EVALUATING DYSFUNCTIONAL POLICE PERFORMANCE

Book excerpt: This detailed and comprehensive book on performance evaluation will provide employers with a resource for developing and implementing a results-based approach to the evaluation of employee work performance. The goal of this book is to fill the gap that exists between what evaluation program designers have been offering in the way of evaluation systems for the last half of this century and what employers, employees and courts need and expect. To briefly describe the system, performance is defined as the objectively measurable result of having performed to standard. Employees are viewed as being highly capable and productive at the beginning of the rating cycle (Theory Y). Accordingly, they are given the best possible rating score attainable in the system - a zero. The zero signifies that they have no uncorrected performance deficiencies. Jobs are analyzed to determine the results that the performer is expected to accomplish. To ensure quality, these results are tracked and measured on a regular basis (e.g., monthly). As long as employees accomplish the expected results, they will maintain their zero evaluation scores (Z-score). Should an employeeÂ’s performance fail to meet standards, problem solving is initiated to determine the source of the problem and, if possible, to help the employee achieve standards. The intervention is documented and an improvement plan is developed. The time and costs associated with the improvement efforts are tracked. As long as employees are capable and willing to correct identified deficiencies, they are given the opportunity to do so without affecting their evaluation scores. Only when employees fail to correct their deficiencies are their evaluation scores affected. The investment costs in development efforts are totaled to form the employee's final evaluation score - the Z score. The lower this score, the better will be the final rating. It will be of primary use to the human resources professional in law enforcement with between 15,500 employees, and it will provide the necessary expertise in research and development that will save these individuals hundreds of hours in self-developing their own system from scratch. The book consists of eight chapters. The appendices contain model forms, instruments, and sample rating measures. Additionally, instructions for developing a template for generating rating scores and reports is included.