Staff Evaluations: Personality or Performance?
| Published date | 01 September 1988 |
| Date | 01 September 1988 |
| Author | David Godson,Christine Lawrie |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058803500303 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Staff Evaluations:
Personality or
Performance?
David Godson and Christine Lawrie
SPO (Research and Information), Hampshire and ACPO, Derbyshire
The changing role of Service management has led to a shift
of emphasis on staff appraisals. Evaluation has been unduly
pre-occupied with the individual in often vague, ’treatment’
language, rather than the achievement of tasks. The authors
offer a model which affirms the crucial importance of task-
centred appraisals.
McWilliams’ charts with exceptional clarity
also need to undergo a shift in emphasis.
the changing role of Probation Service manage-
Appraisals would need to focus on whether
ment. He contrasts the ’old’ professional ad-
specific tasks had been achieved, rather than
ministrators, whose emphasis was primarily one
performance in the use of social work skills.
of casework supervision, with the emergence
Although there is a fundamental difference bet-
of management by objectives. In McWilliams’
ween the two approaches, there are those who
view the most important
would
concept which allow-
argue that the Service is a long way from
ed the transition from old to new
implementing the changes required. Lewis
1
was that of
has commented:
supervision.
’
’It
...
supervision tends to be person-centred (as
was this concept above all which underwent
distmct from task),
It is demoralising, in that
a gradual but crucial alteration in meamng
the supervisee is never allowed to grow up. His
Thus it was that supervision ... which m the ’old’
appraisals must always contam a hst of negatives
Probation Service the Morison Report had defined
(or weaknesses) ... Supervision should be kept
as ’casework supermsion’, became in the ’new’
to the specifics of service delivery.’
Service, a function of control m the pursuit of
policy objectives.’
As long ago as 1980, Greater Manchester Pro-
bation Service produced a policy document on
As McWilliams observes, the Management
staff confirmation and evaluation’. In answer
Structure Review of the Service summed up the
to the question, ’what is evaluation?’ the docu-
position well’:
ment confidently states:
I
it is no
...
longer sufficient to look upon
’There have been difficulties in the past because
management ... as purely a means of enabling
Seniors using the casework model treated their
probation officers to practise their social work
officers as clients. It is suggested that evaluation
skills .. its primary task is to identify the tasks
should look at the tasks undertaken by the officer’.
which society requires of the Service and to
develop
From the
ways of discharging these responsibilities
point of view of the change in style
most effectively.’
of supervision described by McWilliams, this
statement appears unequivocal. When it comes
Task Centred, Not Person Centred
to specifics the aims are less clear. As part of
the evaluation of performance the appraiser is
With this change in direction towards the pur-
required to comment on growth potential,
suit of policy objectives came recognition that
development of self, and broader developmental
the evaluation of officers’ performance would
needs. Also to be included is an assessment of
92
strengths and weaknesses, with plans to deal
the pursuit of policy objectives is encapsulated
with stated weaknesses. Even attitudes towards
in the following notes on performance in post:
formal supervision do not escape attention.
’About six objectives are normally right although
While none of this
these
may amount to what...
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