Managing Human Resources 7th

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Chapter 7
Appraising and Managing Performance

CHAPTER OVERVIEW
An important function of effective management is accurate measurement of employee
performance. This chapter discusses the foundation, design, and implementation of
performance measurement systems. In addition, it describes the principles of effective
performance management so that the reader will have an understanding of how to create a
positive appraisal environment.

CHALLENGES

After reading this chapter, students should be able to deal more effectively with the
following challenges:
1. Explain why performance appraisal is important and describe its components.
2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different performance rating
systems.
3. Manage the impact of rating errors and bias on performance appraisals.
4. Discuss the potential role of emotion in performance appraisal and how to
manage its impact.
5. Identify the major legal requirements for appraisal.
6. Use the performance appraisals to manage and develop employee
performance.

ANNOTATED OUTLINE

CHALLENGE 1
Explain why performance appraisal is important and describe its components.

I. What Is Performance Appraisal?

Performance appraisal involves the identification, measurement, and management

of human performance in organizations. Organizations usually conduct appraisals
for administrative (a decision about an employee's working conditions, including
promotions and rewards) and/or developmental (a decision concerning
strengthening the employee's job skills, including counseling and training)
purposes. Dissatisfaction with appraisals is rampant. HR professionals, line
managers, and employees voice dissatisfaction. Many workers have difficulty with
appraisals, which may account for the short life span of the average appraisal
system.

CHALLENGE 2
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different performance rating systems.

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A. The Use of Performance Appraisal

Organizations complete performance appraisals for developmental and
administrative purposes. Despite the many uses of appraisals, many
companies struggle with reaching the full potential of their appraisal systems.

B. Identifying Performance Dimensions

The first step in the performance appraisal process is identifying what is to be

measured. Managers must identify the aspects or dimensions of performance
that determine effective job performance. This process seems simple, but it
can be quite complicated. If a significant dimension is missing, employee
morale may suffer because employees who do well on that dimension will not
be recognized or rewarded. If an irrelevant or trivial dimension is included,
employees may perceive the whole appraisal process as meaningless.

C. Measuring Performance

Measuring employee performance involves assigning numbers or labels (e.g.,

excellent) to reflect an employee's performance on the identified
characteristics or dimensions.

D. Measurement Tools

The formats that are most common, legally defensible, and promising can be
classified in two ways: (a) by the type of judgment required, and (b) by the
focus of the measure. First, appraisal systems based on relative judgment ask
the supervisor to compare an employee's performance to the performance of
other employees doing the same job. Absolute judgments ask the supervisor
to make judgments about an employee's performance based solely on
performance standards. Second, performance measurement systems can be
classified by the type of performance data they focus on including trait data,
behavioral data, or outcome data.

There is no single best appraisal format. Each approach has positives and
negatives concerning administration, development, and legal defensibility.
The choice of appraisal system should rest largely on the appraisal's primary
purpose.

E. Measurement Tools: Summary and Conclusions

The choice of appraisal tool relies heavily on the overall purpose of the
appraisal. The appraisal tools also vary based on the source. The source refers
to who is completing the appraisal. The employee could complete a self-
review. There could also be a peer review or a subordinate review of
performance. A tool that includes feedback from all of these sources is known
as 360 degree feedback.

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CHALLENGE 3
Manage the impact of rating errors and bias on performance appraisals.

CHALLENGE 4
Discuss the potential role of emotion in performance appraisal and how to manage
its impact.

CHALLENGE 5
Identify the major legal requirements for appraisal.

II. Challenges to Effective Performance Management

How can managers ensure accurate measurement of worker performance? The

primary means is to understand the barriers that stand in the way. Managers
confront at least six challenges in this area: rater errors and bias, the influence of
liking, precautions, organizational politics, individual or group focus, and legal
issues.

III. Managing Performance

A complete appraisal process includes informal day-to-day interactions between

managers and workers as well as formal face-to-face interviews. Although the
ratings themselves are important, even more critical is what managers do with them.

A. The Appraisal Interview

Many managers dread the performance appraisal, particularly if they do not

have good news to impart. In addition, frustration is caused by the fact that
most U.S. organizations combine performance appraisals and salary reviews.

CHALLENGE 6
Use the performance appraisals to manage and develop employee performance.

B. Performance Improvement

Because formal appraisal interviews typically are conducted only once a year,
they may not always have a substantial and lasting impact on worker
performance. Thus, supervisors who manage performance effectively
generally share four characteristics.

1. Exploring the causes of performance problems

2. Directing attention to the causes of problems
3. Developing an action plan and empowering workers to reach a solution
4. Directing communication at performance and providing effective feedback

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C. Identifying the Causes of Performance Problems

Identifying the causes of performance problems can be difficult because

performance problems can stem from many different sources even some that
are beyond the worker’s control such as a lack of resources. Situational factors
include a wide array of organizational characteristics that can influence
performance.

IV. Managing the Causes of Problems

After discussing and agreeing upon the causes of performance problems, the next
step is to put into place a plan to control the problem.

A. Developing an Action Plan and Empowering Workers to Reach a Solution

Employees must be empowered to improve their own performance. Managers

act as coaches, helping employees interpret and react appropriately to a work
situation. The supervisor must make sure the necessary resources are available
as well as help the employee develop an action plan to solve performance
problems. Managers can aid this process by giving necessary feedback and
eliminating unnecessary rules and other constraints so the employee is free to
focus on the job.

B. Directing Communication at Performance Formatted: Font: Bold

The communication between a manager and an employee is critical for success.

Discussions about performance can be uncomfortable and difficult for both the
employee and the supervisor but there are a few steps that can make this process
easier. These steps include defining the performance problem, make it a
discussion between the employee and the manager, be plain and direct in
communicating and creating the action plan, and finally, maintain your
composure.

ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. At ARCO Transportation, a $1 billion division of Atlantic Richfield, employees

are hired, promoted, and appraised according to how they fulfill the "performance
dimensions" most valued by the company. One of these performance dimensions is
“communication”—specifically, “listens and observes attentively, allowing an
exchange of information” and “speaks and writes clearly and concisely, with an
appropriate awareness of the intended audience.” Would you say that ARCO
appraises performance based on personality traits, job behavior, or outcome
achieved? On which of these three aspects of performance do you think workers
should be appraised?

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Most students will indicate that ARCO Transportation appraises performance based
on job behavior. Trait appraisal instruments ask the supervisor to make
judgments about worker characteristics (e.g., decisiveness, reliability, energy, and
loyalty) that tend to be consistent and enduring. Assessments of traits focus
attention on the person rather than on the performance. Behavioral appraisal
instruments focus on assessing a worker's behavior. The rater may be asked to
assess whether the employee exhibits behavior such as "works well with colleagues,
comes to meetings on time, etc." The Behavioral Observation Scale (BOS) allows
the supervisor to record how frequently certain behaviors occur. Outcome
appraisal instruments ask the managers to assess the results achieved by workers.
The most prevalent approaches are the MBO and naturally occurring outcomes.

2. Superficially, it seems preferable to use objective performance data (such as

productivity figures), when available, rather than subjective supervisory ratings to
assess employees. Why might objective data be less effective performance measures
than subjective ratings?

The subjective nature of most appraisals has led many to conclude that such
appraisals are full of errors. However, objective data may be less effective
performance measures than subjective ratings because outcome measures—
although objective—may not accurately represent an employee's contributions. A
good example of this may be the employee who does an outstanding job of dealing
with and compensating for defective materials that are received. Production itself
may be down because of these materials, but if it were not for this employee's
efforts, production would have been much lower. Using objective measures may
also have the effect of narrowly focusing a worker's attention on particular
outcomes, with a negative effect on other facets of performance. For example,
workers concentrating on quantity may neglect quality and follow-up service, to the
long-term detriment of the organization.

3. How important are rating formats to the quality of performance ratings?

What is the most important influence on rating quality?

Students' answers will vary. Most will agree that there is no single best appraisal
format. Each approach has positives and negatives with respect to administration,
development, and legal defensibility. While the choice of appraisal system should
rest largely on the appraisal's primary purpose, rating formats make little difference
in the actual ratings that are obtained.

The most important influence on rating quality is the rater's ability and motivation.
Characteristics such as the rater's intelligence, familiarity with the job, and ability to
separate important from unimportant information influence rating quality.

4. What is comparability? How can it be maximized in performance appraisal?

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Comparability refers to the degree to which the values of ratings given by various
supervisors in an organization are similar. The comparability issue is concerned
with whether supervisors use the same measurement yardsticks.

Comparability can be maximized by developing and communicating evaluation

standards via frame-of-reference (FOR) training. FOR training consists of fictitious
examples of performance which are rated by supervisors. The supervisors are then
given feedback followed by more discussions. The process continues until the
supervisors develop a common frame of reference for performance evaluation.
FOR training is the only type of rater training that actually increases the accuracy of
performance ratings.

5. "Occasionally an employee comes along who needs to be reminded who the

boss is, and the appraisal is an appropriate place for such a reminder." Would the
manager quoted here be likely to use a rational or a political approach to appraisal?
Contrast the rational and political approaches. To what extent is it possible to
separate the two?

Most students would say that the manager is likely to use a political approach to
appraisal. The rational perspective assumes that the value of each worker's
performance can be at least estimated. The political perspective assumes that the
value of a worker's performance depends on the agenda, or goals, of the supervisor.
The political approach holds that performance measurement is a goal-oriented
activity and that the goal is seldom accuracy. See the chart below for the
distinctions between the two perspectives:

Facets of the Rational Approach Political Approach

Performance
Appraisal Process
Goal Accuracy
Roles Supervisors and agents are
passive agents in the rating
process.
Focus Measurement (for which
supervisors must be well
trained)
Assessment Criteria Define workers' performance
and establish clear standards
for accurate measurements.
Utility (the maximization
of benefits over costs
given the context and
agenda)
Supervisors and agents
are active participants in
the measurement
process.
Management tool (to
reward and discipline
workers)
Definitions of what is
being assessed are left
ambiguous so that the

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definitions can be bent to

Decision Process Rate the employees on each
dimension, then combine all
the dimensional ratings into
an overall evaluation.
the current agenda.
Decide who should get
what, then justify by
making appropriate
dimensional ratings.

6. Do you think performance appraisals should be done? Is it worth the cost?

While students may have differing opinions on this topic, research shows that that
giving and receiving feedback about performance, when conducted in a professional
and effective manner, is critical to organizational development. However, poorly
executed performance appraisals can have a damaging and long-lasting effect on the
organization. , and Oorganizations must take care to ensure that managers are
equipped with the tools needed to communicate performance appraisals to
employees in a manner that will address performance issues as well as facilitate
development.

7. What criteria do you think should be used to measure team performance?

What sources should be used for the appraisal? Should individual performance still
be measured? Why or why not?

Most would argue that team performance should be measured on objective,

production-type data. The belief here is that those factors that are usually beyond
an individual's control would be within the control of the team. It is also likely that
most will suggest that individual performance should still be appraised. Many will
relate to having worked on a group project in school and having a team member
who did not contribute his or her share.

8. You're the owner of a 25-employee company that has just had a fantastic year.
Everyone pulled together and worked hard to achieve the boost in company profits.
Unfortunately, you need to sink most of those profits into paying your suppliers. All
you can afford to give your workers is a 3 percent pay raise across the board. At
appraisal time, how would you communicate praise for a job well done coupled with
your very limited ability to reward such outstanding performance? Now assume
you can afford to hand out some handsome bonuses or raises. What would be the
best way to evaluate employees when everyone has done exceptional work?

This question places students at the heart of the appraisal dilemma for many
managers and employees, i.e., how to reward good performance when money is
tight. The students may creatively suggest certain non-monetary rewards such as
job security, no decrease in the benefits package, good working conditions, etc.
The company may also communicate that the 3 percent is a good increase when
compared to what they would have received (no increase or even givebacks)
without everyone pulling together to increase profits. But most of all, if everyone

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has done exceptional work, their appraisals should clearly reflect that their
performance has been exceptional. If the company can afford to give handsome
bonuses or raises, most would agree that everyone should receive "exceptional"
pay. Since the entire workforce pulled together to achieve higher profits, some
students would recommend or suggest evaluating, then rewarding groups or teams
of employees for their contributions to the "fantastic year." Others would suggest
across-the-board bonuses with everyone receiving the same lump sum. Still others
might suggest large, healthy increases in everyone's base pay. Discuss the pros and
cons of each.

9. Would you design a performance appraisal system based on behaviors,

outcomes, or both? Why would you design it this way?

Most students will agree that optimal performance is achieved by both

effective behaviors and results. Commented [JT1]: Change to outcomes to match the question?

Ethics Case 7.1

Rank and Yank: Legitimate Performance Improvement Tool or Ruthless and
Unethical Management?

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Do you think forced ranking is a good performance management system?
Why or why not?
Some students will agree that forced ranking is a quality system that rids a company of Formatted: Normal, Indent: Left: 0"
poor performers and their incompetence. Most students will probably see the system as
harsh. Some might point out that it should be the manager’s job to train the bottom 10%
to work more effectively and try and retain people in the company. Performance can also
be measured in a variety of ways —- many of these ranking methods could be inherently
flawed.
2. Part of the forced raking label reflects the intent to force distinctions among
the performance level of workers. In an absolute rating system, everyone could be
rated “above average,” not so with forced ranking. Does the difference between the
absolute and relative rating approaches mean that the absolute performance
judgments are wrong?
Students will see that the relative rating systems can be troublesome. Some raters
could find “above average” to mean completely separate things to each of them,
thus giving different rankings to two similar employees. Rating employees with
absolute judgments means that the raters have all available information on that
employee to make such a judgment. Students will want to know why managers
think that they are able to do this.
3. As a manager, would you prefer to rely on an absolute performance rating
system or a relative system, such as forced ranking? Why?

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Students will be split on this answer. Some will want to use a safer measurement
approach as to treat all employees the same under the system. Others will want to
Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt
use a more relative approach. Some student will express their suspicion with
either approach.
4. Can you devise an absolute rating system that would guarantee
differentiation among workers? Why or why not?
A few students might have an interesting approach to solving this controversial
issue. Most will see that there are no guarantees when it comes to evaluating
workers and their performances. The system, after being devised, still has to be
interpreted which leaves room for different points of view when ranking.

Global Case 7.2

Cultural Competency

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Is there a distinction between diversity and cultural competency, or are they
the same thing? Explain.
Cultural competency, the article explains, means that you have knowledge of a culture Formatted: Normal, Indent: Left: 0"
and the skills needed to work with that particular ethnic group. It does not stop there —–
you also need the attitude to work with them effectively. Diversity in the doctors’ offices
in the U.S. is what is causing cultural competency to be increasing in demand for our
health professionals.
2. A possible negative impact of cultural competency training is the furthering
of stereotypes. For example, training content might portray people of certain ethnic
backgrounds as acting the same way and lead to overgeneralization. Do you think
the problem could be avoided? How?
Most students will agree that this problem can be avoided by m. Making the
training include this topic and making sure the people trained are sensitive to
everyone’s individual needs. Some generalizing will more than likely take place
in the future, but the inclusion of cultural competency training will help managers
in the United States deal with a diverse population more effectively.
3. Do you think that cultural competency should be included as a core
competency in most businesses? Why or why not?
Most students will agree that it should be included, with the direction that the
global business environment is taking. Also, it will help other groups understand Commented [JT2]: Add currently before taking?
more about the United States and that the people here care a great deal and are
most accepting of other cultures.

Emerging Trends Case 7.3

One Job or Multiple Roles?

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Critical Thinking Questions

1. Innovator, technical expert, and team leader are some possible roles that
may be common in the workplace. What other roles and additional measures do you
think would be useful for role-based appraisal?

This would depend on the roles that a person might undertake. Other roles might
include team leader, communicator, troubleshooter, etc. For each of those roles,
measures might be developed forof traits expected such as delegating, planning,
coaching, directing, etc., for the team leader.

2. Rafael wants to put more emphasis on being a team player while Sarah wants
to delve into making creative contributions for the coming appraisal period.
However, both need to continue to perform their job functions.

a) Design a system that would allow people a choice in what they do and, thus, have
flexibility in what they are held accountable for.

Systems may take many different designs. Be open-minded, and look for how well
they meet the requirements.

b) Do you think people should be given the chance to place greater or lesser weight
on various roles they might play? Why or why not?

As always, which side a student takes on an issue like this is not as important as
how well she or he supports that position. Look for good issues like the need for
employees to develop all their traits and not just to play to their strengths.

3. What advantage might a role-based appraisal system offer to the organization?

To the worker?

If the jobs in an organization are broad and people in those jobs perform a wide
variety of roles, the role-based system offers an opportunity for a better analysis of
performance. Employees should be more pleased to be evaluated on what they
were actually expected to do. The organization gains better information and,
hopefully, better morale.

Customer-Driven HR Case 7.4

Electronic Appraisal: Using Performance Review Software

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Place yourself in the position of an employee receiving a performance review.

Would it matter to you whether your performance review, the narrative description
of your performance levels, and suggestions for improvement were generated by
computer or by your manager? Why?

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Answers will vary. These answers will likely hinge on the individuals’
perceptions of how they are viewed in the organization. Those who feel their
manager “likes them” would prefer a written evaluation; those who feel their
manager “doesn’t like them” might prefer the “unbiased” computer evaluation.
Human nature dictates that individuals will prefer the method that will provide
them the best opportunity to be evaluated positively. Discussion should focus on
this issue and the level of fairness associated with such a decision.

2. From the perspective of a manager, what advantages might be associated

with taking an electronic approach to reviewing the workers’ performance levels?
List these advantages into two categories: rational and political. The rational
category is for advantages such as the speed with which the appraisal task could be
completed. The political category is for advantages such as being able to blame the
computer software for a poor performance review that a worker is not happy with.

The advantages to using this type of software include the ease of an electronic
system to relieve the administrative burden of paperwork,; increased objectivity,;
and the convenience and efficiency of the system. While the suggestion of
managers being able to blame a poor review on the software is convenient,
managers who are doing an effective job of performance appraisals will appreciate
the user-friendliness of these systems and will view them as a tool to help them to
develop individuals who report to them.

The disadvantages are is that because of the ease of the use of the system,
participants, in providing feedback, may move through the responses quickly in a
“point and click” mode and neglect to put the appropriate amount of thought
required into the questions.

3. What rational and political disadvantages are associated with the use of
electronic performance review?

See response to question #2, above.

4. Given your answers to the previous questions, would you recommend the use
of electronic performance reviews? Justify your position.

While the costs for implementing an online performance appraisal system may at
first seem daunting, the benefits in such a system can improve the efficiency of
the organization from an administrative standpoint. As mentioned, the automated
aspect of the system reduces the need to have the clerical support necessary to
administer traditional systems, and there is a clear value to that component of the
process. However, the elements of the system that will not be impacted in terms
of cost savings are those areas that require the direct investment of time by the
manager and employee in terms of their involvement and interaction. Creation of
goals and objectives; the time allocation required for the performance appraisal

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discussion; training of the supervisor; dealing with the post appraisal

appeals/grievances make up a large chunk of the $1,500 per employee. The ROI
can be calculated by determining the time involvement of the manager and
employee and the cost of their time. Realistically, it may be a number of years
before a cost savings is realized with an online system, as much of the savings are
realized as a result of streamlining the administrative aspects of the performance
appraisal system.

HR in Small Business Case 7.5

Let’s Do It Right

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Place yourself in the position of the manager of a small business. Describe

situations when ethical performance appraisals for your employees are useful.

Students’ answers will vary but most will probably say that there are times when
having ethics as part of the performance appraisal is useful. Doing so sets a standard
of expected behavior and rewards (or not) employees for making ethical decisions
that the organization values. It shows employees how serious the company is about
maintaining an ethical organization.

2. Are there disadvantages to a focus on ethics in performance appraisal?

Describe.

Answers will vary but the disadvantages may include the following: it is hard to
measure sometimes the quality of a person’s ethical decision making and therefore
evaluating this can be difficult, managers may feel uncomfortable about evaluating
individuals ion this area and it can be difficult to translate an organizational-level
value to an individual-level standard of behavior.

3. How should a small business owner or manager go about developing an

appraisal system that measures ethical performance? Identify the steps.

Responses will vary but it is important that the students discuss that the process
should be related to the overall strategy of the organizational and that the behaviors
employees will be rated on are clear and observable. The steps may include: 1) job
analysis to identify the parts of the job that ethics is the most related too, 2) design
how the system will measure ethics, 3) train managers how to use the system, 4)
implement it, and 5) evaluate its effectiveness.

Additional Exercises Formatted: Font: Bold

In-Class or Out-of Class Group Activities

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Is it appropriate for organizations to evaluate and compensate employees according

to objective measures of performance, even though performance is at least partially
determined by factors beyond their control? Should a salesperson, for instance, be
paid completely on commission even in the midst of a recession that makes it
practically impossible to sell enough to make a decent living?

Students should have some differing opinions on this, especially with the example
of economic factors. You might expect some students to argue that employees
should only be evaluated and paid according to performance that they are able to
control. Others might take the position that when sales are down, the company
suffers, that it is unreasonable to expect that the company can shield the employees
from such conditions, or that economic downturns might result in layoffs if it were
not for the commission compensation plans. Help students as they struggle with
understanding the other point of view.

Performance appraisal is a management tool. As such, managers often use the tool
to benefit themselves or the company. For example, a manager may use overly
positive performance ratings as a reward for someone who spearheaded a project
for the manager. Likewise, a manager may use overly harsh ratings as punishment
for someone who objected to a project the manager promoted. Do you think such
use of the appraisal system is acceptable? Why?

Such behavior, if consciously performed, is unethical. However, the likelihood is

that the manager really believes that the performance ratings that she or he provided
were accurate. The problem with performance appraisals is that our biases and
many other factors affect how we view someone at that particular point in time.
Thus, if we are upset with someone, we are likely to think of them as a lower
performer. If we are pleased with someone, we are likely to think more highly of
their performance.

Working individually or in groups, develop a graphic rating scale for the following
jobs: secretary, engineer, directory assistance operator.

Job characteristics may include, but not be limited to: Secretary–--quantity of Formatted: Normal, Left, Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0",
Tab stops: Not at 0.25" + 1" + 1.5" + 2" + 2.5" + 3" +
work, frequency of errors, attendance, and initiative; Engineer–--initiative, significance 3.5" + 4" + 4.5" + 5" + 5.5" + 6"
of contribution to the organization, problem-solving skills, frequency of errors, and
communication skills; Directory Assistance Operator–--speed, attendance, accuracy, and
friendliness. In each case, the students should come up with a defining statement that
clarifies what the job characteristic means.

Working individually or in groups, describe the advantages and disadvantages of

using the forced distribution appraisal method for college professors.

Students should review the section on the forced distribution method and describe
how the use of this method would impact the rating of their college professors.

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Working individually or in groups, develop, over the period of a week, a set of

critical incidents covering the classroom performance of one of your instructors.

If you had the class conduct a job analysis and create a job description for an
instructor in Chapter 2, it would be helpful to refer to that to help identify what kinds
of behavior and tasks the instructor should be doing. This will give a good basis for
students to observe and watch for critical incidents. If they find critical incidents that
are not based in these other documents, it will be a good opportunity to go back and
review how all this ties together and that we haven't communicated to the instructor
in the job description these behaviors or tasks that they are now wanting to rate them
on.

Experiential Exercise: Performance Appraisal

Students are asked to develop an appraisal form.

1. Students should develop their own tool for appraising the performance of an
instructor. Look for them to apply concepts discussed in this chapter.

2. Students should present their tools to the class. How similar are the tools? Do they
all measure about the same factors? Which factor appears most often? Which do you
think is the most effective tool? Encourage students to reflect on the factors that they
chose, or did not choose. Share your perspective on what makes good teaching.

Contemporary Cinema Exercise

The Replacements (2001, Warner Bros., Start: – 1:00:02 End: – 1:03:58)

For the class:

When football players go on strike, coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) replaces
them with a group of misfits. The replacement players were all once potential stars but
are now down on their luck. The group includes a safety on work release from prison, a
Welsh kicker on the run from loan sharks, and a quarterback named Shane Falco (Keanu
Reeves) who removes barnacles from yachts for a living. The team needs to win three out
of four games to make it to the playoffs. At this point, they’ve just lost their first game
and the coach is giving them a pep talk about it.

For the instructor:

This clip begins as the assistant coach turns the floor over to McGinty with “OK coach,
it’s all yours.” The coach then goes over the team’s performance in the last game by
focusing on what went wrong. The clip ends with the coach telling the team “Let’s lose
that fear this Sunday and put it into San Diego.”

Questions:
1. What does the coach do right in his communication with the team?
2. What steps of an effective performance appraisal is the coach following?

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3. How might the group performance appraisal differ from the individual one?
4. This example is unusual in that the performance appraisal is given to an
entire team at once. How might the appraisal differ if only the quarterback
were present?

Analysis:
This clip makes several points about performance appraisal interviews; especially about
effective communication during performance appraisal interviews and the characteristics
of a good performance appraisal interview. There are at least two important aspects of
this clip. First is the coach’s communication style. Notice the way McGinty listens and
helps the group understand Falco’s comments. He also opened the floor with an open
question: “What are we afraid of?” The clip also shows the first two characteristics of an
effective performance appraiser: First, the coach explores the cause of the performance
problem. Second, he directs attention to the cause of the problem. Notice that he doesn’t
micro-manage the team. He doesn’t talk about what when wrong at each play. Instead, he
tackles the big issue.

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 ON DEATH OF PUSHKIN.

Silent the sounds of wondrous songs;

Their latest notes have pealed;
Narrow and dim his resting-place,
The singer’s lips are sealed.
 DREAM.[1]

’Neath midday heat, in Dagestána’s Vale,

With leaden ball in breast I lifeless lay;
From a deep wound smoke rose upon the gale,
And drop by drop my life-blood ebbed away.

Alone I lay upon the sandy slopes;

The craggy cliffs around me crowded steep;
The sunlight burned upon their yellow tops,
And burned on me who slept no mortal sleep.

A dream I dreamed, and saw in sparkling bowers

An evening feast in my home—far away—
Where young and lovely women, crowned with flowers,
Conversed of me in accents light and gay.

But, in their happy talk not joining, one

Sat far apart, and plunged in thought she seemed;
And oh!—the mystery knows God alone—
This was the dream her young soul sadly dreamed.

She saw in vision Dagestána’s Vale,

Where on the slope a well-known body lay;
From the black wound smoke rose upon the gale,
And in cold streams the life-blood ebbed away.

FOOTNOTES:
[1] This poem partakes of a prophecy. Lermontof was himself
killed in a duel on the slopes of the Caucasus.
 CLOUDS.
(AN EXPERIMENT IN RUSSIAN DACTYLS.)

Cloudlets ethereal wandering ceaselessly,

Floating in pearly chains over the azure deep;
Maybe, as even I, suffering banishment,[2]
Leaving your own dear North, southward perforce you sweep.

What is compelling you? Destiny’s ordinance?

Envy invisible? Open iniquity?
Maybe deeds criminal heavily press on you;
Maybe the slander of friendship’s obliquity.

No! you are simply aweary of fruitless fields;

Strangers to passions and strangers to punishment.
Frigid eternally, free everlastingly,
You have no country, and cannot know banishment!

FOOTNOTES:
[2] Lermontof was banished from St. Petersburg to the
Caucasus.
 PRAYER.
(AN EXPERIMENT IN RUSSIAN DACTYLS.)

Praying now earnestly, Mother of God, come I,

Bending before thy shrine radiant in brilliancy,
Not for salvation, or battle-eve benison,
Not with thanksgiving, or even repentancy.

Not for my own sad soul lost in the wilderness,

Soul of a pilgrim here wandering homelessly;
But for a maiden pure, whom I would trust to thee,
Fervid Protectress from cold inhumanity!

Circle with Fortune this maiden deserving it;

Grant her considerate friends on life’s pilgrimage,
Youth of bright buoyancy, age of reposefulness;
Grant to her sinless soul Hope’s happy peacefulness.

Then—when the farewell hour finally draweth nigh,—

Whether in morn’s hum, or silence of eventide,—
Send forth the best of thine angels to take to thy
Bosom of mercy her peerlessly perfect soul!
 HOW WEARY! HOW DREARY!

How weary! how dreary! with no friend to ease the heart’s pain
In moments of sorrow of soul!
Fond desires! But what use the desire that is ever in vain?
And o’er us the best years roll.

To love. But the loved one? ’Tis nothing to love for a space;
And for ever Love cannot remain.
Dost thou glance at thyself? Of the “has been” remains not a trace,
And all gladness and sorrow are vain.

The passions? Ah! sooner or later, their malady sweet

Will vanish at reason’s behest;
And life—when the circle of cold contemplation’s complete—
Is a stupid and frivolous jest.
 ⁂

Alone I pass along the lonely road,

Thro’ gathering mist the pebbly pathway gleams;
The night is still;—the void remembers God,
And star vibrates to star with speaking beams.

A wondrous glory moves across the sky;

Soft sleeps the earth in dove-grey azure light.
Why aches my heart? Why troubled thus am I?
What wait I for, what grieve I for, this night?

No more from life can I expect to gain,

And for the “has been” it were vain to weep;
I simply seek repose, release from pain,
And fain would rest, forgetting all, in sleep.

But not the sleep which the cold tomb implies;

But rather would I rest for ages so
That in my breast the strength of life might rise
In gentle wavelets, heaving to and fro.

The while that in my ears by night and day,

A sweet voice sang of ceaseless love to me;
And o’er me leaned, greening in every spray
And faintly whispering, my dark cedar[3] tree.

FOOTNOTES:
[3] Lit., “oak.”
 ⁂

One wave upon another leaps,

And splashes, murmuring loud;
So men on men, in rolling heaps,
Press on—a worthless crowd.

The waves prefer their cold free-will

To warmth the noonday gave;
Souls men desire to have, yet still
They’re colder than the wave.
 BALLAD.
THE QUEEN OF THE SEA.

The young Prince is swimming his steed in the sea;

He heareth a voice: “Oh, Prince, look upon me!”

Loud snorteth the steed as he pricks up his ears;

He splashes the foam as he plunges and rears.

Again hears the Prince: “A king’s daughter I be;

Art thou willing to pass the whole evening with me?”

Behold, from the water a white hand extends,

And catches the reins by their silk tassel-ends.

To the white hand a young face there quickly succeeds;

In her locks are entangled the twisted seaweeds.

Her blue eyes are gleaming with love’s wild delight;

On her bosom the foam-drops like pearls sparkle bright.

Then thinketh the Prince, “You must stay, lady fair;”

And adroitly he windeth his hand in her hair.

He has caught her. The hand of the warrior’s strong;

She weeps and she prays as they struggle along.

The Prince to the shore swimmeth on in his pride;

He lands, and loud calls he his friends to his side.

“Ho! come, my brave comrades, and look at my prey.

Behold how she struggles! She’ll ne’er get away.

“Why stand ye a terrified group on the shore?

Ye have ne’er seen a beauty like this one before.”
Back glanceth the Prince, with delight, on his prize;
But the proud look of triumph soon fades from his eyes.

With a shudder he sees on the golden sand trail

A fearsome sea-monster, with hideous green tail—

A tail covered over with scales like a snake,

Its quivering coils in death-agony shake.

The foam from her forehead is pouring in streams,

And the darkness of death from her closing eye gleams;

Her pale hands are clutching the sands of the sea,

And of purport unknown a reproach whispers she.

Afar rides the Prince—deep in thought rideth he;

For long years he’ll remember “the Queen of the Sea.”
 THE PROPHET.

Since the Eternal Judge to me

The Prophets’ power of vision lent,
In human eyes I read, and see
Pages of vice and folly blent.

To preach of love when I began,

Teaching of truth and purity,
My neighbours all, like devils, ran
And took up stones to throw at me.

Upon my head I ashes cast,

And from the towns, a beggar, fled;
And now I dwell in deserts vast,
Just like the birds, by God’s hand fed.

Keeping the laws of Providence,

The brute creation serveth me;
The stars hear me with confidence,
With bright rays playing joyously.

When through the noisy city’s way

I hurry onwards, in distraction,
The old men to the children say,
With smile of selfish satisfaction—

“Behold, from him a warning take!

He was too proud with us to dwell;
The fool! That God through his lips spake—
This was the tale he strove to tell.
“Look, children! on him cast your eyes!
How sad he is! how thin and pallid!
How naked, and how poor and squalid!
How all the wretched man despise!”
 WHEN—THEN.

When waves of shadow fret the yellowing fields;

When freshly hum the woods to Zephyr’s play;
When on the garden walls the reddening plums,
Hiding themselves, in leafy ambush sway;

When freshly washed in heavy-scented dews

(While evening red or golden morning glows),
From ’neath the hedge to me, with welcoming bows,
Her silver head the waving lily shows;

When sports the snow-cold runlet down the dale,

Plunging my restless thoughts in pensive dreams,
Whispering to me some deep mysterious tale
Of that reposeful source from whence it streams;—

Then in my soul calm peace succeeds alarm,

Upon my brow dissolves the furrowed frown;
On earth I catch of happiness the charm;
From heaven I see the Godhead looking down.
 MY NATIVE LAND.

I love my land, but with a love so strange

That reason over it no victory knows.
Her glory, bought in bloodshed’s stern exchange,
Her ever-confident and proud repose,
The sacred annals of her ancient might,
Arouse in me no fancies of delight.

Nay! but I love (the why I cannot say)

Her cold steppes in their silent majesty,
Her waving woodlands in their boundless play,
Her flooded rivers spreading like the sea.
I love to drive adown her country lanes,
With longing glance piercing the shades of night,
Sighing for rest, to catch thro’ distant panes
The glimmering of some mournful village light.
I love to see the smoke of smouldering stalk;
To watch the waggons o’er the wide waste wend;
Or, on hillside, ’mid yellowing fields, to mark
The pair of birch trees their white arms extend.
With a delight, unknown except to few,
Love I to note the well-filled threshing-floor,
The peasant’s hut, half hidden in the straw,
The shutters with quaint carvings covered o’er;
And with no less delight, on holiday,
From dewy eve till noon of night, to gaze
Upon the dance, with stamp and whistling gay,
Amid the roar the merry rustics raise.
 TO ——.

We stand apart, yet still thy pictured face

I fondly press to this sad heart of mine—
A vision pale, of happiest years a trace,
My soul rejoices in this gift of thine.

For, though to passions new I’m now resigned,

That once-loved face I cannot cease to love;
The shrine forsaken still retains the shrined;
O’erthrown the image, yet God reigns above.
 THE DAGGER.

Well do I love thee, my dagger of steel,

My comrade so bright and so cold!
Thou wast forged in hate by a Georgian fell,
For the fierce fight edged by Circassian bold.

Thee to me as a gift did a lily hand bear

In the moment of sad farewell;
For that once no blood, but a glittering tear,
A pearl of passion, adown thee fell.

Fixed upon mine, her dark black eyes

Full of mysterious sorrow seemed;
As plays thy blade when flickering flames arise,
Darkling they gloomed, and then they brightly gleamed.

Dumb pledge of love to cheer my cheerless way,

To wanderer lone a useful guide,
My strength of soul I never shall betray,
But true like thee, true steel, will I abide!
 ⁂

No! not for thee flames thus my love’s hot blast;

Thy brilliant beauty is not thine for me.
In thee I love a passion of the past;
My long-lost youth I live again in thee.

For when at times entranced I gaze upon thee,

Fixing on thy bright eyes a yearning glance,
To thee my heart is silent, while beyond thee
With her I hold mysterious utterance.

I speak with her, my friend of earlier blisses;

In your soft lines another’s form I trace.
On living lips I press long-silent kisses;
In your sweet eyes I see a vanished face.
 DISPUTE.[4]

Once, before a tribal meeting

Of the mountain throng,
Kazbek-hill with Shat-the-mountain[5]
Wrangled loud and long.
“Have a care, Kazbek, my brother,”
Shat, the grey-haired, spoke;
“Not for naught hath human cunning
Bent thee to the yoke.
Man will build his smoky cabins
On thy hillside steep;
Up thy valley’s deep recesses
Ringing axe will creep;
Iron pick will tear a pathway
To thy stony heart,
Delving yellow gold and copper
For the human mart.
Caravans, e’en now, are wending
O’er thy stately heights,
Where the mists and kingly eagles
Wheeled alone their flights.
Men are crafty; what though trying
Proved the first ascent,
Many-peopled, mark, and mighty
Is the Orient.”
“Nay, I do not dread the Orient,”
Kazbek, answering, jeers;
“There mankind has spent in slumber
Just nine hundred years.
Look, where ’neath the shade of plane trees
Sleepy Georgians gape,
Spilling o’er their broidered clothing
Foam of luscious grape!
See, ’mid wreaths of pipe-smoke, lying
On his flowered divan,
By the sparkling pearly fountain
Dozeth Teheran!
“Lo! around Jerusalem’s city,
Burned by God’s command,
Motionless, in voiceless stillness,
Death-like, lies the land.

“Farther off, to shade a stranger,

Yellow Nilus laves,
Glowing in the glare of noonday,
Steps of royal graves.
Bedouins forget their sorties
For brocaded tents,
While they count the stars and sing of
Ancestral events.
All that there the vision greeteth
Sleeps in prized repose;
No! the East will ne’er subdue me;
Feeble are such foes!”

“Do not boast thyself so early,”

Answered ancient Shat;
“In the North, look! ’mid the vapours,
Something rises! What?”
Secretly the mighty Kazbek
At this warning shook,
And, in trouble, towards the nor’ward
Cast a hurried look.
As he looks, in perturbation,
Filled with anxious care,
He beholds a strange commotion,
Hears a tumult there.
Lo! from Ural to the Danube,
To the mighty stream,
Tossing, sparkling in the sunlight,
Moving regiments gleam;
Glancing wave the white-plumed helmets
Like the prairie grass,
While, ’mid clouds of dust careering,
Flashing Uhlans pass.
Crowded close in serried phalanx
War battalions come;
In the van they bear the standards,
Thunders loud the drum;
Streaming forth like molten copper
Batteries, rumbling, bound;
Smoking just before the battle
Torches flare around;
Skilled in toils of stormy warfare,
Heading the advance,
See! a grey-haired general guides them,
Threat’ning is his glance.
Onwards move the mighty regiments
With a torrent’s roar;
Terrible, like gathering storm-clouds,
East, due east, they pour.
 Then, oppressed with dire forebodings,
Filled with gloomy dreams,
Strove Kazbek to count the foemen,
Failed to count their streams.
Glancing on his tribal mountains,
Sadly gloomed the hill;
Drew across his brows his mistcap,
And for aye was still.

FOOTNOTES:
[4] This piece is famous for the description it contains of
Russia’s progress eastward.
[5] Two mountains in the Caucasian range subdued by Russia
with the rest of the Caucasus.