What is a potential drawback of the paired comparison method?

The paired comparison method of performance appraisal involves evaluating each employee by directly comparing them to another employee one at a time. One of the significant drawbacks of this method is that it can be very time-consuming and cumbersome, especially when assessing a large number of employees. The evaluator must go through multiple comparisons to arrive at a final ranking, which requires substantial time and effort.

As the number of employees increases, the number of comparisons grows exponentially, making the process not only lengthy but also challenging to manage effectively. This can lead to delays in obtaining results, which may affect the performance management cycle. Moreover, the complexity of analyzing and compiling the results can add to the workload of the manager or HR professional overseeing the appraisal process. This aspect makes the paired comparison method less practical, particularly in larger organizations with many employees to evaluate. Thus, while the method can produce valuable comparative insights, its time and resource demands stand out as a notable drawback.