Chapter 6: Evaluating Job Performance Measures: Criteria for Criteria

Research aimed at improving performance appraisals dates back almost 100 years, and there have been a number of reviews of this literature published over the years (e.g., Austin & Villanova, 1992; Bretz, Milkovich, & Read, 1992; DeNisi & Murphy, 2017; DeNisi & Sonesh, 2011; Landy & Farr, 1980; Smith, 1976). Each of these papers have chronicled the research conducted to help us better understand the processes involved in performance appraisals, and how this understanding could help to improve the overall process. Although these reviews were done at different points in time, the goal in each case was to draw conclusions concerning how to make appraisal systems more effective. However, while each of these reviews included studies comparing and contrasting different appraisal systems, they all simply accepted whatever criterion was used for those comparisons, and, based on those comparisons, made recommendations on how to conduct better appraisals. This is an issue since many of the studies reviewed used different criterion measures for their comparisons.