Conducting Effective Faculty Annual Reviews: A Workshop for Academic Leaders

Abstract

Most if not all medical schools require annual performance reviews to be conducted on all or a subset of the faculty. Despite this being a common and recurring job expectation for academic leaders such as department chairs and division directors, such leaders are often poorly prepared to conduct effective reviews. Some of the difficulties stem from lack of training, avoidance of confrontation, lack of role modeling, and the time-consuming and high-stakes nature of the process itself. In addition, administrators report challenges related to insufficient methods for assessing teaching and research, variability in evaluation processes and criteria, and a disconnect between evaluation and salary. Thus, for some academic administrators, the faculty annual review can be perceived as a burden. This 2.5-hour workshop provides academic leaders an opportunity to engage with others about faculty annual reviews so they can have more confidence and resources when engaging in the evaluation process. This resource includes materials related to a leadership development workshop on this topic. The workshop is designed for academic leaders with responsibility for monitoring and assessing the performance of faculty, such as department chairs and division directors. The overall goals of the workshop are to improve the preparation of academic leaders in conducting reviews that provide constructive feedback to faculty members regarding their overall performance and to increase academic leaders’ awareness of and capacity in the use of annual reviews as a means toward increased faculty vitality. Although few attendees submitted formal program evaluations, the workshop was well received when offered at our institution. Six evaluations were submitted from the 18 institutional leaders who attended the workshop. Though few in number, the comments received on the program evaluation indicate a positive response and that our objectives were met. All attendees noted that they were able to identify something they planned to act upon.