Current Practices and Issues in Management Appraisal

Appraisal plays a critical part in the development of management resources in any organisation. From the standpoint of the boss‐subordinate relationship, the performance areas examined, the quality of any feedback and the way in which information is used—all these factors can directly affect the current and future performance of the individual manager who is being appraised. From the view of the overall management development role, attitudes to appraisal and the quality of information generated are key constraints upon the possible contribution of management development to organisational effectiveness. During 1973 and 1974, a research team from Durham University Business School surveyed management development and training practices in 30 British organisations, of various sizes and in a wide range of industries. As a part of this project, which involved interviewing senior line and specialist managers in these organisations, appraisal practices were examined—particularly in terms of their contribution to management development in these organisations. This article presents some of the findings and the authors' comments on these.