Analysis of Performance Appraisal System of the Nigerian Public Sector Organizations

Abstract

One of the human resource management problems which engulfed the public sector organizations in Nigeria was the absence of effective performance appraisal system. Subjective method of staff appraisal hitherto used in the Nigerian public sector emphasized only personal traits such as; drive, honesty, initiative, foresight, loyalty, industry and courage. This method posed human resource management problems, in the areas of promotion, wage increase, selection for training and retraining, job description and placement. As a result, the Nigerian public sector was rendered inefficient and ineffective thus hindering the progress of this important sector of the Nigerian system. However, in 1988 the Civil Service Reform prompted the introduction of target setting and performance appraisal system in the public sector organizations, which was based on "objective assessment, subject to measurable job performance and demonstration of professional competence with effective rewards and sanctions. This paper therefore compared the former performance appraisal system with the present performance appraisal system. It assessed the applicability of the present performance appraisal system to determine its efficiency. Using the concept of strategic human resource management the study observed that the present performance appraisal system will help achieve organizational goals and objectives, meet individual needs and provide competent and well motivated employees in the Nigerian public sectors. It recommends that the reporting officers or scheduled supervisors of public organizations should be specifically trained on how to compute and calculate the new Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER). This will certainly ease and facilitate hitch free and accurate computation of workers' appraisal.