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Unit 7: Training and Development Motivation

judgment. It is thus difficult to obtain a fair evaluation across. Appraisee A, who is being rated Notes
as “Good” by Appraiser X may in fact out perform Appraisee B, who is being rated as “Excellent”
by Appraiser Y.

Planning and Implementation
Not every library requires appraisers to work out the performance objectives with appraisees
in a separate exercise in advance. This is, in fact, not fair to the supervisees as they do not
know how they are going to be assessed in the following year. Besides, with no set targets to
evaluate against, the appraisal will normally be based on some single incidents or just the
general impression of the staff. The Library of the City University of Hong Kong requires
supervisors to discuss with staff and set performance objectives or targets in the beginning of
the year as a standard for the next appraisal to base on. Although extra work will be required
from the appraisers, such practice should be encouraged as it will involve a higher level of
staff participation and interaction in the process and enhance the effectiveness of the appraisal.
Partington and Stainton (2003) have shared another issue. It is said that “Staff currently still
see little or no link between the appraisal process and the formulation and achievement of
departmental and institutional plans, the identification of and provision for continuing professional
development.” Most libraries link the staff appraisal to staff training and development. However,
the link is often too loose. Appraisers may be required to put down in the appraisal form their
recommendation of staff training and development. Nevertheless, there is often no detailed
account of how the recommendation will be followed up and by whom it will be taken care
of. There is usually no mechanism to guide appraisers to follow up the appraisal. Besides,
appraisees themselves may not agree with the training needs. Some may not be interested in
the training and development suggested; others may not be able to afford time to attend
training programmes.

Notes In reality, even though the appraisees also recognize that their performance is
unsatisfactory and want to improve, there may not be suitable learning opportunities
available.

Effectiveness
Appraisal can be powerful and influential if it is used for reinforcement and disciplinary
decisions, such as staff promotion, crossing of efficiency bar and pay raises, as well as termination
of contract. Yet in reality, appraisal is rarely the major determinant. For example, no matter
how the appraisal of a contract term staff may be, the contract may not be renewed if the
budget does not allow. And for libraries that are still adopting the system of annual incremental
salary increase, a regular term staff member may still get the additional salary point as long
as he/she has not reached the maximum point of the salary scale. Not all libraries have
measures to follow up what has been written in the appraisal report or there is no consequence
of unsatisfactory performance. Some appraisees do not care very much what the appraiser
says, as they know the report will not be followed up by any substantial action and it makes
no differences to their position. As quoted in the Dictionary of Human Resource Management
(2001), “There are management cynics in every workplace who view appraisal as an unnecessary
bureaucratic exercise which takes them away from their ‘real’ work. Similarly, there are cynical
employees who view appraisal as an unnecessary hoop they have to jump through every year
because it makes no difference to how they undertake their work or the opportunities they are
given.”

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