Registered Nurse Participation in Performance Appraisal Interviews

doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2005.11.003

Journal of Professional Nursing

Volume 23, Issue 1, January–February 2007, Pages 55-59

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2005.11.003 Get rights and content

Performance appraisal interviews have, over the past two decades, become a common phenomenon in nursing. Yet evidence—both anecdotal and those reported in the literature—suggest that these interviews provide minimal satisfaction and are thus not always effective. This article presents the findings of an interpretive study that explored and documented the meaning and impact of participating in performance appraisal interviews. Data gleaned from nine New Zealand registered nurses employed by a single district health board provide evidence that nurses are often disappointed by the process of performance appraisal. Although they believe in the potential value of performance appraisal interviews, they seldom experience the feedback, direction, and encouragement necessary for an effective appraisal process. Changes to the current professional development program and its accompanying performance appraisal will require skilled commitment on the part of nurses, managers, and the employing organization to improve and develop the assessment and promotion of nursing practice.

Section snippets

Overview of the Study

The purpose of this study was to reach a deeper and different understanding of the performance appraisal interview. In the context in which the study was undertaken, performance interviews occur annually as part of each nurse's professional development program. These are distinguished from progression interviews, which occur when a nurse applies to advance his or her level of practice, and postfamiliarization interviews, which take place 10 weeks after a nurse's initial employment.

The

Study Findings

All of the study participants discussed their most recent performance appraisal, although some recalled previous experiences to highlight an issue relating to the recent interview. Thematic description of the phenomenon is presented under the following headings: fearing the process, feeling let down, and being judged by others. The overarching thematic finding was one of not having expectations met, yet nurses are not calling for the abolition of performance appraisal interviews. They want a

Discussion and Recommendations

This study arose from a concern that performance appraisal, as a mechanism for recognizing and promoting the development of practice, was in fact perceived negatively by most nurses. Those who participated in the study did not believe that performance appraisal interviews assisted their career development; neither did they see the process as an effective means of improving the delivery of care. However, like the nurses in the study conducted by Northcott (1997), they do believe in and want

Conclusion

In the contemporary society, a job for life is no longer guaranteed. Thus, it is prudent, regardless of one's position, to know one's accountabilities and to be able to recognize, articulate, and document one's achievements. There is also a worldwide shortage of nurses, and the professional literature suggests that praise, feedback, and direction are vital not only in terms of professional development but also in terms of job satisfaction and retention of staff.

The findings of this study reveal

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Indeed, with dissatisfaction and feelings of unfairness in the appraisal process, any appraisal system will be doomed to failure (Basavanthapa, 2003; Ikramullah, Shah, Hassan, Zaman, & Shah, 2011). Spence and Wood (2007) showed that most evaluation methods were not effective due to the complex, ever changing and challenging nature of these methods. Iranian studies on the nurse performance appraisal system show that it lacks the required efficacy.
The purpose of this study is to explore problems of clinical nurse performance appraisal system.
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Four major themes regarding the problems of clinical nurse performance appraisal system emerged from the analysis of textual data. These themes were contextual problems, problems related to performance appraisal structure, problems related to performance appraisal process and those related to performance appraisal results.
The findings of this study reveal that the nurse performance appraisal system confronts with various problems. Some of these problems are related to organizational context while the others concerned structure, process and results of the performance appraisal system. In order to achieve high quality of patient care as the final goal of performance appraisal, changing and revision of this system is necessary.
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However, the process can also be associated with strong negative emotions [7, 8]. The work of Spence and Wood [9] indicated that often performance appraisals failed to meet the expectations of the people involved because it felt like a poorly executed, one-sided experience. Without an appropriate structure, manager training, attitude and execution, and performance discussions can be challenging.
At many radiotherapy departments around the world, radiation therapists (RTs) undergo performance appraisals annually. Performance appraisals can be confronting and involve complex issues such as feedback, delivering constructive criticism, and positive reinforcement. The focus of this research article was to identify some strengths and weaknesses of general performance appraisal processes and to determine how this process can be streamlined using positive psychology and strength-based development to form a performance management strategy for RTs.
Database searches were conducted through ScienceDirect and PubMed for journal articles via the Queensland University of Technology Library website. General article searches were conducted through the online search engine Google. Books were accessed through the University of Southern Queensland Library and Google Scholar. Exclusion criteria included only viewing journal articles with full-text available. Key words searched included positive psychology, strength-based development, performance appraisals, 360° appraisals, and performance management.
The total number of journal articles accessed was 61. Because of exclusion criteria, there were 33 articles deemed appropriate to be used. Ultimately, 13 journal articles were referenced among the other sources accessed. Findings included that 360° appraisals generally have a conflicted user base. Findings also included discovering that positive psychology and strength-based development have numerous positive benefits. It was also well documented that performance appraisals should be used as part of an overall performance management strategy for staff. It was also noted that there are many commercially available solutions for performance appraisals.
The literature review identified that 360° appraisals could be integrated into a performance management structure in radiation therapy departments worldwide. Performance management can further be enhanced with the inclusion of positive psychology and strength-based development, which can create a meaningful process that benefits the individual, the team, and the organization. The choice of a new performance management structure is a challenging process but should be pivotal in developing more effective RTs.
Dans de nombreux services de radiothérapie du monde entier, les radiothérapeutes font l’objet d’une évaluation annuelle du rendement. L’évaluation du rendement peut être conflictuelle et comporte des enjeux complexe comme la rétroaction, la critique constructive et le renforcement positif. La présente recherche examine les forces et les faiblesses des processus généraux d’évaluation du rendement et la façon dont ce processus peut être simplifié au moyen de la psychologie positive et du développement fondé sur les forces afin de préciser la gestion du rendement pour les radiothérapeutes.
Des recherches ont été effectuées dans ScienceDirect et PubMed afin de recenser les articles publiés dans les revues scientifiques sur cette question, par l’entremise du site Web de la bibliothèque de l’Université du Queensland. Des recherches d’articles généraux ont également été faites à l’aide du moteur de recherche Google. Différents ouvrages ont été consultés par l’entremise de la bibliothèque de l’Université Southern Queensland et de Google Scholar. Les critères d’exclusion permettaient de ne consulter que les articles dont le texte complet était disponible. Les mots-clés utilisés étaient psychologie positive, développement fondé sur les forces, évaluation du rendement, évaluation 360 degrés et gestion du rendement.
Au total, 61 articles ont été consultés, dont 33 ont été retenus après application du critère d’exclusion. À la fin du processus, 13 articles ont été inclus dans les références, parmi les autres sources utilisées. Les conclusions indiquent notamment que les évaluations à 360 degrés présentent généralement une base d’utilisateurs concurrente. Les auteurs constatent également que la psychologie positive et le développement fondé sur les forces présentent de nombreux avantages. La documentation démontre également que l’évaluation du rendement doit d’inscrire dans une stratégie globale de gestion du rendement du personnel, et qu’il existe de nombreuses solutions d’évaluation du rendement disponibles sur le marché.
La recherche documentaire indique que les évaluations à 360 degrés peuvent être intégrées dans une structure de gestion du rendement pour les services de radiothérapie à l’échelle mondiale. La gestion du rendement peut également être renforcée par l’inclusion de la psychologie positive et du développement fondé sur les forces, créant ainsi un processus utile et profitable à la personne, à l’équipe et à l’établissement. Le choix d’une nouvelle structure de gestion du rendement est un processus difficile, mais qui peut être critique pour l’augmentation de l’efficacité des radiothérapeutes.
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It is therefore essential that staff participate in performance appraisals to identify opportunities for development, to facilitate provision of safe, effective, quality care.It is important to also recognise the importance of performance appraisals for experienced ED staff, who are consistently allocated to areas of high acuity such as triage and resuscitation cubicles,20 and required to manage the most complex patients.30 For this cohort of staff, performance appraisals provide opportunity for recognition of effort and achievement, and a chance to have input into unit decisions, which has been shown to provide job satisfaction, improve staff morale and increase retention.32,33 The evaluation had a statistically small sample and was conducted at a single site.
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ENERGISE was found to promote compliance with manual handling competencies and completion of performance appraisals. Successful completion of BLS and ALS more than doubled following implementation of ENERGISE. There was positive improvement in perceived preparation for practice in disaster management and decontamination. ENERGISE has enhanced how essential education is delivered to nurses in this ED.
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Old Wine in New Wineskins: Professionalism and Managerialism in the Performance Appraisal Interviews of Pastors in the Church of Norway
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Original articleRegistered Nurse Participation in Performance Appraisal Interviews

Section snippets

Overview of the Study

Study Findings

Discussion and Recommendations

Conclusion

Journal on Quality Improvement

Performance management: Part 2. Performance review and appraisal

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal

The intrinsically motivated nurse: Help and hindrance from evaluation feedback sessions

Journal of Nursing Administration

From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice

Validating competency at the bedside

Journal for Nurses in Staff Development

Identifying performance criteria for staff development competencies

Journal for Nurses in Staff Development

Evolution of peer review: Enhancing communication through team review

Critical Care Nursing Quarterly

Assessing student nurse clinical competency: Will we ever get it right?

Journal of Clinical Nursing

What kind of recognition do staff nurses want?

American Journal of Nursing

Factors influencing job satisfaction among nurses

British Journal of Nursing

Creating a clinical practice development model

American Journal of Nursing

Implementation of a hermeneutic inquiry in nursing: Philosophy, rigour and representation

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Original article
Registered Nurse Participation in Performance Appraisal Interviews