ABSTRACT

Appraisal interview evaluations of varying depth were carried out in more than a dozen government departments. The appraisers most commonly spent between half an hour and one hour preparing for each interview. There is some indication that managers appraising the more junior levels devoted slightly less time in preparation, while those appraising more senior managers spent rather more time. The appraisers most commonly spent between half an hour and one hour preparing for each interview. The bi-polar scales each contrasted a statement descriptive of a participative problem-solving approach with a statement describing or indicating a more directive, authoritarian style on that particular dimension. The interviewees were asked to judge which statement of each pair best described the interview they experienced, and, the better it described their interview, the nearer the statement to place their tick. The ten aspects of interview behaviour were chosen on the basis of Maier's outline of the problem-solving style of appraisal.