Development of an integrated performance appraisal system for truck drivers in the wine trade
The purpose of this study was to develop a performance appraisal system for truck drivers in a wine manufacturing organization. One of the objectives of the system developed, was to improve the performance of the truck drivers. The sample involved in this study consisted of 80 truck drivers and six transport foremen. A preliminary study was done to determine the satisfaction of the drivers with the previous appraisal system. A need for a new performance appraisal system was established and it was therefore decided to develop a new performance appraisal system for the truck drivers in the Transport Department of the organization. A literature review indicated that the most suitable appraisal system for this specific situation was the behavioural observation scale (BOS). A job analysis of the truck driver's job was done, critical incidents were collected and behavioural dimensions were defined. This resulted in the final behavioural observation scale consisting of 37 behavioural items. The reliability of the appraisal instrument determined by Cronbach's coefficient alpha, was .98. An effort was made to achieve both content and face validity for the BOS. To determine whether the performance of the truck drivers did increase as a result of the new appraisal system, an experimental and control group were defined. Their performance was appraised three times at three-monthly intervals with the BOS. The experimental group received feedback on its performance, which included setting goals to be achieved by the next appraisal. The drivers in the control group were unaware of the fact that their performance was being appraised. To determine whether the performance of the drivers in the experimental group had improved, planned comparisons were done. There was a substantial improvement in performance amongst the experimental group, whilst the control group's performance remained unchanged. It was concluded that the intervention was successful. The use of a behavioural approach to performance linked with adequate feedback made a major contribution to the efficiency of these truck drivers as well as to their interaction with their supervisors, the transport foremen.
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