Appraisal of What Performance? (2024)

Appraisal of What Performance? (1)

Current dissatisfactions with appraisal systems will continue until they are revised to accommodate the “how” as well as the “what” in performance.

A corporate president put a senior executive in charge of a failing operation. His only directive was “Get it in the black.” Within two years of that injunction, the new executive moved the operation from a deficit position to one that showed a profit of several million. Fresh from his triumph, the executive announced himself as a candidate for a higher-level position, and indicated that he was already receiving offers from other companies.

A version of this article appeared in the July 1976 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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    Harry Levinson is chairman of The Levinson Institute and clinical professor of psychology emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.

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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Performance Appraisal. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Take the pain out of employee reviews.

Appraisal of What Performance? (5)

Appraisal of What Performance? (2024)
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