228 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
in useful feedback to managers, reinforce good management behavior,
encourage greater attention to subordinate needs, and facilitate needed
group changes.
Research conducted by McEvoy (1990) in fi ve public sector organizations
suggests that managers would accept the use of subordinate appraisals if
the following conditions were met: subordinates were made aware of the
requirements of the manager ’ s job, subordinates were asked to rate only
the people - oriented dimensions of their boss ’ s performance, the accuracy
and fairness of subordinate evaluations were monitored, morale issues
were discussed in advance, and the ratings were used primarily for
developmental purposes.
Aspects of performance such as providing timely and accurate infor-
mation to other departments or agencies can often best be assessed by
asking the individuals who interact with the employees to evaluate their
performance. The absence of complaints does not mean that employ-
ees are satisfactorily performing their tasks, so supervisors should not rely
on such unreliable indicators. Instead, information should come from the
sources that are in the best position to evaluate an employee ’ s performance
on specifi c dimensions.
Many organizations require employees to evaluate their own perfor-
mance independent of other evaluations. This is referred to as self - appraisal.
Supervisors and employees complete appraisal instruments and then meet to
compare their evaluations. Differences in their perceptions and expectations
are clarifi ed, and strategies for improving future performance or developing
career goals are discussed. This process is helpful because employees often
are aware of performance constraints or have received commendations for
their performance that their supervisor does not know about.Executive Evaluation
The evaluation of city managers and executive directors of nonprofi ts
is typically performed by city councils, board directors, or subcommittees
of the board. Again, there is little consistency in evaluation procedures.
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recom-
mends that as part of the employment contract, the council should attach
a statement of performance goals and standards and evaluation proce-
dures. The simplest approach is to specify an annual review and the evalu-
ation of the manager ’ s performance based on goals and standards agreed on
by the manager and the council. The city of Troy, Michigan, develops goals