The Public Administration Performance Appraisal Integrated System (SIADAP) and the Portuguese civil servants perceptions

Abstract

As part of managerial reform process, in 2004 the Public Administration Performance Appraisal Integrated System (SIADAP) was set up in Portugal. This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of Portuguese civil servants on this appraisal system. A second drive was to understand how those perceptions change depending on what extent the model is perceived as fair or not. A survey was carried out and data were collected from 2066 civil servants, including managers. The results show very negative perceptions, in particular regarding SIADAP’s objectivity, transparency and fairness. Also, Kruskal-Wallis tests and post-hoc paired comparisons reveal that civil servants who see the system as “unfair” tend to have more negative perceptions on it than those who see it as “fair” or those who are not sure about the fairness of the system.