Suggested Reading – Performance Management, Evaluation and Appraisal Books

Performance appraisal systems don’t work as traditionally practiced in organizations. Both the people who do performance appraisals and the people who receive performance appraisals, despise the process. You need to provide feedback and measure and reward contribution. There is a better way. Consider performance management as a process instead.

1. Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire…
Treating people like adults in the workplace is the opportunity your organization has as you re-examine your performance appraisal system. The authors examine alternate methods for providing the five functions (coaching, feedback, setting pay, determining promotions, and documentation) for which appraisals were originally designed. This book will get you thinking about possibilities. Check out the book on Amazon.

2. The One Minute Manager
Told as a fable of a young man wanting to learn how to be an effective manager. His quest leads to a special manager who practices One Minute Goal Setting, One Minute Praising, One Minute Reprimand. Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson share what they learned from medicine and behavioral sciences about how people work best with other people. This book is quick and easy to read but best of all the One Minute practices are easy to master and they work. Check out the book on Amazon.

3. Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review
Performance appraisals must be completely discarded and replaced in organizations to accomplish their stated goals. Promoting positive behavioral change, increasing motivation, reducing turnover, refining succession planning and minimizing legal exposure are all possible. The book redefines the manager’s role as coach and provides a path to walk with people that will increase positive performance. Check out the book on Amazon.

4. Performance Management
Above all else, performance management is establishing effective and respectful communication between a manager and the people who report to him. This author feels the evaluation process has become forms, rankings, and fear. You can, instead, conduct goal-focused, performance management planning based on data. Check out the book on Amazon.

5. The Performance Management Activity Pack
A comprehensive training manual that emphasizes each aspect of performance evaluation: clarifying expectations, keeping track of performance, assessing performance, developing staff potential, working with poor performers and more. Uses a brief case study approach to teaching these skills. Best used in facilitated sessions. Check out the book on Amazon.

6. How to Do a Superior Performance Appraisal
Not everyone has the opportunity to completely redesign their performance management system. For those of you who are working with a fairly traditional appraisal process, this is a solid book to help you improve. The book provides eight steps to an excellent review. It emphasizes coaching and feedback throughout the year. Check out the book on Amazon.

7. Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews
Stuck thinking about the right words to use when writing a performance or job review? If you have to write a lot of reviews and you’re time-pressed, this book will help. Phrases that provide comprehensive, descriptive, on-target feedback for people are here. They’ll help you make your reviews more effective for people. Check out the book on Amazon.

8. Effective Phrases for Setting Performance Goals
Hundreds of ready-to-use goals for any performance plan or review. If you or your employees struggle to write meaningful goals which can be evaluated during the review process, this book will help. There are tips for writing goals, how to set goals in a collaborative way with your employees and of course tons of goal statements organized by industry and specific jobs. Check out the book on Amazon. Check out the book on Amazon.