Performance Appraisal in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines: A Cultural Perspective

Performance appraisal is a particularly controversial management practice. In spite of the controversy, however, appraisal has been embraced by civil services around the world as a means of monitoring the performance of government employees. This paper looks at the experiences of the Singaporean, Thai and Filipino civil services in appraising the performance of senior government employees. It provides some description of the broader context in which appraisal operates, and a sketch of employment arrangements in the three administrations, before describing the methods by which senior government employees are appraised. The paper attempts to draw attention to the concept of 'culture' and its effects upon administrative practice, and argues that performance appraisal provides an excellent example of a practice which bears culture's influence.