‘Performance appraisals too often fail’ – finds new UoG study

New research by University of Gloucestershire has revealed that despite being widely used, performance appraisals (PAs) often deliver biased outcomes that are scarcely meaningful.

The ground-breaking research, conducted by University of Gloucestershire Professor in International Human Resource Management (HRM), Professor Tamer Darwish, has uncovered how negative emotions, such as frustration, anxiety and helplessness can quietly derail the processes designed to improve performance.

Titled ‘When Performance Appraisals Fail: Regulation and the Direction of Organisational Routines”, the study found that  local cultural dynamics and informal relationships often override the objective formal procedures involved in globally standardised PA systems.

The research – published in the Journal of Management Studies, Europe’s leading management journal – was carried out in the Middle East. It found that in Middle Eastern culture, personal relationships are valued over following formal rules, and as a result, employees who build strong relationships tend to get better treatment during performance reviews, including higher ratings and rewards. It then becomes the focus of managers to find mistakes made by employees not receiving anticipated rewards to justify the decision and use as leverage against them during their PA.

Rather than appeal outcomes, it was found that many employees quietly adapted. Some disengaged emotionally from the performance appraisal routine, treating it as a meaningless exercise. Others submitted fabricated goals or performed only the minimum needed to appear compliant. These acts of subtle defiance were driven by a need to emotionally regulate in a system perceived as unjust.

Professor Tamer Darwish, Head of HRM Research Centre in the University’s School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences, said: “I am deeply honoured to see this work published in the Journal of Management Studies, one of the world’s leading journals in the field. This paper reflects years of careful thought about the emotional complexity of organizational life, particularly in under-researched contexts.

“I’m grateful to my co-authors and to the participants who shared their experiences so openly. It’s truly rewarding to see this research recognized and to contribute to broader conversations about fairness, routines, and emotional realities at work.”

Providing real-world implications, the research indicates that practitioners should assess whether PAs align with organisational goals and either adjust routines to make them useful, along with training in emotional intelligence, stress management and conflict resolution, or initiate an entirely new routine that does not make workplace divisions worse.

Professor Darwish’s research is his third article published in a 4-star and FT-listed journal during the current REF cycle, indicating the highest level of quality, originality, significance, and rigour.