Judgment, Evaluation, Feedback, etc. LO9909

W.M. Deijmann (winfried@universal.nl)
Thu, 12 Sep 1996 00:09:41 +0200

Donald Kerr asked in LO9868

> Could any of you help me understand the following words and questions?

>1) What is the difference between "evaluation" and "feedback?"

Evaluation is in M.O. the creation of a picture of a particalar part of
the past in which you ask: What is done in comparison to what was intented
to be done. In Feedback there's allways a (more or less hidden) message
given (to somebody) concourning future steps or future behaviour from
people in similar situations. Evaluation is thus more "past"related and
Feedback is more "future"related.

>2) How is "evaluation" similar to/different than "Judgment.?"

Evaluation allways takes place focussing on the past and has "picturing
quality" Judging is allways an activity that takes place in the here and
now and has "feeling"quality. Judging stands right in the middle between
the polarity 'past' and 'future' and between 'conclusion' and 'decision'.
There's an overlap between evaluation and Judging and there's an overlap
between feedback and judging. You can take a look at this www-page if you
want to read about an interesting approach on judgement building and
decisionmaking: <http://www.universal.nl/USERS/winfried/Dyn_Jud.html>

>3) How are these terms related to "ranking," "grading in school," and
>even "Salary Grading and promotion?"

They are ment to work as a stimulance to produce more or better out of the
assumption that humans are a noble kind of animal that needs to be
rewarded or punished in order to keep him in line.

>4) Are all these terms, including exclusive hierarchy, products of a
>competitive system based on artificial scarcity?

Yes

>5) If one speaks out against performance appraisals, ranking, pay for
>performance, etc., how can one not also come out against salary grades
>and promotion within an exclusive hierarchy?

Because of bad experiences in the past,fear for the uncertain future and
lack of trust in eachother here and now. If employers and workers would
really trust another, payments would be at the beginning of the month
instead of at the end of the month.

>[This next question is optional and related to the Christianity and 5th
>Discipline thread]
>
>6) How does the message "Judge not!" in the Christian Bible relate to
>one's judgment of someone else's performance and worth to an organization?

There isn't a direct relation anymore. Humanity has individualized very
much since.

>Is it strictly a spiritual principle or is it a call to transformation of
>social organization?

No it is not a strictly spiritual principle anymore and yes you can
understand it as a supermodern call to transform social organisms. I think
it's a moral call for freedom, equallity and brotherhood. Freedom of
spiritual live, equality in justice systems and brotherhood in economical
systems.

>Many are trying desperately to come up with alternatives to the prevailing
>performance appraisal >systems and exclusive hierarchies...most are not very
>successful. Dr. Deming has shown us that,
>no matter how you slice them, individual performance cannot be separated from
>the performance of >the system and for this reason Performance appraisal
>cannot be done. From this can we go on to say >that any form of judgment
>cannot be done.

Focussing and evaluating his view of the past you might say he's right.
Looking at the future his conclusions will not hold, because of the fact
that our view on human behaviour is changing. The future willask for a
continious process of judging from one situation to another.

>Could it be that the reason they cannot be done is because they violate the
>spiritual principle "Judge >Not?"

No.

> Could it be that to empower people to learn...is a much more radical
>transformation
>than has been sold by consultants so far?

Yes.

>Is a 1 to 12 leadership to disciple (employee) ratio where the least shall be
>the greatest the only
>remaining model for social organization?

No.

greetings from rainy Holland.

Winfried

Winfried M. Deijmann
Deijmann & Partners
tel.: +31 (0)575-522076
Human Relations and Communications Consultancy fax.: +31
(0)575-527310
Het Zwanevlot 37
NL 7206 CB Zutphen
Netherlands Email: winfried@universal.nl
Homepage:
<http://www.universal.nl/users/winfried/default.htm>

"An educated mind is useless without a focussed will and dangerous without
a loving heart" (unknown source)

-- 

winfried@universal.nl (W.M. Deijmann)

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