Public Sector Managers' Reactions to Appraisals by Subordinates

This study is an initial exploration into the user acceptance of subordinate appraisals of managerial performance. Survey data from 128 public sector managers in five organizations suggest that subordinate ratings are acceptable primarily if used for developmental—as opposed to administrative—purposes. User acceptance was related to perceived accuracy and fairness, predicted morale effects, expected distortion, and feelings about the degree of knowledge that subordinates have regarding their managers' jobs. Further, certain management performance dimensions were found to be most appropriate for subordinate rating based on perceptions of accuracy and fairness.