A Reasoned Approach to Officer Evaluation

The general subject of personnel appraisal systems is reviewed as a basis for the development of the general form of an Officer Evaluation System. In this development, unique aspects of the military environment are identified, a clear statement of purpose is chosen, and the distinction between performance evaluation (assessment of past performance) and potential evaluation (assessment of future performance) is drawn. Six criteria for a military Officer Evaluation System are proposed: Clear purpose, valid rating factors, equally fair, simple, provisions for errors and inflation, and consistent with prevailing management philosophy. The proposed system collects three types of information--experience, performance evaluations, and potential evaluations--for input to two necessary organizational processes--personnel movements and superior-subordinate communication. Inflation control mechanisms are recommended only for evaluations of potential.