Looking Forward to Performance Improvement: A Field Test of the Feedforward Interview for Performance Management

Hospital doctor turnover and retention: a systematic review and new research pathway

PURPOSE

Society is critically dependent on an adequate supply of hospital doctors to ensure optimal health care. Voluntary turnover amongst hospital doctors is, however, an increasing problem for hospitals. The aim of this study was to systematically review the extant academic literature to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current knowledge base on hospital doctor turnover and retention. In addition to this, we synthesise the most common methodological approaches used before then offering an agenda to guide future research.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Adopting the PRISMA methodology, we conducted a systematic literature search of four databases, namely CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science.

FINDINGS

We identified 51 papers that empirically examined hospital doctor turnover and retention. Most of these papers were quantitative, cross-sectional studies focussed on meso-level predictors of doctor turnover.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Selection criteria concentrated on doctors who worked in hospitals, which limited knowledge of one area of the healthcare environment. The review could disregard relevant articles, such as those that discuss the turnover and retention of doctors in other specialities, including general practitioners. Additionally, being limited to peer-reviewed published journals eliminates grey literature such as dissertations, reports and case studies, which may bring impactful results.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Globally, hospital doctor turnover is a prevalent issue that is influenced by a variety of factors. However, a lack of focus on doctors who remain in their job hinders a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Conducting "stay interviews" with doctors could provide valuable insight into what motivates them to remain and what could be done to enhance their work conditions. In addition, hospital management and recruiters should consider aspects of job embeddedness that occur outside of the workplace, such as facilitating connections outside of work. By resolving these concerns, hospitals can retain physicians more effectively and enhance their overall retention efforts.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Focussing on the reasons why employees remain with an organisation can have significant social repercussions. When organisations invest in gaining an understanding of what motivates their employees to stay in the job, they are better able to establish a positive work environment that likely to promote employee well-being and job satisfaction. This can result in enhanced job performance, increased productivity and higher employee retention rates, all of which are advantageous to the organisation and its employees.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The review concludes that there has been little consideration of the retention, as opposed to the turnover, of hospital doctors. We argue that more expansive methodological approaches would be useful, with more qualitative approaches likely to be particularly useful. We also call on future researchers to consider focussing further on why doctors remain in posts when so many are leaving.

Development of listening competence in business education

Previous research indicates that listening is the most important type of oral communication in the workplace. Unfortunately, there is little evidence showing that business programs share this view. The goal of this literature review is to close the gap between employer preferences and business school priorities, thereby enhancing the listening competence of business graduates. Research has identified four listening styles. Task-oriented listening and critical listening focus on message content whereas relational listening and analytical listening are relationally oriented. Although competence in all four styles is needed, the most appropriate style to use is contingent on why one is listening. We propose a systems approach utilizing the ADIE (assessment, design, implementation, evaluation) model for developing the listening competence of business students.

Showing commitment or incompetence? When and how newcomers' information seeking elevates (degrades) task-related outcomes

To date, empirical research exploring the complex mechanisms of when and how information seeking from supervisor affects newcomers' task-related outcomes remains in its infancy. With a sample of 394 newcomers and their supervisors, drawing on the conservation of resources theory and professional image construction theory, we proposed and confirmed two paradoxical paths regarding perceptions of professional image construction – concern about impairing competence-image and confidence in improving commitment-image – that connect newcomers' information seeking from supervisor with their emotional exhaustion during socialization and ultimately can elevate and degrade their task-related outcomes, respectively. In addition, we found that supervisors' favorable feedback weakened the relationship between information seeking from supervisor and competence-image impairment concern, whereas it strengthened the linkage between information seeking and commitment-image improvement confidence. This study thus provides a more comprehensive picture for scholars and practitioners.

Performance management trends–reflections on the redesigns big companies have been doing lately

Purpose

Since several high-profile companies announced that they were radically redesigning their performance management systems and processes (PMSPs), commentators and scholars argue that these changes represent a trend that many companies are following, and even more are considering pursuing. The present paper aims to provide an overview of these redesigns and their rationales from the companies' point of view and theoretically reflect on their organisational value.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a review of articles from journals, professional magazines and the business press that describe how nine high-profile companies from the debate changed their PMSP design.

Findings

The PMSP redesigns are directed towards what in the literature has been referred to as people PMSPs. The authors identify five organisational challenges to which the people PMSPs are exposed and specify the design elements that the companies have changed to meet these challenges. Finally, the authors outline a set of theoretical propositions that demonstrate some of the trade-offs involved with the redesigns.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to researchers and practitioners by providing more insight into why and how companies have redesigned their people PMSPs. Answers to these questions are vital in understanding the trends and redesigns that practitioners are currently considering. Furthermore, since the empirical research of the effects of these redesigns is still limited, we outline a set of theory-based propositions helpful for future empirical investigations.

Building Positive Organizations: A Typology of Positive Psychology Interventions

Research indicates that Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in the work context have a small positive impact on improving desirable work outcomes, and a small to moderate effect on reducing undesirable work outcomes, suggesting that the effects of PPIs are not trivial, but also not large. Whereas this may be related to the difficulty of changing oneself or one's happiness levels, the relatively small effects of PPIs may also be due to the predominant use of one-off interventions instead of more structural interventions that reflect policy level commitment. Furthermore, since most PPIs tend to focus on the individual, one could question the long-term effectiveness of such interventions, especially when the work environment remains unchanged. In this manuscript, I introduce a typology of PPIs in organizations by distinguishing between the organizational level they target (the individual or group level), and between one-off and structural interventions. I argue that different types of interventions can strengthen each other, and that to make a sustainable contribution to the optimal functioning of workers, PPIs need to comprise a wide variety of one-off and structural interventions targeting both individuals and groups in organizations. Furthermore, I make suggestions for improving the long-term effectiveness of PPIs by drawing on the literature on transfer of training, nudging, and positive design.

The purposes of performance management systems and processes: a cross-functional typology

Purpose

This paper aims to organise, in a general typology, the different purposes of performance management systems and processes (PMSPs) that are discussed across the performance management literature in different functional areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The typology is developed based on a traditional review of the performance management literature from three types of functional areas, represented by operations and production management, management accounting and human resource management.

Findings

The cross-functional typology illustrates how the different types of purposes discussed in the literature can be organised in a hierarchical structure. In this way, the basic purpose of organisational value creation for PMSPs can be decomposed into two layers of sub-purposes, the first specifying the domain and the second outlining the specific managerial use of PMSPs.

Practical implications

The presented typology may help managers across different functional areas map the purposes of their PMSPs; this mapping will not only provide the basics for understanding a PMSP's potential value for an organisation but also serve as an important input for PMSP design.

Originality/value

The presented typology has a broader scope than existing typologies of purposes in research and, consequently, better interrelates and tracks the various types of purposes discussed across different functional areas. This contributes not only to our understanding of performance management as a cross-functional field but also to research on the use and design of PMSPs in organisations.

Reliability and validation of an instrument for measuring problems with performance appraisal of automotive parts manufacturing employees

Purpose

To develop and validate an instrument to measure the problems associated with performance appraisal.

Design/methodology/approach

The implementation was in two phases. Phase 1 involved the development and validation of an instrument to measure the problems with performance appraisal. Phase 2 involved the exploration and confirm the construct measurement. Data used in Phase 1 were collected from interviews with administrators and employees in the automotive parts manufacturing industry and five experts. In Phase 2, data were derived from questionnaires sent to 320 employees of automotive parts manufacturers in the Eastern Region of Thailand.

Findings

Problems concerning performance appraisals were classified into two components as problems with the appraisal process and problems with the appraising person. The concepts, theories and interview results that were used to develop the instrument and assess problems with performance appraisals were consistent with the empirical evidence.

Practical implications

The developed instrument may be used to measure problem levels of performance appraisals in organizations with high accuracy and reliability. Findings may be used as guidelines for management to effectively reduce problems with performance appraisals. The instrument may also be used for research measurement of organizational problems concerning performance appraisal.

Social implications

Fairness, transparency and testability are aspects of effective management. Ignorance of problems in performance appraisals may have negative effects on a conducive working atmosphere and behaviors at the personal, group and organizational levels. Therefore, the findings of this study have social implications for the capability to examine fairness in employees' performance appraisals.

Originality/value

The instrument for measuring problems with performance appraisal was developed based on the combination of concepts, theories and interview and questionnaire data. This instrument facilitates human resource officers, managers and organizations in measuring the levels of problems with performance appraisals.

The Effect of Strengths-Based Performance Appraisal on Perceived Supervisor Support and the Motivation to Improve Performance

Strengths-based performance appraisal focuses on identifying, appreciating, and developing employee’s qualities in line with the company goals. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we hypothesized that strengths-based performance appraisals will bring about a stronger motivation to improve (MTI) performance, by making subordinates feel supported by their supervisor and thereby fulfill their need for relatedness. Moreover, we hypothesized that strengths-based performance appraisal will reduce the threat to the relationship between supervisor and subordinate when the performance rating is relatively low. To investigate our hypotheses, we distributed a questionnaire to employees working for a large Dutch consultancy firm right after their yearly appraisal (N = 422) and linked the questionnaire data to their official performance ratings. Conditional process analysis indicated that strengths-based performance appraisal had a positive effect on perceived supervisor support (PSS), and in turn on MTI performance. Furthermore, the effect of strengths-based performance appraisal was particularly strong, when the performance rating was relatively low. Our findings may inspire future research into strengths-based performance appraisal as a relational approach to employee development.

Performance appraisal, justice and organizational effectiveness: a comparison between two universities

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how the design of a performance appraisal system (PAS) affects the perceived justice of academic employees (AE) about their performance appraisal (PA) and how this is associated with organizational effectiveness in terms of organizational leadership (OL).

Design/methodology/approach

The study subjects are two economic faculties of two Estonian public universities. The data for the study were collected using the PA Survey with a total of 82 AEs, OL Capability Questionnaire with a total of 72 AEs and the organizations' documents to analyze PAS. Assessment and analysis of the data included: the measurement of PAS design; the measurement of perceived justice from PA; the measurement of organizational leadership capability; analysis of the results gained from studying perceived justice from different PAS designs and organizational effectiveness in terms of OL.

Findings

Ultimately, the study reveals that PAS design affects academic employees' perception of distributive justice and organizational external effectiveness in terms of OL but does not affect academic employees' perception of procedural justice and organizational internal effectiveness in terms of OL.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that organizational effectiveness depends on perceived justice of employees from the design of PAS. However, the results of this study are valid in the arrangements of academic jobs in universities and in similar or close context of Estonian culture.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates the role of PAS design in conditions of intellectual job arrangement in universities with its influence on organizational effectiveness in the context of OL.

Neuroanesthesiologists as interoperative neurophysiologists: a collaborative cognitive apprenticeship model of training in a community of clinical practice

Directing intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) is a patient care activity for which no formal training programs exist, even though the need for well-trained practitioners is readily evident while caring for patients with diseases of the brain, spinal cord, spinal column, or nervous system. Here, we present the theoretical basis and institutional experience for a successful model of learning a new and complex set of skills: the medical direction of IONM. In a major academic institution, a clinical community of practice absorbed new members with professional backgrounds ranging from a recent neuroanesthesia fellowship to several decades of neuroanesthesia practice and trained them in a collaborative cognitive apprenticeship model to medically direct IONM. Our community of practice comprises experienced technicians, a diplomate of the American Board of Neurophysiologic Monitoring (DABNM), and six neuroanesthesiologists. This group forms the base of the scaffolding or structure where the apprenticeship and learning take place. The clinical community of practice has trained eight new members in the medical direction of IONM. The group has also trained four outside anesthesiologists-one of whom went on to become certified as a DABNM-who went on to develop the IONM program at a major children's hospital. This collaborative cognitive apprenticeship in anesthesiology to learn the medical direction of IONM is quite innovative as it integrates new members and expands the range of existing ones. In our model, the entire community is elevated by the reciprocal interactions of master clinicians, novice apprentices, and the community of practice.

Beyond feedback: understanding how feedforward can support employee development

Purpose

Recent research has found that a technique called feedforward interviewing (FFI) can be used to develop employees on the job. Currently the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the FFI-performance relationship are unexplored. Using a positive psychology framework, the purpose of this paper is to discuss how FFI supports the creation of personal and relational resources, and explores the contextual and environmental limits to the effectiveness of the technique.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a review of the literature as well as examination through appropriate theoretical lenses, moderators of FFI are proposed and the implications for the effectiveness of the technique are examined.

Findings

The FFI model explored in this paper is rooted in broaden and build theory as well as other theories from the positive psychology literature. Design recommendations and future research directions are discussed.

Originality/value

Through a scholarly review of the literature, the potential for the effective use of a new developmental technique is explored. Direct guidance on how to apply FFI in organizations is given.

Genius or Folly? It Depends on Whether Performance Ratings Survive the “Psychological Immune System”

At the heart of the debate between Colquitt's and Adler's (Adler et al., 2016) camps is a disagreement about the degree to which employees can be expected to respond favorably to challenging, negative, or critical feedback. Colquitt and colleagues argue that we often try and avoid blame, select jobs that don't rate us against others, and respond unhappily to accurate appraisals. Adler and his collaborators, by contrast, are more optimistic. They point to how feedback drives us to seek new strategies, change our behavior, and improve our skills.