The Politics of Appraisal - Does Upward Feedback Offer an Objective View? An Empirical Study

Abstract

Multisource, multirater feedback, the process whereby a focal manager receives competency ratings from colleagues at all levels, is often advanced as a fairer, more objective approach to appraising people than traditional top-down appraisal. The latter has been often found to be influenced by non-performance, 'political' factors, such as the appraiser's desire to avoid confrontation or to 'look good' to others in the organisation. The study reported here sought to find whether similar political influences affected ratings given by subordinates to their bosses in an upward feedback scheme. A total of 170 staff rated their line managers (n=40) and also completed a Political Considerations in Appraisal Questionnaire. It was found that subordinates higher on political influences gave their boss more favourable ratings, and were more likely to say they would change the ratings they would give if those ratings were to be used for appraisal rather than for development purposes. The implications of these and other findings are discussed in relation to the use of upward feedback and its input to performance appraisal.