Municipal sports officers perceptions of performance appraisal and their relationship with satisfaction with the process

Abstract

One of the human resources management functions is the appraisal of employee performance. Given the fact that employees are the most important source of capital advantage to an organisation, the overall aim of performance appraisal should be to instil a high performance culture in the organisation. Public organisations like municipalities have focused greatly on performance appraisal because it is critical to the improvement of employee performance and development. Improved employee performance could lead to effective delivery of sports services which appear to be a neglected service delivery area in many municipalities. Despite the perceived importance of performance appraisal in organisations, it has come under considerable scrutiny, criticism and debate recently resulting in extensive contention of its efficacy and usefulness. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between municipal sport officers' perceptions of performance appraisal and their satisfaction with the appraisal process. Using a quantitative research approach, a three-section questionnaire was administered to a sample of 101 municipal sports officers in selected municipalities in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Descriptive analysis of the sample composition was undertaken and the Cronbach alpha reliability of the subscales was established. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between satisfaction with the performance appraisal process and personal benefits, performance appraisal criteria, organisational benefits, feedback and perceived fairness. Regression analysis was undertaken to determine the strongest predictor of satisfaction with the performance appraisal process. It is evident from the findings of the study that municipal sports officers' satisfaction with the performance appraisal process at their respective organisations influences the extent to which organisational goals are achieved. Therefore the potential that performance appraisal has to develop and change the goals and strategies of an organisation into manageable factors that are measurable and attainable should be exploited.