The Effects of Performance Appraisal System on Employees’ Performance in the Public Service of Jamaica – A Case Study of the Jamaica Constabulary Force

This research project investigates the effects of performance appraisal system on employees’ performance in the public service of Jamaica, with a case study of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. It aims to determine the relationship between employees’ productivity and the appraisal of performance, and to help employees understand important information related to their work.

Running head: RESEARCH PROJECT
Research Project: The Effects of Performance Appraisal System on Employees’ Performance
in the Public Service of Jamaica – A Case Study of the Jamaica Constabulary Force
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
2. Aim and objective........................................................................................................................4
3. Key Literature Review.................................................................................................................5
3.1 Significance and scope of the study.......................................................................................5
3.2 Key words..............................................................................................................................6
3.3 Literature Review..................................................................................................................6
4. Research approach.....................................................................................................................13
4.1 Research design...................................................................................................................13
4.2 Data collection methods......................................................................................................14
4.3 Data analysis........................................................................................................................14
4.4 Ethical consideration...........................................................................................................15
5. Research Plan.............................................................................................................................15
5.1 Organisation of the study.....................................................................................................15
5.2 Project Plan..........................................................................................................................16
6. Reference list:............................................................................................................................18

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1. Introduction
Human Resource department is a significant part of any organisation, irrespective of the
objectives of the business, nature of the institution or the scale of business. The role of an HR
executive is not only to look after hiring of people, their responsibility is to understand the needs,
requirements, issues, grudges and provide the people of the organisation with better opportunities
(DeNisi & Smith, 2014). Maintaining a motivated and inspiring work environment is also a part
of the management so that the people are content and have their interest aligned with the
objective of the company. There are a number of expectations when a person joins a company as
an employee and this expectation is form both the parties: employer and the employee. One of
the most important aspects of expectation of an employee is getting the rightful remuneration as
well as appreciation for the efforts that he or she has been incorporating in the work (Sharma &
Sharma, 2017). Another major aspiration from the perspective of an employee is the chance to
grow and improve in the system; this is where performance management and evaluation becomes
an integral part of any organisation. Based on the nature of the work, scale of operation etc the
prospect of improvement or development in the career path is defined. Performance management
and evaluation leads to appraisal, which has to systematic and organized as it is one of the major
sources of motivation for an individual’s performance (Speklé & Verbeeten, 2014). In the
process of employee appraisal the employees are reviewed and discussed; weaknesses, strengths,
opportunities and threats are all identified for caution and development of the organisation
(Huselid, M. A. 1995). Some of the major factors that affect the effectiveness of an appraisal
system include; communication, training, documented process and evaluation of results. Reward
review, potential review and performance review are the major types of appraisals commonly
used in the organisations (Speklé & Verbeeten, 2014).

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Performance management is a part of the justification of the remuneration that is being
offered, thus, it directly impacts the motivation of the employee. Basically there are two
objectives of performance review and appraisal: firstly it is used to evaluate the recent
performance of the individual and secondly, determine the future prospects of the person and the
training or resource that is required to equip the person for future endeavors. It should be noted
that appraisal is a part of performance management, there are other aspects of performance
management as well. The human resource of a company is the back bone of the operations,
therefore it is essential to monitor and evaluate the performance as it is directly responsible for
the performance of the company as well.
According to Allen & Mayfield (1983), the performance appraisal is one of the
components in the organisations that cause serious problems in the Human Resource
Departments. The chances of a person being de-motivated or dissatisfied with the results of the
performance management are high. There are chances of internal conflict and issues due to
appraisal. The policies of every organisation are taken based on the suitability of the
management and thus the appraisal systems are sometimes based on a yearly basis or takes place
by annually etc. There are also a number of frameworks that have been developed by scholars
over the years in order to help the management of business organisations to manage the
performance of the employees (Allen & Mayfield, 1983).
This research is about the effects of appraisal system on employees in the public service
of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the potential ethical issues that are likely to affect this
system. The major significance of production in most of the organisations is to maintain, (Becker

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& Gerhart, 1996) meet and satisfy the customers’ needs; this ensures that the company competes
favorably regardless of the stiffness of the competition in the market.
2. Aim and objective
The principal aim of the research project is to investigate the Effects of Performance
Appraisal System on Employees’ Performance of The Jamaica Constabulary Force in the Public
Service of Jamaica. As appraisal is an important part of the responsibility of the Human
Resource, the department of the organisation of choice will play an essential role in answering
the research questions and eventually achieving the objectives of the research.
Research questions:
Does performance appraisal improve the productivity of the employees?
What is the relationship in between employees’ productivity and the appraisal of performance?
What is the important information that the employees need to understand related to their work?
What are the ways in which the employees can improve based on the past performance?
In this research the objectives are as follow:
 To know whether the performance appraisal enhances the productivity
 To review the relationship between employees’ productivity and the appraisal of
performance.
 To help the employees understand the important information related to their work.

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 To help managers and supervisors improve on their current performance based on
their past performances.
3. Key Literature Review
3.1 Significance and scope of the study
Human resource management is a very common topic of research among the academic
society, thus there has been several studies that have been conducted upon the various variables
associated with the subject. The importance of performance management in an organisation
owes to the fact that it is directly responsible for the way the company performance at large as
well. As the people are responsible for the daily operates and delivering the needful for running
the business, it is essential to evaluate and monitor the performance with transparency.
Performance appraisal is an important part of performance management and has a number of
advantages as well as disadvantages. This research will help the managers of an organisation to
understand and use the advantages of the strategies in order to overcome the disadvantages. The
process is also important as it is widely accepted by organisations all over the world, though the
process and the implementation may be different based on a number of aspects.
The research will concentrate on the public sector service as the case study is based on
Jamaica Constabulary Force. In the service sector the performance of the employees cannot be
measured with particular numerical values rather mostly it is based on the feedbacks that are
received by the customers and the supervisors. Hence this research is important to understand the
ways in which the process of appraisal impacts the performance of the employees in the future.

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Motivation plays a significant role in the performance of a person and his or her will to continue
working with the organisation.
Appraisal is a source of motivation as it is regarded as a reward for the performance that
the person for a stipulated period of time. With the help of this study the manager of an
organisation will understand the factors that cause inconsistency and develops conflict among the
people. They can also understand the ways in which the process can be improved in their
organisation. The work is also expected to serve the employees of any organisation in terms of
their knowledge that they need to acquire of the organisation during the time of their appraisal.
3.2 Key words
Performance management, performance appraisal, motivation, Job satisfaction, employee
retention
3.3 Literature Review
Theoretical concept of Performance management and performance Appraisal
The output of the people associated with the company appointed at any level is
responsible for the success and achievement of the organisation. Based on the values and
principles that drive the company the objectives of the business are set accordingly. Therefore, it
is important for the management to monitor and evaluate the performance of the people.
According to Makori (2014), performance management is the process of improvement and
development of the tasks that the employees have to perform on a day to day basis in order to
achieve the objectives of the business. Communication in between the supervisors and the
employees are an important aspect of performance management (Makori, 2014).

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Performance management includes training and development so that the employees get
an opportunity to improve and develop skills so that they can also grow in their career with the
company. Employee retention is one of the major challenges for the HR department, it is
essential to develop a work environment for the employees, which is favorable in doing this
performance management play an important role. Another important variable in the process of
performance management is motivation; motivation is also a factor that drives job satisfaction,
for example, if an employee work is appreciated with the managers or supervisors there is a
chance that the employee will be positively motivated to work towards a desired outcome.
There is always a difference in between what the employees perceive and the actual
performance, this in turn gives rise to conflicts and issues which can be averted with the help of
transparency and effective communication (Makori, 2014).
However, appraisal is a part of performance management and is a part of significant
academic research over the years. Performance appraisal includes a feedback of the employee
and also helps in determining the strengths as well as the weaknesses. It is primarily the
contribution of the employee towards achieving the objectives of the business. The purpose of
performance appraisal basically is to restructure the compensation of an employee based on the
past percentage. The process also helps in determining the areas of improvement, where training
is required and where a person deserves to be promoted, based on the performance of an
individual such decisions are taken. There are various tools that has been developed over the
years by scholars and management experts for performance appraisal like Management by
Objectives, 360-degree appraisal, Assessment center, Cost accounting method etc.
Impact of performance appraisal on employee motivation

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There are positive as well as negative impacts on the employees based on their
performance. Motivation is the urge to act upon some idea; employee performance is directly
impacted by the degree to which the person is motivated to work for the organisation (Lee &
Steers, 2017). According to Aydın,& Tiryaki (2018), the perception of the employees regarding
their performance is different from that of the management and therefore there are high chances
of conflict in the process. For example, an employee feels that he or she has more potential or
has provided the company with much more than what the management thinks and there is a
difference in opinion during that period then there is bound to be a conflict.
However, Ikramullah, Van Prooijen Iqbal & Ul-Hassan (2016), state that there are
positive impact on the employees as well, constructive feedback is a part of appraisal which
helps the employee in understanding the shortcomings and coming up with a way to deal with
deal with that similarly there are chances that that the people. One of the major objectives of
performance appraisal is to improve the performance of the employees by providing with better
opportunities. Mulvaney (2017), argued that the performance appraisal also help in developing a
long term valuable relation with the employees, the employees understand the value and is
motivated with the positive feedbacks. Training sessions and skill development programme are
formulated on the basis of the data that is gathered during the appraisal. An employee is always
looking forwards to career development and appraisals are a good chance to provide the
employee with the same (Mulvaney, 2017).

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Performance appraisal within the context of the organisational culture
The culture of an organisation forms the basis of the way the company works, the
objectives that the company sets to achieve and the ways in which the employees and other
stakeholders are involved in the process of business. According to Decramer, Smolders &
Vanderstraeten (2013), as employee appraisal is an important part of the HR department of the
company decisions regarding the appraisals are also in sync with the culture that is prevalent in
the organisation. The culture of an organisation is based on three aspects: the culture that is
present in the society that the company is based upon; the nature of the business and the values
and principles of the people who established the company (Stensaker & Vabø, 2013). The values
which are followed by a company are the ones which are introduced and continued by the leaders
of the organisation. If the leaders of the organisation value the role of an employee then the
performance appraisal will be aligned to the interest of the employees. The culture of the
organisation helps the management in devising policies and PA is a part of the decision making
process. The tools of performance appraisal is chosen by the company based on the nature of the
business as the performance of the employees in one industry cannot be similarly measured by
the same tools of an employee of a different industry (Noruzy, Dalfard, Azhdari, Nazari-
Shirkouhi & Rezazadeh, 2013).
Key HRM Responsibilities during the Performance Management and Appraisal Cycle
According to Albrecht, Bakker, Gruman, Macey & Saks (2015), the HR department of an
organisation has a significant role in managing the performance of the employees. The managers
in this department are expected to understand the values of the company and thereby device the
HR policies aligned with the principles that the company follows. The supervisors and the

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employees participate in the process of appraisal but the procedure, guidelines, tools and
framework are set by the HR department. It is the duty of the HR department to ensure that the
work environment is healthy and also to deal with the issues and grievances of the employees
(Sumelius, Björkman, Ehrnrooth, Mäkelä & Smale, 2014). Since the process of performance
management and appraisal can be conflicting there must be transparency in the process (Van
Dooren, Bouckaert & Halligan, 2015).
This must be ensured by the HR department; the policies of the company should be clear
to the people so that they understand the process and abide by the regulations that have been set.
The HR department sets the objectives and the criteria which are required to judge the
performance of an individual (Sumelius, Björkman, Ehrnrooth, Mäkelä & Smale, 2014).
Performance Management and Appraisal System of Jamaica in the public sector

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Figure: Objectives of PMAS
Source: (Moa.gov.jm, 2018)
Customer satisfaction, delivered with professionalism, courtesy and integrity, to the benefit of
the wider society are some of the areas of focus for the government and this is why the Jamaican
Government emphasize on the performance management (Moa.gov.jm, 2018). In the public
sector also the tool that is used for performance appraisal is in the form of feedbacks, with the
help of the feedbacks the strengths, weakness and other prospects should be communicated with
the supervisors as well as the subordinates (Moa.gov.jm, 2018). The process of reviewing
depends on the meeting where the employee and the supervisors meet with the HR and come to

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an equal understanding of the decisions that will impact the compensation and also may be the
position of the employee in the organisation. Based on the sector and the industry the criteria are
laid down but the process remains the same. The following diagram will explain the process in
an informative format (Moa.gov.jm, 2018).

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Figure: An Overview of the Performance Appraisal Appeals Process
Source: (Moa.gov.jm, 2018)

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4. Research approach
4.1 Research design
According to Flick (2015), the outline of the research paper or the structure of the
research is the design. The design helps in understanding the dynamics of the variables
associated with the research. Mostly there are two types of designs that are used by researchers
inductive and deductive. The design that will be adopted by the researcher for this study is
deductive as there will be no concept developed form the study, rather an analysis of the
information will help provide an insight with the help of relation in between the variables. The
approach of the design will be therefore it can be said that it is a Descriptive research design was
adopted and used as the best method so as to discuss in depth the issues concerning the variables
of the study. It is the process by which the researchers observe to derive data and studying the
subject without influencing or interfering the in the process (Mackey & Gass, 2015). This design
can be used for both qualitative as well as quantitative methodologies. The process explains a
detailed approach towards answering the research questions as well as analyzing the data. In this
design the researcher will state the facts (Padgett, 2016). This design will help in understand the
effects of appraisal system in employees’ performance. The method also enabled to come up
with the required data appropriately. The descriptive design is very suitable because there is the
use of random methods and the errors can be easily identified through observing the samples.
This approach is very significant to this study since it answered the research questions. The
questions included ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘who’.

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4.2 Data collection methods
In any research data can be either collected with the help of two methods, secondary and
primary. In the process of secondary data collection, the information is gathered with the help of
the data which is already available (Padgett, 2016). Some of the source of information that will
be used in this process is taken from journal articles, official documents and content available in
the official websites. Analysis of this information will help in forming an understanding of the
relation that is established by other scholars in regarding the variables used in the research.
Google Scholar will be used in order to find academic journal, basic information regarding the
organisation. Information will be gathered using the website of the Ministry of National Security
Jamaica as well as in some of the official documents (Creswell, 2013).
On the other hand, primary research is the process of gathering new information, as the
study is based on a public sector organisation it is required to gather information from the
employees regarding their perception on appraisal and their experience in the company after
appraisal will be used to infer a correlation in between the variables of research (Creswell, 2013).
A survey will be conducted as a tool to gather information from the Jamaica Constabulary
Force employees with the permission of the management and employees participating in the
survey will be undertaken prior to the process (Mackey & Gass, 2015).
4.3 Data analysis
There are three types of data analysis process which is usually undertaken by academic
researchers, they are: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods (Padgett, 2016). In this
research the mixed approach will be taken in order to reach the desired conclusion (Neuman &
Robson, 2014). The secondary data will be analyzed with the help of the qualitative approach,

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whereas the primary data will be analyzed with the help of quantitative approach. Using both the
methods in order to reach a single conclusion is called the mixed approach (Roberts, 2013).
4.4 Ethical consideration
As an academic researcher it is mandatory to abide by the rules and regulations of the
international standards when it comes to research ethics. The transparency of information in
between the people who will participate in the survey is important. In order to ensure validity in
the information the survey sample size will be taken from the concerned organisation, and the
information will be compared any high discrepancy in the data will be back checked with the
concerned organisation. It is also important to give the credit of work used in the secondary
research as well as throughout the study with the help of referencing and in-text citation using
the APA 6th style. The source of information weather primary or secondary will be taken from
reliable source. The Secondary information will be taken from peer reviewed journal articles
which will be taken from online data base. The author will avoid any information from doctoral
dissertations, patents and handbooks or guidelines. Only authentic articles published in reputed
journals will be used. There is also an ethical consideration from that has been submitted by the
researcher (Padgett, 2016).
5. Research Plan
5.1 Organisation of the study
The dissertation will be divided in chapters in order to initiate a rational flow of
information for the reader. Every chapter will have an introduction and a summary to help the
reader understand and comprehend with the perspective of the researcher. Chapter 1:
Introduction, this will include the background of the study, Problem statement, research

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questions, Justification or rational of the study, overview of the case organisation. Chapter 2:
Literature review or secondary data, Chapter 3: Research methodology: this chapter will contain
detailed information regarding the methodology that has been followed along with the
rationalization of the decisions that has been taken. Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis: Here both
the secondary and primary data will be analyzed with the help of the tools need, sub headings
will be divided accordingly. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation: The conclusion must
be linked with the objectives that have been stated in the proposal and the recommendations of
the research should be based on the findings. The reader should find all the answers to the
research question by reading this chapter.
5.2 Project Plan
The following Gantt chart will help in organizing the project and will also help in
scheduling the study.

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Months March April May June July August
Introduction and
Background
Discussion with
Supervisor
Literature
Review
Discussion with
Supervisor
Data Collection
Discussion with
Supervisor
Data Analysis
Discussion with
Supervisor
Findings and
Discussion
Discussion with
Supervisor
Conclusion and
Limitations
Discussion with
Supervisor
Recommendation
s
Area of Further
Research
Discussion with
Supervisor
Final Submission

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Aydın, A., & Tiryaki, S. (2018). Impact of performance appraisal on employee motivation and
productivity in turkish forest products industry: A structural equation modeling analysis.
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Becker, B., & Gerhart, B. (1996). The impact of human resource management on organizational
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Brewster, C., Brookes, M., & Gollan, P. J. (2015). The institutional antecedents of the
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Creswell, J.W., (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches. Sage publications.
Decramer, A., Smolders, C., & Vanderstraeten, A. (2013). Employee performance management
culture and system features in higher education: relationship with employee performance

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Level performance: A review, a proposed model, and new directions for future research.
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