Few things in business today are as misused as, and perceived
similarly to, the snake oil of the Wild West in the 1800's.
Typical thoughts associated with performance appraisal systems
include: useless, a pain-in-the-neck, too cumbersome, critical
for improved performance but they are ineffective, and as the
latest fad version emerges, fantastic. . . for the moment. Most
organizations have tried many different versions including
Management By Objectives (MBO), Behaviorally Anchored Rating
Scales (BARs), Mutual Problem Solving (MPS), Forced
Distribution, etc.  Often within the same organization large
variances exist with regard to understanding the purpose or use
of the performance appraisal, the frequency with which it is
completed, and the quality of the information it contains. Why
is it that something that has been around so long (probably
since the Chan Dynasty, when a scribe for the city was told not
to return to work the following day after misspelling Chan's
nephew's name), and has the potential for be