Exploring Different Effects of Performance Appraisal in Group and Individual Conversations

Background:Municipal health service are facing many new challenges, including a growing number of elderly patients, the emergence of complex diseases, time pressure at work and an increased use of technology in the workplace. As a means of coping with these challenges municipalities may require their health professionals possess expertise in these particular areas, and performance appraisal (PA) may uses to assess their employees' skills.The aim of this study is to use different models (PA carried out in group and individual conversations) to examine the effects of professional learning through PA.Methods:Group and individual PAs were conducted in one municipality. Questionnaires were distributed to a representative sample of 60 employees (test-group: 10 groups X3 employees; control-group: 30 employees), most of them were nurses and auxiliary nurses, at three different points in time (pre-test, post-test1 and post-test2).Findings:Respondents involved in the group-PA experienced more professional learning ...