Supervisors at a large hospital seldom conducted performance appraisal interviews and some refused to do them. They complained that there was no time to meet every nurse and that it was a difficult and unpleasant process that was a waste of time. Some were uncomfortable with the process and found it to be stressful for everybody involved. They said that it caused a lot of anxiety for them and the nurses.

However, the administration introduced a new nursing model that required the nurses to perform certain critical behaviors when interacting with and counseling patients and their families. Therefore, performance appraisals needed to be conducted to ensure that nurses were implementing the new nursing model. The nurse supervisors would be required to evaluate their nurses’ performance every six months and then conduct a performance appraisal interview with each nurse.  The performance appraisal interview would discuss the previous six months’ performance. Based on the discussion, an action plan with specific goals for improvement would be developed.

The administration decided to hire a performance management consultant to provide a one-day workshop on conducting performance appraisals for all nurse supervisors. The training program was mandatory, and all nurse supervisors had to attend. Many of them reluctantly attended, complaining that it would be a waste of time and would not make any difference in how appraisals are done in the hospital.

The training program began with a lecture on performance management and how to conduct performance appraisal interviews. The consultant first explained that the purpose of a performance appraisal interview is to give feedback to employees and how well they are performing their jobs and then plan for future growth and development. He then discussed different performance appraisal interviews, such as the “tell-and-sell interview” and “tell-and-listen interview.” The training was followed by a list of guidelines on conducting effective interviews, such as asking the employees to do a self-assessment, focusing on behavior, not the person, minimizing criticism; focusing on problem-solving, and being supportive. The trainees were then instructed on how to set goals and develop an action plan for improvement.

After the lecture, the trainees were asked to participate in a role-play where they took turns playing the part of a supervisor and employee. They were provided with information about a nurse’s job performance to discuss in the role play and then develop an action plan. However, some of the trainees left the session, refusing to participate. Others did not take it seriously and made a joke out of it. There was a lot of laughing and joking throughout this part of the program.

After the role-play, a group discussion about the role-play experience took place. Critical points to remember when conducting performance appraisal interviews were identified and listed.

Although the supervisors were supposed to begin conducting performance appraisal and interviews shortly after the training program, very few did. Some said they tried to do them but could not find time to interview all of their nurses. Others said that they followed the consultant’s guidelines, but they did not see any improvement in how they conducted interviews or in how nurses reacted to them. Some said it continued to be a stressful experience that was uncomfortable for them and the nurses, so they decided to stop doing them.

One year later, performance appraisals were still a rare occurrence at the hospital. Furthermore, many of the nurses were not practicing the new nursing model, and as a result, nursing care and performance was inconsistent throughout the hospital and often unsatisfactory.  

Questions:

1. Based on the information provided, do you think the training was effective. Why or why not?
2. You are hired by the hospital to look into the performance problem and design a training program. What would you do?You do?