The Hindu Business Line : Groping for the right system

Reports in the media suggest that the Union Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DOP&AR) is once again putting under the scanner the performance appraisal systems currently in vogue and is engaged in devising a method of evaluation free from likes and dislikes. There have been any number of such exercises undertaken in the past but the quest for final solution is proving to be unending.

The problem about appraising performance in any setting, whether in India or elsewhere, is that there is no agreement on the safeguards that would make it truly objective. Indeed, there is a school of thought which is convinced that the process is inherently so flawed that it is impossible to perfect it.

On the other side are those who hold that however imperfect, it still helps in running organisations with a reasonable expectation of making personnel accountable and fitting them in the right slots.

The DOP&AR laudably wants the system to be transparent and curative, as also dependably, if not accurately, reflective of the strengths and weaknesses of the persons appraised. Over the years, several improvements had been effected to this end.

One was to provide space in the appraisal form itself for the employee to include a detailed self-appraisal, highlighting what he regarded as his significant contributions during the year under review; second, it was impressed on superior officers that they should not wait until the time of the appraisal but constantly take employees working under them into confidence on what they considered to be his deficiencies so that he was enabled to make corrections then and there; third, the reporting and reviewing officers are expected to discuss the opinions they have formed on the employee’s performance and get his feedback so that they could avoid putting into writing anything that may be eventually found to be unfair or unwarranted; and fourth, the finalised report is to be shown to the employee to give him an opportunity to rebut any potentially damaging remark and if the reasons advanced by him are convincing, the remarks are expunged.

Career prospects are entrusted to departmental committees with which are associated DOP&AR representatives to ensure an independent evaluation of the employee’s capabilities. However independent, there is nothing but the performance appraisal reports for the committee members to go by and they perforce have to put their trust in their contents.

sSince reporting/reviewing officers who do not want to get into the unpleasantness of directly telling the employee what is right or wrong with him resort to the expedient of recording bland and inoffensive observations, the departmental committees have no clear basis to decide on the merit and suitability of the persons whose cases are brought before them. That explains the number of square pegs in round holes and thoroughly incompetent persons rising to the higher positions.

Drawback

One of the ways of making the appraisal objective, especially in regard to middle and lower grade functionaries, is to prescribe and enforce yardsticks of performance, and judging the employee against the extent to which he measured up to those standards.

Such yardsticks are yet to be evolved and made applicable. In the absence of such norms of performance, there is no way the employees can be held to account and the nature and extent of their falling behind recorded in the appraisal report. If the DOP&AR is really serious about improving the system, this drawback should be remedied without delay.

This may not be of help in the case of higher category of officials because they have necessarily to be judged by their leadership abilities and professional competence.

The outcome of the DOP&AR’s current exercise will be watched with interest.

B. S. RAGHAVAN

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