Behavioral Appraisals

Behaviors are simply the actions taken by an individual—the things that they do and say. We have the option in the assessment process to evaluate employees based on behaviors. Behavioral appraisals measure what individuals do at work, not their personal characteristics. Is this a good option to use in a performance appraisal process?

As a general rule, it is much better to use behaviors in an appraisal than it is to use traits. While an individual supervisor or manager may make a mistake in judgment about the traits of an employee, physical actions or behaviors can be directly observed; and as a result, they are more likely to be a valid assessment of the individual’s performance.

In fact, evidence shows that most individuals are very comfortable with the evaluation of their performance being based on “what they do,” not “who they are.” In general, the most useful and therefore most acceptable feedback to employees is feedback on specific job-related behaviors.

As managers, though, we still need to be cognizant of the fact that a behavioral evaluation can be a poor measure of work performance unless the behaviors chosen are directly applicable to being successful in the job.

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