Analysis of the political considerations that influence the performance appraisal process.

Abstract

This study examined what type of political influence is most prevalent in the performance appraisal process, and when political considerations are most likely to take place. Each of these topics was researched examining the differences between different sizes of organizations. Specifically, small organizations consisted of 1-200 employees, medium organizations had 201-500 employees, and large organizations required 501 or more employees. Two instruments were used to measure the level of distortions existing in job performance ratings as well as managerial support of the appraisal process. The Questionnaire for Measuring Perceived Political Considerations in Performance Appraisal (PCPAQ) was used to determine level and type of distortions in job performance ratings. The Questionnaire for Measuring Managerial Support of Performance Appraisal (MSPAQ), as designed by the experimenter, was used to gauge the amount of managerial support regarding the performance review process. Approximately 40 supervisors from each size of organization participated in the study. Seven one-way analyses of variance (ANDVA) indicated no statistical differences among the three groups with the exception of hypothesis 1b, which demonstrated that large organizations had more managerial support than medium companies, which in tum had more support than small organizations. Though the remaining data did not prove to be statistically significant, there were supportive trends identified for hypotheses la, 2a and 3. The results of the present study are compared to previous literature and the limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research are given.