n and decision making, and work autonomy and team formation.
Formal personnel performance appraisal is a fact of life in most American organizations other than the smallest of firms (Longenecker, Liverpool, and Wilson, 1988, pp. 311 320). As entrenched as the practice is, however, personnel performance appraisal continues to controversial (Heneman, 1987, pp. 431 448).
As important to an organization as the task of personnel performance evaluation is, there are indications in the literature that a significant proportion of the individuals charged with such responsibilities are either ill prepared for the task, or that they are reluctant to perform it in an effective manner (Gortner, 1992, p. 274). Gortner (1992, p. 275) indicates further that two major factors may contribute to the development of such a situation. The first of these factors is an absence on the part of many supervisors of an awareness of the significance to
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