Performance Appraisal or Praising Performance? The Culture of Rhetoric in Performance Management in Ghana Civil Service

This article examines the practice of performance appraisal as a critical element of administrative culture in the Ghana Civil Service (CS). It relies on three focus group discussions with senior civil servants to analyze the practice and its implications for performance of civil servants in Ghana....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of public administration 2013-11, Vol.36 (13), p.953-962
Main Authors: Bawole, Justice Nyigmah, Hossain, Farhad, Domfeh, Kwame Ameyaw, Bukari, Hamza Zakaria, Sanyare, Francis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
administrative culture
Civil servants
Civil Service
Computer-Assisted Instruction
Corporate culture
Culture
Fear
Ghana
Ghana Civil Service
Government agencies
Group Research
Job performance
Leadership
Management
Performance appraisal
Performance management
Public administration
Religion
Rhetoric
Studies
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Summary:This article examines the practice of performance appraisal as a critical element of administrative culture in the Ghana Civil Service (CS). It relies on three focus group discussions with senior civil servants to analyze the practice and its implications for performance of civil servants in Ghana. The article argues that: leadership seldom gives the needed attention to this administrative practice; the process lacks objectivity; it is fraught with superstition, spirituality, and fear; appraisers are rarely trained; and civil servants only become more interested in performance appraisals (PAs) during promotion-related interviews. The article therefore concludes that this process has become rhetoric rather than an important practice and that performance only gets praised rather than being appraised. The article recommends an overhaul of the PA system by integrating it into a holistic performance management program; integrating PA training into civil service mandatory training programs; and the revision and computerization of the PA system.
ISSN:0190-0692
1532-4265
DOI:10.1080/01900692.2013.773030