Performance appraisal systems and public sector efficiency in small island developing states: The case of Fiji

PurposeThere is extant literature on performance appraisal systems (PAS) in public sector globally; however, most of the literature focuses on PAS in public sector in large developed and large developing countries. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is scant literature on PAS in the public sector of small developing countries. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to fill the research gap and analyse employee perceptions of the annual performance appraisal (APA) system and its implications in the Fiji’s public sector. It examines the APA more specifically in the case study of Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Fiji.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach was undertaken and information collected from each research method was triangulated to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings.FindingsThis study found that the APA system shows promise of delivering on the expected outcomes for PAS. Similarly, staff morale was found to increase while employee behaviour improved with employee involvement and simple key performance indicators. However, much work needs to be done at the macro, meso and micro level of policy planning and implementation in order to ensure the success of APA.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this research are that it is based solely on Fiji’s experience and future research could expand this study to other developing country contexts, especially small island states.Originality/valueAfter conducting a literature review on developed nations and research in a small developing country (Fiji), this paper produces two models: a PAS model in the developed country context and another in Fiji’s small developing country context. This paper contributes to the existing literature of PAS in the public sector and more specifically in the context of developing small island countries.