THE IMPACT OF A DEVELOPMENTAL PERFORMANCE-APPRAISAL PROGRAM ON EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS IN AN AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL-AGENCY

A developmental performance appraisal program was introduced into an A ustralian Federal agency. Pre- and posttest measures of appraisal char acteristics, employee responses, and appraisal beliefs were gathered b y surveying 108 appraised and 64 nonappraised employees. Increases occ urred in some characteristics of appraisal, those of feedback and acti on planning, as well as in employee responses of satisfaction with fee dback and self-rated performance improvement, although not in perceive d rewards and training effectiveness. For those appraised, compared to those not appraised, feedback, action planning and supervisor support enhanced satisfaction with feedback, supervisor support enhanced trai ning effectiveness, and feedback enhanced rewards. Overall, employee b eliefs about appraisal did not influence the positive relationships be tween appraisal characteristics and employee responses. For supervisor s, relationships were more positive between appraisal characteristics and training effectiveness than for subordinates, but not with regard to employee responses.