An examination of the constructs underlying police performance appraisals

Although there are numerous studies which focus on performance appraisals, none have attempted to identify the underlying constructs which relate to such appraisals. Many of the studies which purport to validate performance appraisals suffer from an absence of external validity, as a result of using unrepresentative populations. The present study attempted to remedy this situation by investigating the constructs underlying performance appraisals in a medium-sized police department. No consistent pattern of constructs emerged. This suggests that alternatives to traditional performance appraisal systems should be sought.