Oberg(1972) identified some common problems that interfere with the success of appraisal program.

1. Performance appraisal may be viewed as demanding too much from supervisors – difficult for the first line supervisor to know what each one is doing.

2. Standards and ratings tend to vary with some raters being tough and others more lenient.

3. An appriaser may replace organizational standards with personal values and bias.

4. Because of lack of communication, standards which the employee thinks he is judged with, are sometimes different from those their supervisors actually use.

5. Appraisal techniques tend to be used as perofrmance panaceas and cannot replace sound selection, placement and training programs.

6. The validity of the ratings may be reduced by supervisors resistance to making the ratings, due to the discomfort they feel when having to confront the employee with negative ratings and negative feedback.

7. Ratings can boomerang when communicated to employees because negative feedback fails to motivate the typical employee and may cause that employee to perform more poorly.

8. Performance appraisal may interfere with the more constructive coaching relationship between the supervisor and the employee. Supervisors may see the evaluation process as placing them in role of judge.