Baker has written a practical, procedure-oriented book with the purpose of helping individuals identify the causes of failure of performance appraisal systems in order to improve their design and operation. To do this, he describes procedures useful for identifying discrepancies in a performance appraisal system, determining if the system is being effectively implemented, and assessing whether the desired objectives are being achieved. . . . In general I would agree that Baker has met his goals, and his book will be useful to practitioners if they are interested in understandig what they should be doing to conduct effective performance appraisals. . . . an organized, generally well-written book on the performance appraisal process.

Personnel Psychology

Here is a practical, procedure-oriented guide for managers, supervisors, human resource professionals, and training and development specialists--to help identify the causes of failure of performance appraisal and supervision. Baker begins with a discussion of the need for procedures to identify the causes of failure of performance appraisal and supervision, and describes a sound practical concept of evaluation that can be used to meet this need. Systems analysis is used to describe a comprehensive performance appraisal system that contains all of the parts necessary to function effectively. The consequences of failure are also enumerated for each step of the process. Procedures are included to identify discrepancies in the system design of an organization, to determine if the parts of the system are being carried out in practice, and to determine if the desired objectives are being achieved. These procedures also include ways to determine if appropriate methods are being used to measure performance and ways to control human error. Finally, the requirements for a continuing evaluation effort are discussed.