The role and value of servant leadership in improving performance appraisal practices

Abstract

One of the most enduring challenges in human resource management is the performance appraisal process. The purpose of this conceptual analysis is to summarize the relevancy and efficacy of servant leadership to positively influence the vital interpersonal dynamics that affect the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process using a sample of 235 servant leader empirical studies. This concise summary of the relevancy of the servant leadership literature demonstrates its consistency with "best-practice" attributes of performance appraisal in enhancing the key elements of relationship quality and trust, employee and leader job development practices, organizational decision-making fairness enhancing factors, performance management practices, and employee motivation indicators. Servant leadership's ability to promote long-term employee development and growth is vital in improving employee wellbeing and overcoming many of the traditional weaknesses of performance appraisal.