Performance management and assessment: Methods for improved rater accuracy and employee goal setting

This article examines the gaps between research and practice in the areas of rater accuracy and goal setting. Prior research has shown that human resource managers may incorrectly believe that training raters to recognize errors will increase rater accuracy and that employee participation in goal setting is more effective than assigning goals. Theory-based research suggests ways to help raters recognize expected performance and enable employees to self-regulate their pursuit of goals. We describe applications of these findings to performance management programs and suggest methods for evaluating their effectiveness once implemented.