An Expert's Recommendations For Performance Management Related Books

Looking for books or other material on performance management or performance appraisal? This page is dedicated to this topic. Save time by purchasing from Amazon.com and choosing from our selections below. Click on the book cover for more information or to purchase.

Performance Management - A Briefcase Book (Bacal, R.)

Readable, plain language on the entire performance management process. Practical and also addresses criticisms of performance management by "systems" people and quality people. Focus on people, communication, appraisal methods, and debunks a number of myths about rankings, ratings, objectivity in appraisals.

A Critical Look At Performance Management Systems - Why Don't They Work? by R. Bacal

This book was written in 1994 but is still relevant, and in fact formed the basis for a more recent book - Performance Management - A Briefcase Book also available at Amazon.

It was written because I wanted to address the issue of why most performance appraisal systems ended up costing everyone time, effort and money, while not really accomplishing much.

The premise of the book is that such systems CAN'T work, because they get caught up trying to accomplish too much.

A part of the book deals with innovative approaches, including the most crucial - putting the employee in the position of the customer for performance appraisal and management.

The premise is simple: that performance appraisal exists to help everyone succeed, and unless employees work WITH management, it can't work well.

It's intentionally short, and can be read in one sitting (well...a long sitting). Click here for more information

Discipline Without Punishment (Grote, D.)

Focuses on the thorny issue of dealing with problem performance, through the coaching process, focusing on behavior and "...how to salvage employees that have gone astray.

101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems : (Falcone, P)

If you need forms or examples of how to document and act on identified performance problems, check out this unusual book. Contains examples of how to document/deal with:substandard work quality, absenteeism, insubordination, sexual harassment, e-mail misuse.

Analyzing Performance Problems : Or You Really Oughta Wanna (Pipe, P. & Mager, R.)

Approaching performance problems for the training/improvement perspective, "this Robert Mager and Peter Pipe best-seller, is your surefire guide to systematically finding solutions to performance problems in your organization." Mager is probably the world's formest expert on this subject.

Performance Appraisal : State of the Art in Practice (James W. Smither (Editor))

Comprehensive resource for practitioners on the subject of performance appraisal. Weighing in at over 500 pages this collection of articles and materials is a great reference source for anyone, but particularly for human resource professionals.

360 Degree Feedback : The Powerful New Model for Employee Assessment & Performance Improvement by Mark R. Edwards, Ann J. Ewen

360 feedback is the current rage and fad in performance appraisal and performance management. Before you proceed, be sure to read several books on the subject to determine if it is "for you". Here's a good start.

 

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Maximizing the Value of 360-Degree Feedback : A Process for Successful Individual and Organizational Development (Jossey Bass Management Series)

From the Center For Creative Leadership, which has a reputation for producing some of the best books on management, this is a must have if you are interested in, or are already using some form of 360 degree feedback.

 

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Powerful Performance Appraisals : How to Set Expectations and Work Together to Improve Performance by Karen McKirchy

Short, practical book on the performance management process (despite the title emphasizing appraisals).

 

 

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The Complete Guide to Performance Appraisal by Dick Grote

This books is called complete, and while I'm not sure whether any book can be a complete guide to performance appraisal, there is lots of material in this. It's huge. Recommended as a reference book, or an a supporting piece to some of the shorter books in this list.

 

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Employee Performance Planning and Review System: Effective Performance Management by Don A. Morrison

Something a bit different. Tools, training materials, you can reproduce.

"The Performance Planning and Review System (EPPRS) gives you everything you need to implement a successful performance appraisal and performance management system. The 200 + page package comes in a handy 3-ring binder and includes reproducible instructions, sample forms, training manual and suggested employee booklet."