Pay for Performance

"Pay for performance" has become a buzzword for the 1990s, as U.S. organizations seek ways to boost employee productivity. The new emphasis on performance appraisal and merit pay calls for a thorough examination of their effectiveness. Pay for Performance is the best resource to date on the issues of whether these concepts work and how they can be applied most effectively in the workplace.This important book looks at performance appraisal and pay practices in the private sector and describes whether—and how—private industry experience is relevant to federal pay reform. It focuses on the needs of the federal government, exploring how the federal pay system evolved; available evidence on federal employee attitudes toward their work, their pay, and their reputation with the public; and the complicating and pervasive factor of politics.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 The History of Civil Service Reform3 The Nature of the Evidence4 Performance Appraisal: Definition, Measurement, and Application5 Pay for Performance: Perspectives and Research6 Private-Sector Practice and Perspectives7 The Importance of Context8 Findings and ConclusionsReferencesAppendix A: Survey DescriptionsAppendix B: Biographical SketchesIndex