Development of a performance appraisal training program for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

“Nobody w ants to get one. Nobody wants to give one.” The problem was that the supervisors and managers of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) did not know how to use the Institute's new performance management system and had not been trained on how to prepare and deliver effective performance appraisals. The problem further included the fact that RIC was required to improve its effectiveness and timeliness with performance appraisals in preparation for its 2002 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) review and felt bound to be timely for its employees as sound management practice. The research question was: “What should be contained in a training program for effective performance appraisals that drives performance accountabilities in a mutually satisfying way for adults who can find themselves as either appraisees or appraisers?” Procedures to develop a performance appraisal training program included a review of the literature, selection of formative and summative committee members, and design and validation of criteria and contents of a performance appraisal training program. The results of the study included the creation of a two‐module performance appraisal training program that included a module on the new performance management system contents and the manager's role within that system, and a module on preparing, delivering and assessing effective performance appraisal experiences. The conclusions reached included that it was possible to design a performance appraisal training that incorporated adult learning principles including learner‐centered strategies that also reinforced ownership of timeliness. Face‐to‐face training experiences were augmented by online training materials, allowing for access by 20 RIC locations. RIC has approved recommendations for further evaluation of the effectiveness of the performance appraisal system. Recommendations to apply adult learning principles to internal adult learning venues have received broader acceptance within the wider management and employee groups.