HRM 522

Performance and Compensation Management

Assignment On

Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales

Prepared For:
Dr. Md. Mesbah Uddin
Department of Business Administration
East West University

Prepared By:
Nusrat Niamat
ID:2018-2-95-098

Submission Date: 26 July,2020

East West University

Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS):

Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) are designed to bring the benefits of both
qualitative and quantitative data to the employee appraisal process. BARS compare an individual’s
performance against specific examples of behaviour that are anchored to numerical ratings.

For example, a level four rating for a nurse may require them to show sympathy to patients while
a level six rating may require them to show higher levels of empathy and ensure this comes across
in all dealings with the patient.

BARS for production and sales division (Extremely Good → Extremely Poor)
Extremely Good
9. Could be expected to conduct full day’s sales with two new sales personnel and thereby
develop them into top salespeople in the department
8. Could be expected to give his or her production and sales division confidence and strong
sense of responsibility by delegating many important tasks.
7. Could be expected to never fail to conduct week training meeting with his or her people
at scheduled hour and to convey to them exactly what is expected.

6. Could be expected to exhibit courtesy and respect towards his or her production and
sales division.
5. Could be expected to remind sales personnel or sales team member of sales division to
wait on customers instead of conversing with one another
4. Could be expected to be rather critical of store standards in front of his or her own
people, thereby risking the development of poor attitudes.
3. Could be expected to tell an individual to come in anyway even though he or she called
in to say he or she was ill.
2. Could be expected to go back on a promise to an individual who he or she had told
could transfer back into previous position if he or she did not like the new one.
1. Could be expected to make promises to an individual about his or her salary being based
on department sales even when he or she knew such a practice was against company
policy.
Extremely Poor
A BARS can be developed in following steps:

1. Collecting samples of effective and ineffective job behavior from the experts by analyzing
the critical incident method
2. Converting these samples into performance dimension
3. Relocating the performance dimension (from unacceptable to outstanding)
4. Rating the performance dimension accordingly, starting from 1
5. Finally, using the scale anchor to evaluate employee’s performance

performance dimensions:

Performance is multidimensional, meaning that we need to consider many different types of

behaviors to understand performance. Although we can identify many specific behaviors, two
types of behaviors or performance facets stand out: task performance and contextual performance.

Contextual and task performance must be considered separately because they do not necessarily
occur in tandem. An employee can be highly proficient at her task, but be an underperformer
regarding contextual performance.

Task performance is defined as:

• activities that transform raw materials into the goods and services that are produced by
the organization

• activities that help with the transformation process by replenishing the supply of raw
materials, distributing its finished products, or providing important planning, coordination,
supervising, or staff functions that enable the organization to function effectively and
efficiently

Contextual performance is defined as those behaviors that contribute to the organization’s

effectiveness by providing a good environment in which task performance can occur. Contextual
performance includes behaviors such as the following:

• persisting with enthusiasm and exerting extra effort as necessary to complete one’s own
task activities successfully (e.g., being punctual and rarely absent, expending extra effort
on the job)

• volunteering to carry out task activities that are not formally part of the job
(e.g., suggesting organizational improvements, making constructive suggestions)

• helping and cooperating with others (e.g., assisting and helping coworkers and
customers)

• following organizational rules and procedures (e.g., following orders and regulations,
showing respect for authority, complying with organizational values and policies)
 • endorsing, supporting, and defending organizational objectives (e.g., organizational
loyalty, representing the organization favorably to outsiders)

Eventually developed the scales:

It depends on company need, if employees work in an organizational context, engaging in certain

behaviors that produce certain results. The same employee may behave differently (and produce
different results) if placed in a different situation
(e.g., working with a different supervisor or using better or worse equipment).