The Research On Contingency Choice Of Knowledge Workers’Performance Appraical Methods Based On Performance Characteristics

Small and medium-sized enterprise has been an important dynamic of today’s economic and social development, knowledge workers as the backbone of the organization who create value is essential for the promotion of the sustainable development. How appraisal knowledge-workers effectively has become an important issue for researchers and managers.Being enlightened by both one basic viewpoint that the knowledge workers’ performance is grasping the nature of performance characteristics and contingency management theory. This paper reviewed of the definition of knowledge workers, covering the object and classification, the performance content and structure, the match rule between performance characteristics and appraisal methods. Compiling the questionnaire of performance characteristics, processing interviewing cases text, the final edition one was formed by preliminary test, items filter, formal test, reliability and validity test, Forming the final performance characteristics of scale. These five performances attributes are that whether work behaviors can be evaluated or not, whether work outcome is definite or not, whether work outcome is special or not, whether work outcome is team oriented or not, whether performance acquired need long time or not.The test about research hypothesizes shows that there are no performance appraisal methods which can be applied universally; there is only one which is the best for knowledge workers whit a certain performance characteristics, building the contingency model based on the performance characteristics. The most effective assessment methods is the match rule between performance characteristics and appraisal methods.the paper used SPSS17.0to analysis reliability and validity of the questionnaire、using variance and independent samples T-test method for analysis statistical data, Inspection consistency between Contingency methods based on the performance characteristics and Contingency Management of thought.As to knowledge workers whose work behaviors not to be evaluable and work outcome not to be definite, trait-behaviors-outcome comprehensive appraisal method is fit better for them than other ones. As to knowledge workers whose work behaviors not to be evaluable and work outcome to be definite, outcome oriented appraisal method is fit better for them than other ones. As to knowledge workers whose work behaviors to be evaluable and work outcome to be definite, outcome oriented appraisal method, or behaviors oriented appraisal method, or outcome-behaviors comprehensive appraisal method is the best for them. As to knowledge workers whose work behaviors to be evaluable and work outcome not to be definite, behaviors oriented appraisal method is fit better for them than other ones. As to knowledge workers whose work outcome is special, peer review is fit better for them than no peer review. As to knowledge workers whose work outcome is not special, the three appraisal methods above mentioned are the same at being accepted. As to knowledge workers whose work outcome is team oriented, team-individual combinative appraisal method is fit better for them than team oriented appraisal method, and individual oriented appraisal method. As to knowledge workers whose work outcome is individual oriented, individual oriented appraisal method is fit better for them than both team oriented appraisal method and team-individual combinative appraisal method. As to knowledge workers whose performance acquired need long time, performance appraisal once a year is better than do it once a month or once a quarter. As to knowledge workers whose performance acquired is not long time cycle, performance appraisal once a month or once a quarter is better than do it once a year. The test result about research hypothesizes indicates that the best appraisal method is still belong to the ones which fit performance characteristics even if considering the less important factors that influencing appraisal method selected, which imply that performance characteristics is the most important factor that determining appraisal method selected. Although some research hypothesizes in the comprehensive contingency model of appraisal methods selected have not been tested yet because sample shortage, the known test result shows that main effect of performance attributes on appraisal methods selected is crucial. The research results about contingency model provide a reference system to select appraisal method. Finally, this dissertation pointed out the research shortcoming and further research filed.