| Performance appraisals are an important management tool. If effectively used, they enable administrators to make good personnel decision (about promotions, pay increases, dismissals, etc.) and to help employees develop their skills. According to many observers, however, performance appraisals as used in the Kuwait civil service lead to poor morale and low productivity. They charge that the appraisal system is unevenly applied and secretive, that it is inadequately linked to the reward system, and that it results in frustration, cynicism, and insecurity among employees.;To accomplish this purpose, questionnaires were distributed to a large sample of General Posts and Services Posts employees and their superiors in the five largest government ministries (Communications, Education, Interior, Public Health, and Social Affairs). In addition, officials knowledgeable about the appraisal system were interviewed; the literature on performance appraisal was reviewed, and the changing role of performance appraisal in the U.S. Civil Service was examined, for purposes of comparison.;The findings of the questionnaire survey and the interviews tended to confirm the allegations made against the present system in the Kuwait civil service. Very few employees participated in establishing the standards for evaluation; indeed, in most cases, they were not even informed of the results of their annual performance ratings. Rarely were appraisals used as a basis for making personnel decision, determining training needs, or developing employee potential. Most employees had negative attitudes toward the current system and felt it should be changed, as did their superiors.;Accordingly, on the basis of the study findings, a detailed proposal for a new performance appraisal system is presented.;The purpose of this study was to design a new performance appraisal system for white-collar employees in the Kuwait civil service, a system that facilitates more rational and fair administrative decisionmaking, improved employee development, and increased morale and productivity. |
