Image and Substance: The Management of Performance as Rhetoric or Reality?

Much has been written about performance appraisal (PA) in terms of its outcomes: little however, has been focused on the mediation of actual practice, beyond simple descriptions informing its implementation. Seeks first to understand the historical implications of contemporary PA; second, examines the modern usage of PA with regard to its emphasis on managing and controlling the “image” of performance, which is then illustrated by the use of survey research, gathered from West Midlands organizations. Concludes that the original intentions of PA to manage physical performance have increasingly failed, and become superseded by the management of the “impression” of performance by both employers and employees.