Performance management, a joint process involving both supervisor and employee in the identification of common goals and writing of performance expectations, is recommended as a quality management approach to college and university personnel management. Its philosophical bases, management rationale, and the use of performance appraisal within this…

A rationale is offered for the use of administrative portfolios to evaluate academic-administrator performance. Representative functions, skills, roles, and activities that could be used to define assessment criteria are specified, focusing on the evaluation of department heads at a public university. Items to be included in the administrative…

This article argues that a sound performance evaluation system benefits the employee, supervisor, and organization by providing a written record of efforts, by motivating employees, and by maximizing employee growth potential. It proposes that such performance evaluations are compatible with the Total Quality Management approach. Principles of…

Performance counseling with college faculty is advocated as a humanistic approach to faculty evaluation. Discussed are performance goals, the delineation of professional competencies necessary to reach those goals, and factors affecting performance of faculty members. (DB)

Suggestions are made for supervisors to help make the personnel evaluation process more meaningful and less intimidating to employees, particularly when cultural, gender, disability, or other personal characteristics inhibit mutual understanding. Emphasis is on clear, two-way communication and constructive interaction. (MSE)

Practical advice is offered, to managers and supervisors at any level, on recognizing and analyzing interpersonal conflicts, managing such conflicts and making them productive, and ensuring that performance reviews result in progress for both supervisor and employee. Conflict is seen as inevitable, an opportunity to take action, and manageable.…

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are emerging as an efficient way to address employee rights, particularly in light of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Well-managed EAPs help maintain a healthy, motivated, productive workforce, show effort to provide reasonable accommodation of employee needs, and may…

College and university strategic planning works best when staff performance appraisal and development are used together to bring about both organizational and individual change. However, these must be more than bureaucratic exercises unrelated to daily staff management. Individual staff must be able to see themselves as important in carrying out…

Chronicles development and implementation of a performance-management system for nonfaculty employees at Wittenberg University (Ohio). The initiative featured principles of continuous quality improvement. Seven key lessons learned are presented for other institutions, including selection of the design team, changing the status quo, defining and…

The approach chosen to award pay for performance is not as important as the need to assess the organization's commitment to merit, the quality of the relationship with employees, and the ability to do a fair job. With careful implementation, merit pay systems can be mutually rewarding. (MSE)