Implementation of Performance Appraisal System in Public Sector: New Line Managers’ Perspective

Performance appraisal in an organization is a way to measure the actual achievement of performance compared to targets or goals that are determined regularly. Performance appraisal affects employment prospects, educational possibilities, compensation, and interpersonal interactions. This study employed a qualitative method with a case study as a research design. In-depth interviews with 14 newly promoted first-line managers in one of the Indonesian government agencies yielded the research data. The goal of this investigation is to identify how new line managers interpret the applicable performance appraisal system, interpret the performance appraisal process that has been carried out, and interpret objective performance appraisals for subordinates. Interview data were processed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The research findings reveal that new line managers interpret the performance appraisal system as a complicated performance appraisal system, as a safe way to minimize complaints from subordinates, and as an objective perception that is still partially understood. The objective of the discussion is to explore the factors that form the three themes that represent the perspective of the new line managers when implementing the performance appraisal system. The impact of this study is that the perspective of complicated performance appraisal needs to be a concern for policymakers to formulate policies that could accommodate improving employee performance but are quite simple and easy to implement. Furthermore, this could encourage that performance appraisal is not only a “formality” to abort administrative obligations but is an important process for developing, motivating, and evaluating employees.