Employees' subjective experience in participating in a performance management system based on the principles of appreciative inquiry

Concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM) have been deployed in organizations for more than 50. Yet, confirming evidence still indicates a high failure rate in implementation of the TQM concepts. One of the main reasons is that the majority of today's companies devote relatively little attention to human resource management (HRM) and considerations of interpersonal relations. Successful transition to a TQM culture requires that organizations review and revise all of their management systems, especially the performance management system.;Even with extensive application of TQM/Performance Excellence, relatively few changes are taking place in HR performance evaluation in TQM-driven organizations. This indicates that we must also consider the inconsistencies that are occurring between current HR performance evaluations and the values and principles espoused by TQM/Performance Excellence. Improving performance evaluation in organizations does not lie in trying to improve the technical elements of any approach to performance management. Rather, it lies in helping employees improve their performance.;In the applications of appreciative inquiry (AI), a high success rate has been reported using the AI model. Individuals who participate in AI experience personal and collective power, and the use of that power is directed toward the good of the whole. AI enhances self-esteem and self-expression by giving employees the opportunity to be heard in a positive light. Overall, AI addresses many of the causes of resistance to change that are experienced in the traditional approaches to change and is well aligned with the principles and values of TQM/Performance Excellence.;This study is focused on the employees' experience in participating in a performance management system based on the principles of AI; it is not, however, a study about AI. The results of this study show that while there is promise in using an AI-based performance management system; there is also considerable variability in individual employees' experiences. This variability is due to the influence of the employee's direct manager more than the system itself or the use of an AI-based performance management system. The master themes of goal setting, feedback, and relationship with manager are consistent with previous research in the area of performance management. More unique and attributable to the use of AI, is the master theme of positive force that employees experience when an AI-based performance management system is consistently and fully deployed by their manager.