Abstract
The history of performance appraisal in the literature is quite recent. Its roots in the early 20th century can be traced to Taylor's pioneering time and motion studies, which interestingly also sets the beginning of the goal-setting theory. But this may not be very helpful, for the same can be said about almost everything in the field of modern Human Resources Management. Yet in a broader sense, the practice of appraisal is a very ancient art. In the scale of history, it might well deserve claim to being the world's second oldest profession. As Albert Camus wrote, "we should not wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day". Making judgments about those one is working with, as well as about oneself, is a basic human tendency. As a result, it seems appraisal is both inevitable and universal. Indeed, in the absence of a carefully structured system of appraisal, people will tend to judge the work performance of others, including subordinates, naturally, informally and arbitrarily. Thus, to avoid such injustice, a formal system of performance appraisal is needed to ensure, or at least to aim at ensuring, lawful, fair, defensible and accurate judgments.
