Strengths of Appraisal against Verifiable Objectives

The strengths of appraising against accomplishment of objectives are almost the

same as those of managing by objectives. Both are part of the same process, both are

basic to effective managing, and both are means of improving the quality of managing.

Appraising on the basis of performance against verifiable objectives has the great

advantage of being operational. Appraisals’ are not part apart from the job that

managers do, but are a review of what they actually did as managers.

Weakness of Appraisal against Verifiable Objectives

These apply with equal force to appraisal. One of them is that it is entirely possible

for persons to meet or miss goals through no effort or fault of their own. Luck often plays

a part in performance. A new product’s acceptance may be far beyond expectations,

and its success will make a marketing manager look exceptionally good, even though

the quality of the marketing program and its implementation might actually be poor.