• A process that involves the development of individuals within an organization.
• Is a personal approach in which the manager and the employee interact on a frequent and regular basis with the ultimate outcome tha tthe employee performs at an optimal level.
• Can be individual or team approach; when implemented in a planned nad organized manner, it can promote team building and optimal performance of the employees.
• Is a learned behavior for the nurse manager and takes time and effort to be developed.

• A process that acknowledges the values and judgment of individuals and trusts that their decisions will be the correct ones.
• is a strategy useful for individual professional development, as well as for overall staff development.
• For individuals to feel empowered, the environment must be open and they must feel safe to explore and develop their own potential.
• Organizational environment must encourage individuals to employ the freedom of making decisions while retaining accountability for the consequences of those decisions.
• Management must release control to followers so that the followers might work more effectively, individually and as a team.

• Individual evaluations of work performance.
  
  
• One of the strongest rewards an organization can provide is feedback.
  
  
• May be used to monitor performance quality and quantity, evaluate job standards and expectations, provide a basis for personnel decisions (e.g., promotions, transfers, releases, staffing needs), and provide other information that may signal potential problems or success of daily operations.

• Provides written guidelines detailing the roles and responsibilities of a specific position within the organizational context.
• Reflects functions and obligation of a specific work position.
• Is a contract fo rthe individual that describeds responsibilities of the work assignment, as well as to whom the individual reports.
• Should reflect current practic guidelines for individuals and may have competency-based requirements.

• Individuals do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of their performance or how they will be evaluated.
  
  
• In the workplace, creates an environment for misunderstanding and hinders effective communication.

• Provides an appreciable framework for the development and evaluation of staff.
• Roles within organizations affect an individual's interactions with others.
• Acquisition of these roles is time-dependent and varies based on individual experiences and value systems.
• Role expectations for performance must be understood by all individuals involved for effective communication to take place.

• Select staff wisely.
  
  
• Develop staff consistently.
  
  
• Evaluate staff fairly.

Pros:

• Easy to construct and easy to use.

Cons:

• May promote "Halo Effect"
• Usually consists of generalizations, not specific behaviors.
• Rating is relatively subjective in nature.

Pros:

• Focus is on behavior and should include employees in the development.
• Combines ratings with critical incidents or criterion references.
• Criteria used are specific to the specialty of nursing delivered and pre-established outcomes.
• Considered more advantageous in terms of litigation as it describes the employee's performance both quantitatively and qualitatively.
• Staff involved in the development are more likely to understand the importance of evaluation for each criterion selected and to have an understanding of their performance expectations.
• Provides manager with concrete information regarding an employee's performance with minimal subjective interference.

Cons:

• Expensive to develop and time-consuming to implement
• Must be designed for each specific position description or standard of practice

• Performance goals established jointly between manager and employee for the upcoming evaluation period.
• Progress is documented throughout the rating period.
• Requires employee to establish clear and measurable objectives at the beginning of each rating period. During performance evaluation, both employee and manager address objectives individually and in writing.
• Employee-created "performance contract" with defined goals for future professional performance.

Pros:

• If guidelines developed collaboratively, peer review may be considered a developmental method of evaluation; employees are involved in the development and implementation process.
• Nurses tend to function in their normal patterns in the presence of peers, making this a solid rating method.

Cons:

• Important to obtain objective ratings based on performance, not subjective ratings based on personal friendships.
• Method should not be used if manager is attempting to institute team-building strategies or if the unit is unstable and employees do not like each other; employees must trust and respect each other to participate willingly.