Manager/Subordinate Communication and Leadership Style: A Field Study of Their Relationship to Perceived Outcomes of Appraisal Interviews

Most research on appraisal interviews has dealt with aspects of the interview itself. The study described here investigated the background to the interview — the day‐to‐day contact between appraiser and appraisee and how it affects the success of the interview. From a questionnaire survey of appraiseees, the amount of communication a manager had with his subordinates and his leadership style were related to three outcomes of the appraisal interview. The results obtained are discussed with reference to the most effective and appropriate use for appraisal schemes.