Upward and Onward: Can Staff Appraise Their Managers?

Upward appraisal involves staff having a formal input into their manager’s or supervisor’s performance appraisal. Reviews the rationale for the adoption of upward appraisal systems for manager’s, and identifies a number of key factors likely to contribute towards the more widespread use of upward appraisal. Describes upward appraisal systems in practice, reviewing what they are used for, who is appraised, what is appraised, and how the appraisals are conducted. Then discusses the effectiveness of upward appraisal, paying particular attention to its acceptability to managers, subordinates and trade unions. Finally, considers whether the transplant of what is largely an American practice can be more widely achieved in the UK and proposes some areas for future research.