218 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
are likely to defuse potential lawsuits or investigations if they can show
that performance appraisals are job related and refl ect fair and accurate
evaluations of performance.
This chapter discusses some of the common theories on employee
motivation: how to develop an appraisal program, train raters, prepare
documentation and review evaluations, as well as ethical issues in per-
formance appraisal. It also provides examples of performance appraisal
techniques and instruments and concludes with a discussion of alternative
evaluation practices.Motivation
Motivation is the desire within a person causing that person to act.
According to Rainey (2003), work motivation refers to a person ’ s desire
to work hard and work well — that is, to the arousal, direction, and per-
sistence of effort in work settings. He notes that the defi nition is far too
simple, however, and leaves unanswered many questions about what it
means to work hard and well, what determines a person ’ s desire to do
so, and how such behavior can be measured. He states that motivation
is an umbrella concept that serves as an overreaching theme for research
on a variety of related topics, including organizational identifi cation and
commitment, leadership practices, job involvement, and characteristics
of work goals. He further notes the variety of words used to describe
motivation, which often overlap: needs, values, motives, incentives, objectives ,
and goals , for example. Rainey (2003) defines them as the following:
A need is a resource or condition required for the well - being of an indi-
vidual. A motive is a force within an individual that causes him or her to
seek to obtain or avoid some external object or condition. An incentive is
an external object or condition that evokes behaviors aimed at attaining
or avoiding it. A goa l is a future state that one strives to achieve, and an
objective is a more specifi c short - term goal, a step toward a more general,
longer - term goal.Content Theories of Motivation
Content theories of motivation refer to the needs, motives, and
rewards that people are attempting to satisfy. They are often referred to
as need theories of motivation. These theories use personal characteristics