The Impact of Culture on Performance Appraisal Reforms in Africa: The Case of Uganda’s Civil Service
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Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Asian Social Science
Abstract
This article explores the impact of administrative culture on performance appraisal reforms in Uganda’s civil
service. Data gathered from 147 questionnaires, 29 interviews and various documents indicates that
administrative culture sabotages the actual conduct of performance appraisals and undermines its
institutionalization. The study supports the use of power distance and uncertainty avoidance. The additional
dimensions of political (neutrality) biasness and ethnicity are a highly relevant addition to the literature on
administrative culture and its linkage to instruments of management. Thus, for the successful introduction of
performance appraisals, culture matters because the performance appraisal is imposed from abroad and requires
a compatible host administrative culture in order to take root. In this case, the host administrative culture was not
compatible in many respects with the values underlying the appraisal reforms. Although the Ugandan
government introduced appraisal reforms, incompatibility between the values embedded in the appraisal and the
host administrative culture watered down the reform.
Description
Keywords
Performance appraisal, Reforms, Administrative culture, Values
Citation
Karyeija, G. K. (2012). The impact of culture on performance appraisal reforms in Africa: The case of Uganda’s civil service. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n4p159