Performance appraisal and its impact on employee performance: case of the Auditor General of Botswana

Abstract

Performance appraisal has emerged in today’s work environment as an important, strategic and valuable tool for most organisations. It is to this effect that this research focuses on performance appraisal and its impact on employee performance from the view of employees at the Office of the Auditor General. The study was guided by a cross-sectional case study design. The research embraced a mixed methods research approach underpinned by the pragmatism paradigm. The study targeted 150 employees, across the various units of the organisation- Central Government Audit, Local Government Audit, Information and Technology Audit, Performance/Parastatal Audit and (Others) Unit. A Simple Random Sampling Technique was used to select the 150 participants. The research instruments used for data collection were the questionnaire and interview agenda schedule. Descriptive analysis and inferential statistics in the form of regression analysis were used for data analysis. The results of this empirical study indicated that Managing and Reviewing Performance Appraisal, Developing and Planning Performance Appraisal and Rewarding Performance are significantly and positively related to Employee Performance. A well-coordinated and strategically inclined performance appraisal system or strategy thus, creates a platform for employee engagement, motivation, feedback and productivity.