Ten Common Assumptions About Performance Reviews

What underlying beliefs motivate managers to use performance reviews? Following are ten that I've commonly seen and heard, all of which I believe are demonstrably flawed:

1. Problems result from individual negligence or mistakes.
2. Success requires holding people accountable for the achievement of measurable goals.
3. Employees withhold effort that must be coaxed out of them.
4. Managers can and must motivate and control the workforce.
5. Evaluation improves an employee's performance.
6. Employees can control their results.
7. An employee's contribution can be separated from the contributions of others.
8. Evaluation of employees improve the performance of the business.
9. Evaluators are consistent with each other, and from one employee to the next.
10. Conditional rewards improve employee performance.