The emergence of symmetries and asymmetries in performance appraisal interviews: An interactional perspective

Abstract

Performance appraisal interviews (PAI) are in a Scandinavian context supposed to be dialogues between equal partners. This implies a focus on the superior and subordinate as conducting a conversation more than an interview, and a focus on development instead of performance. The article seeks to investigate how these ideals are lived up to in the practice of conducting a PAI. On the basis of a corpus of 30 hours of videotaped PAIs and applying a conversation analytical approach, the study shows that interactional symmetries and asymmetries can arise as a consequence of interactional practices that are dynamically negotiated between and agreed upon by the co-participants on a turn-by-turn basis. These symmetries and asymmetries emerge due to the participants’ orientations to institutional and social norms that can intertwine and overlap, thus impeding, postponing or supporting the ideals of PAIs as being dialogues between equal partners.