.
7 Not disussing how requirements may vary by industry job specifics or the impact of enviromental factors, such as, confidentiality and raises based on senioity. jrj

If you've ever received a traditional performance appraisal (PA), every word of this book will ring true! The sad part is, in a country as technically advanced as the US, this same process has been used in corporations since World War II. Can you name another technology still in use from that era?

As a Performance Management consultant I've reengineered appraisal systems based on employee and management needs, so the book's title put me off initially. Performance mesurement and feedback is critical in a high performing organization. But the authors' approach is right on target. Organizations should NOT stop measuring, but measure and feed back accurately within an adult-to-adult context. The data on how humans behave puts traditional PA systems to shame. What a waste of resources!

Performance Management systems can be reengineered at little direct cost and return REAL individual, group and organizational performance improvement. I've found that nearly all PA systems are compensation rather than performance focused, and actually keep employees from the accountability the organization seeks. What's worse, these systems are often the only source for employee feedback!

Coens and Jenkins capture and dispel all the well-meaning assumptions of traditional Performance Appraisals, while also providing solid PERFORMANCE-BASED alternatives. For example, and with no apologies to the lawyers, individual performance documentation is only needed when there is a serious performance problem, and that is quite rare. Positive performance data is available in other, more productive ways. Why burden the entire organization, demotivate employees, and waste valuable resources when treating adults as adults can actually improve BOTTOM LINE PERFORMNACE?

The book is not for everyone, but managers who have always felt sick about using their company's PA process will be delighted to know that they were right all along. People know how to do this, and company bureaucracy just gets in the way.

No business has extra people or money. I've effectively used these same principles for years. Thank you, Tom and Mary, for documenting a process for 21st century Performance Management.

Tom Coens and Mary Jenkins pull no punches: They hate performance appraisals. They explain why in their book, which also traces the development of the appraisal method and analyzes why companies have stuck with a tool that simply doesn't work. Although the authors tend to redundancy, their writing is clear and engaging, and they support their message with passages from major business leaders, scholars, consultants and researchers. Old hands might view their suggested alternatives as pie-in-the-sky solutions to employee management and motivation, but we [...] recommend this book to optimistic managers who believe that there must be a better way.

Coens & Jenkins's APA speaks no nonsense, particularly on critizing the modern appraisal systems. Yes, our appraisal systems were and still are well-embedded in a very subtle mentality: The tendency to control. I must say that I have been finding for a book that can challenge the existing appraisal system, but I was disappointed. Though I think Peter Block's Stewardship did something great on the discussion, however, there's no book which has devoted totally on this measuring tool. So, I really once thought that it's a kind of un-challengable, and un-discussible in the business world. Thanks Coens & Jenkins for proving me wrong.

APA takes a very thorough penetration into the appraisal system, and at the same time, beat the system form inside-out. And they really know all the details on our way to 'evaluate' the employees. But what I appreciate most is their intention to give direction and guidance toward a more healthy state of organizational life. Since there are enough books talking about heading into a so-called 'new paradigm' of management, but their action is not congurent with what they espoused, or they just simply have no actionable steps! Coens & Jenkins have invest a lot on 'What to do Instead' in each chapter. These are important, solid and also challenging advices that worth to try on, at least you can have a picture of what will be. That's an important distinction with other management books.

As a consultant, I committed to act on what Coens and Jenkins advocate, and waiting to test the validity of their claims. Moreover, APA gives me solid information on how the appraisal systems can backfire our well intentions. This confirms my hunch concerning the current appraisal systems.

Besides, due to its highly detail descriptions on the HR's way of doing things, it also can be viewed as a treasure education on the new paradigm of HRM.

Highly recommended.

Perhaps no other workplace topic is so hotly debated, so universally loathed, so burdened with anxiety than that annual ritual known as the job performance evaluation. More than one supervisor has said it would be easier to write one's own obituary than tackle the yearly job review.

The book, "Abolishing Performance Appraisals," has a simple way of addressing this task. Don't do them in the first place!

The authors argue that performance appraisals are not working in ways they are intended to - to reward, motivate and improve work forces. Instead, such performance reviews demoralize employees and frustrate supervisors. The primary problem, the authors state, is that using one process for so many complex activities (although filled with good intentions) is idealistic as well as dispiriting. And, they continue, no amount of tweaking can solve the problem. The only true solution is to put appraisals to rest.

Human Resources professionals will find this book most useful in determining how they can lead the charge in breaking away from tradition and moving closer to become a more progressive company. However, it is this challenge that will make the reader's head hurt.

The book is well written and thoughtfully done. It is divided into three parts with the first two addressing why appraisals fail and examining the core reasons behind performance reviews. These first eight chapters depict clearly that appraisals are flawed with destructive, though unintended effects. All of author's arguments make sense - common sense - to an extent where one finds itself pledging never to conduct a performance appraisal again.

It is the third part of the book that provides the reader with headaches. Although there is a sixteen-step process for making the transition from traditional performance appraisals to alternatives, there is no solution. As early as the Preface, the authors give ample warning about the endpoint by stating over and over again that there is no one model that answers all the questions they have identified. They state each company must find its own solution. In addition, they bring to reality that there is no shortcut. In fact, their recommended method usually takes two years to implement encompassing much effort, time, and cost.

The concepts of this book, in a nutshell, are: getting to the underlying assumption of why performance appraisals are used and create a new way of thinking to change current strategies and systems; encouraging supervisors to provide honest feedback and communication to employees by maintaining daily, two-way communication; empowering employees to be responsible for themselves - for their careers, for receiving feedback, and holding themselves accountable for the work to be done; giving leaders the freedom to choose for themselves the most effective ways o f working with people; moving away from and individual performance company to a organizational improvement company; and creating a culture where the company provide all of its people the tools, training, resources, and environment to do all these things mentioned.

The difficulty an HR professional will face in their industry is winning over top management to support these initiatives. Usually, management holds fast to traditions. Firms with proactive leaders may find some resistance at first but should be able to garner support easily.

This book encourages you to be a witness to the performance appraisal funeral. Join other progressive companies that understand the "critical importance of working from new thinking." You won't be disappointed.

This book has more perspectives and detail about the problems with performance appraisals than you would have learned about in 20 years. As a result, the suggestion to abolish performance appraisals comes as no surprise (especially since that's the title) and the logic is appealing, as well. To get rid of performance appraisals will be difficult in most companies, because people will not be able to imagine what the alternatives can be. The book's rich detail about the problems, and then the many suggestions in it for how to develop replacements fill those gaps.

If you are like me and dislike performance appraisals, get this book to help you to migrate away from them.

Since I never liked performance appraisals, I abolished them years ago in our consulting firm. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mechanisms that I had substituted for performance appraisals were consistent with the authors' recommendations.

I am a big believer in complexity science, and like to see organizations operating in more free form ways. You have to eliminate strait jackets like performance appraisals to get to that point.

The thrust of the alternative is to place the responsibility with each person in the company for their own development, but be sure that they get access to the resources and feedback they need to improve. This is also very revealing because people vary enormously in how interested they are in improving. If you put the ball in their court, you will learn a great deal about the future potential of the people in the organization. Some will try very little. Some will try a lot. Many will not follow through. But you will have opened a doorway through which the most motivated to improve can go as far as they want. That's terrific!

The only part of the book that I disagreed with is that the authors think that all performance measures are bad. In my experience and in my research, I find that performance measures that people set for themselves that they think are important are extremely valuable for focusing and stimulating performance. The authors seem to think that employees will always focus on goals that help their little area rather than the whole company. That occurs only when people don't understand how the whole business works. That's an education issue, not a performance measurement issue.

After you have read and begun to apply this book, I suggest that you also think about where else in your organization you have bureaucratic practices that stifle innovation, hurt morale, and slow down progress. Then, use this book as a model for how to undo those harms as well. In many companies, processes for controlling capital expenditures and authorizing new product development often have these effects. As a result, little experiments are inhibited that the company can afford to fail in by processes designed to keep from making big mistakes with billions.

Free up everyone to feel good about themselves, to become better, and to cooperate more freely to improve the organization!

Tom Coens and Mary Jenkins have put together a great compilation of years of profound knowledge, and added to that knowledge with even more convincing arguments for ridding ourselves of this destructive practice. It is wonderful that this comes from an attorney as well as a knowledgable consultant because so many labor lawyers have promoted the use of Performance Appraisals as a protective device.

The book contains highly practical alternatives to appraisals as well as making the case against them better than any of us have been able to do thus far.

I suggest skeptical readers leaf through the book to the topic on which they are most sure they won't be convinced. Read what is written and be prepared to have your mind expanded.

First, let me reveal a potential source of bias - I've been practicing employment law, primarily from the management side, for more than 27 years and I have known Tom Coens for almost 20 years. Having revealed my potential biases, let me say that I found this to be an insightful and provocative book. I found the chapter on 'Dispelling The Legal Myths and Dealing With Poor Performers' particularly helpful and I am recommending the book to Human Resources Directors and employment lawyers with whom I work. As Tom and Mary point out, a myth prevalent at companies around America is that performance appraisals are the bedrock of defense against employment lawsuits. While it is true that objective, carefully considered, employment appraisals can be helpful in the defense of lawsuits, such appraisals are often the exception rather than the rule. As Tom and Mary note, unfortunately the press of business, the "halo factor", politics, disinclination of managers to discuss criticism and sheer laziness often compromise the effectiveness of performance appraisals both for their primary purposes and for the secondary purpose of utilizing such documents in the defense of lawsuits. In fact, it is not unusual in my practice to have the following conversation with a client. Client: We can't take it any more. We need to fire Employee X ASAP. He has been performing below par for years, but the bar has been raised and we can't afford to carry him any more. Me: Let me guess, Employee X is in a protected category and has gotten "satisfactory to good" performance appraisals for the last several years because Manager Y did not want to step up to the plate and tell him the real problems with his performance. Client: How did you know? Tom and Mary effectively address this problem and, better yet, give practical solutions to documenting performance and discipline while providing alternatives to excessive reliance on the performance appraisal system. I highly recommend their book.

Coens and Jenkins had the guts and innovative thinking to address a fundamental issue in the global workforce: abolishing performance appraisals & the leadership that is required to have a healthy work environment. This book is a must-read for business owners, managers, and HR executives who are focused on creating an environment where people can contribute, perform, communicate, innovate, take pride in their work, and have fun learning. Based on the theories of management from Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Coens and Jenkins have not only focused on the theories, beliefs, and assumptions of leadership, but also on the practical skills needed to abolish performance appraisals and lead people! Do we really think that people will learn, contribute, cooperate, be passionate about their work and the customer when they are judged, rated, ranked, and intimidated? The insights Coens and Jenkins provide are awesome and real world! This book is an excellent tool and stimulus for leaders and managers to challenge the way people are treated and motivated and to build an environment where people love their work and the culture they are in. It is easy to retain people; it is really a no-brainer, as long as there is a culture that is healthy and enables people to learn and grow and share their knowledge. Personally I have seen hundreds of companies that destroy people; they are in a self-destruct mode; today they may be leaders in their industry; 10 years from now they will struggle to survive. But those organizations who challenge their current beliefs and assumptions, and the old systems will create innovation---in their practices and their thinking. This is what Coens and Jenkins have so artfully described in their focus on Abolishing Performance Appraisals. This is one of the top 5 books every executive should read and apply as soon as possible.

There should be a huge audience for this book, if others have had anything like the experience I had as a manager years ago. I was asked to complete performance appraisals for the 25 people who reported to me. At the outset, it seemed like a routine process, but it quickly became a font of bitterness. With each employee, I earnestly voiced a combination of heartfelt enthusiasm and helpful criticism. And, invariably, each employee glommed onto the "bad" stuff and walked away crestfallen. Only after I myself set up a forum for receiving appraisals of my own performance did I have any sense of the devastation wrought by the appraisal process. At the time, I was sure I hadn't done it right, that there was a better way to get my incisive criticism across to to those whom I was appraising. But just as Barry Oshrey, in Seeing Systems, has revealed the patterns of perception and behaviors depending on whether one is a top manager, a middle manager, or a front-line employee, Coens and Jenkins, in Abolishing Performance Appraisals, have revealed the systemic bases for the dismay experienced by virtually everyone who has participated in appraising others or being appraised. Even the recently-become-sacred 360-degree appraisals can be fatally flawed, say the authors, if what they are about is judgment and evaluation, rather than helpful feedback.

In describing alternatives to appraisal, the authors have written a detailed handbook on feedback, coaching, dealing with poor performers, and compensation. Coens and Jenkins quote a telling comment from Douglas McGregor pointing to the tendency of managers to ignore the results of research. In marshalling not only an impressive array of research, but also nicely bringing the research to life with "true stories," the authors have produced a remarkably useful handbook for managing in the new century.