The Influence of Performance and Appraisal Fairness on Employee Attitudes and Behaviour in Iraqi Kurdistan

This study examines how aspects of performance appraisal fairness influence job satisfaction, trust in management and organisational commitment, and their links to organizational citizenship behaviour. Specifically, the study proposes that job satisfaction, trust in management and organisational commitment mediate the influence of performance appraisal fairness on organisational citizenship behaviour. Social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity are used to provide a theoretical understanding of the linkages between performance appraisal fairness and work outcomes.

Data were collected at three separate times to yield 369 responses from employees in public sector banks in Iraqi Kurdistan. The results show that the procedural and informational fairness of performance appraisal have a low to moderate relationship with job satisfaction, trust in management, affective and normative commitment and that distributive fairness has an insignificant effect on affective and normative commitment. These four attitudes have a positive relationship with organisational citizenship behaviour. The findings indicate that job satisfaction, trust in management and the two dimensions of organisational commitment play a role in mediating the relationship between procedural and informational fairness of performance appraisal and organisational citizenship behaviour. Job satisfaction and trust in management also played a significant role in mediating the relationship between distributive fairness of performance appraisal and organisational citizenship behaviour. Affective and normative commitment do not mediate the relationship between distributive fairness of performance appraisal and organisational citizenship behaviour.

Performance appraisal characterised as fair and equitable is important to deliver desirable employee attitudes and behaviours and to reinforce employee motivation to serve banking activities and facilitate the achievement of organisational goals.

The results underpin the importance of conducting performance appraisals in ways that employees see as fair. Although studies of this kind are common in the West, this is the first study in the Kurdish culture and working context. Suggestions for further research are offered.