TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance appraisal and culture
T2 - Practice and attitudes in Hong Kong and Great Britain
AU - SNAPE, Ed
AU - Thompson, David
AU - Yan, Fanny Ka Ching
AU - Redman, Tom
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - This article compares the practice of and attitudes towards performance appraisal for managerial and professional staff in Hong Kong and Britain, and considers the extent to which actual practice and employee preferences are in alignment. Findings suggest that appraisal may be more widespread in Hong Kong than in Britain. However, British appraisal tends to be more participative and to place greater emphasis on discussing objectives, development and career plans. Hong Kong appraisals appear to be more directive and Hong Kong respondents perceive a higher level of negative appraiser behaviour. In spite of this, Hong Kong respondents show if anything slightly more confidence in the utility of appraisal than do British respondents. They show stronger support for appraisals use for reward and punishment and less support for the objectives-setting and training and development uses than do the British sample. Hong Kong respondents are more likely than their British counterparts to favour involving a more senior manager in appraisal, and they are less likely to prefer more frequent appraisals. There was little evidence that Hong Kong respondents had a stronger preference for group-based appraisal criteria, although they did show more support than the British sample for the use of personality as a basis for appraisal. Overall, the suggestion is that appraisal has been adopted in Hong Kong organizations but that the practice of appraisal has been adapted to suit the cultural characteristics of the society.
AB - This article compares the practice of and attitudes towards performance appraisal for managerial and professional staff in Hong Kong and Britain, and considers the extent to which actual practice and employee preferences are in alignment. Findings suggest that appraisal may be more widespread in Hong Kong than in Britain. However, British appraisal tends to be more participative and to place greater emphasis on discussing objectives, development and career plans. Hong Kong appraisals appear to be more directive and Hong Kong respondents perceive a higher level of negative appraiser behaviour. In spite of this, Hong Kong respondents show if anything slightly more confidence in the utility of appraisal than do British respondents. They show stronger support for appraisals use for reward and punishment and less support for the objectives-setting and training and development uses than do the British sample. Hong Kong respondents are more likely than their British counterparts to favour involving a more senior manager in appraisal, and they are less likely to prefer more frequent appraisals. There was little evidence that Hong Kong respondents had a stronger preference for group-based appraisal criteria, although they did show more support than the British sample for the use of personality as a basis for appraisal. Overall, the suggestion is that appraisal has been adopted in Hong Kong organizations but that the practice of appraisal has been adapted to suit the cultural characteristics of the society.
KW - Comparative management
KW - Culture
KW - Great Britain
KW - Hong Kong
KW - Managers and professionals
KW - Performance appraisal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0346681424&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/095851998340838
DO - 10.1080/095851998340838
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:0346681424
SN - 0958-5192
VL - 9
SP - 841
EP - 861
JO - International Journal of Human Resource Management
JF - International Journal of Human Resource Management
IS - 5
ER -