Appraisal of Managers

A basic distinction needs to be made between continuous and periodic appraisal of managers. The former is a sine qua non (обязательное условие) in management, while the latter is a useful addendum (дополнение).

In day-by-day practice the superior continuously appraises his subordinates, experienced as well as new. Assignments are checked, repots and letters read and corrected, problems discussed, advice given, scopes of work and authority reassessed, initiative encouraged, objectives reviewed and clarified, and orientation deepened. The close contact implied in these relationships is an educational experience beyond price. It provides the superior with opportunities to watch the progress of his subordinates and shows the subordinate that he is important in the enterprise and that his development is of concern to higher management.

Cooperative enterprise simply could not prosper if this type of relationship did not exist. The detection of such things is a heavy, but crucial, burden to place upon the recruiting officer.

In fact, if one had to choose between continuous and periodic appraisal, the former would be essential.

Periodic appraisal implies an over-all evaluation of a subordinate with respect to his management ability. To become aware of his particular strengths and weaknesses requires extended reflection.

Purposes.

Periodic appraisal can assist the superior in judging the degree of trust he can place in his subordinate – trust in his character, trust in his judgment, and trust in his punctual and effective performance.

Periodic appraisal also determines how much a subordinate’s responsibility should be expanded. His success in carrying out limited assignments indicates his probable success in more responsible situations. The impression he has made on managers in other divisions indicates whether he is ready for expanded responsibility. His behavior in unsupervised assignments is an index to his readiness for added responsibility in situations which limit close supervision.

Periodic evaluation helps the future development of the subordinate. With a desire to improve his efficiency, a basic requirement for development, he will be made aware of weaknesses.

Inevitably, periodic evaluations will be used in determining promotions.

An appraisal form is likely to include a rating of personality, cooperativeness, leadership, intelligence, knowledge of work, clarity of objectives, output, absences, honesty, profit achieved, productivity, and planning ability. The ratings depend largely on subjective evaluations of unmeasurable factors.

In enterprises where several superiors on the same level evaluate subordinates, an effort is frequently made to array the results for such purposes as salary adjustments, promotion, etc.

Knowledge and logic seem often to be absent, and the results are sometimes chaotic. Yet the reasons for periodic evaluations are still with us, and there is a way to enjoy its fruits.

Topic #7

Development and Training of Managers

Good executives look to the future. Every firm has the responsibility of helping in the development of men who have the potential to contribute their full measure to the welfare of the firm and to society.

By 1954 training was at a critical stage. Although it was then making inroads into enterprises, it was also being reexamined with a critical eye by its early adherents.

A developed manager is a mature manager, successful because he has grown in wisdom. Managerial wisdom requires time and rests upon the ancient truth – first attributed to Homer – that a man may be taught but does not necessarily learn.

The practice of management training encompasses formal schooling or on-the-job training or it may be as remote as theoretical psychology; it may cover all of the managerial functions, some of them, or only aspects of them; and it may be given to individuals or groups within or without the firm.

In formulating a training program there are certain elements: purpose, general premises, the nature of positions at various levels, past experience in training, and the nature of man himself. The validity of the training program rests on seven premises:

- Top managers must actively support the program.

- Top managers must be trained first.

- Learning is voluntary.

- Training needs vary with managers levels.

- Training needs determine methods.

- Methods must work at all levels.

- Theory and practice must go hand in hand.

A man may also develop by learning from experience. In manager development, experience is considered more important than training. Learning a skill requires practice and the development of generalizations about good practice on the basis of both theoretical and practical experience.

Manager development, then, is possible if the man has the intelligence and the desire to make the best use of his learning opportunities; if he is well trained in what he should be doing in each successive position; and if he practices management with insight and growing skill. Unless this comprehensive view of development is grasped, enterprise mangers are likely to settle for unsatisfactory scraps of training – and continue to wonder why training doesn’t pay.

The ultimate objective of training is to encourage the development of men in whom others have confidence. Stockholders and directors want a president who can be relied upon to guide the firm in the best interests of the owners. Subordinates of the president want a superior they can trust. Confidence rests upon the security which men of judgment can provide. Indeed, knowledge and experience, whether acquired in school or by practical pursuits, are the whetstones upon which natural intelligence is sharpened.

Topic #8