Showing papers on "Job performance published in 1988"

The Determinants of Goal Commitment

Abstract: The concept and measurement of commitment to goals, a key aspect of goal-setting theory, are discussed. The strength of the relationship between commitment and performance is asserted to depend on the amount of variance in commitment. Three major categories of determinants of commitment are discussed: external factors (authority, peer influence, external rewards), interactive factors (participation and competition), and internal factors (expectancy, internal rewards). Applications of these ideas are made and new research directions are suggested.

Employee Participation: Diverse Forms and Different Outcomes

Abstract: Participation in decision making (PDM) takes several distinct forms. A review of empirical studies demonstrates that effects of participation on satisfaction and performance vary according to form. The findings cast doubt on the conclusions of earlier reviews based on a unidimensional view of PDM and raise several issues for the study and practice of PDM.

Discriminant validation of measures of job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment.

Abstract: Discriminant validity of measures of job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment was empirically evaluated using data collected from a sample of 577 full-time employees of a 327-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center, The LISREL vi computer program was used to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis of items from measures of these three concepts and to evaluate relations between other job-related variables and the three attitudinal measures. Results of these analyses indicated that the measures of job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment assess empirically distinct concepts.

Occupational stress among health care workers: A test of the job demands-control model

Abstract: Models of occupational stress have often failed to make explicit the variable of control over the environment, as well as the role of job socialization in shaping personality characteristics and coping behaviours. This neglect has helped maintain the focus of stress reduction interventions on the individual. A new model of occupational stress developed by Robert Karasek incorporates control and socialization effects and has successfully predicted the development of heart disease and psychological strain. A survey instrument derived from the model was distributed to 771 hospital and nursing home employees in New Jersey, and 289 (37.5 per cent) were returned. Respondents did not significantly differ from non-respondents by age, sex, job tenure, union membership status, job satisfaction, job perceptions and attitude towards employer and union. The results support the hypothesis that reported job strain (job dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms) and burnout is significantly higher in jobs that combine high workload demands with low decision latitude. This association remained significant after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, children, hours worked per week and shift worked. Other job characteristics (job insecurity, physical exertion, social support, hazard exposure) were also associated with strain and burnout. The survey instrument also identified high strain jobtitles in the surveyed workplaces. The results are discussed in relation to directions for future research, research on stress in nursing, and approaches to stress reduction.

Job experience correlates of job performance.

Abstract: Although measures of job experience are frequently-used screening devices in the selection of employees, personnel psychologists have devoted little attention to their usefulness. This article quantitatively summarizes data on the relation between job experience and job performance from a total sample of 16,058. The correlation between job experience and job performance was found to be moderated by two variables: length of experience and job complexity. The highest correlations were obtained in populations with low mean levels of job experience and for jobs that place low levels of cognitive demands on employees. Results appear to be consistent with the causal model of job performance proposed by Schmidt, Hunter, and Outerbridge (1986).

Managerial Job Change: Men and Women in Transition

Abstract: Work role transitions are among the most significant yet least understood forms of social change, and how they affect individuals' careers, self-concepts and organizational adjustment is of great practical and theoretical importance This book provides the first comprehensive, large-scale study of the causes, form and outcomes of job change Focussing on one of the most influential segments of society - middle to senior managers - the book offers a new theoretical approach to the analysis and understanding of job change The authors ask how much job change is taking place, assess who is most affected, and evaluate the psychological consequences for the individual manager They discuss organizations' handling of job transitions, and provide a unique focus on women in management, evaluating how their experience of careers and job change differs from men's This book presents important new findings to specialists in life-span development, careers, managerial performance and organizational behaviour It also offers the non-specialist insights into wider questions, such as the relationship between social change and organizational life, and the individual's experience of changes in industrial society's structures, practices and values

The effect of participative budgeting on job satisfaction and performance: Role ambiguity as an intervening variable☆

Abstract: The results of studies into the effects of participative budgeting have been equivocal. This study seeks to explain the process by which participation in budget setting affects managers' performance and job satisfaction. A model is developed to show how role ambiguity acts as an intervening variable in the link between participation and outcome criteria. Empirical results indicate that budgetary participation acts indirectly, via role ambiguity, to influence job satisfaction and performance.

Determinants of selling effectiveness: The importance of declarative knowledge to the personal selling concept.

Abstract: To understand better the determinants of selling effectiveness, the author proposes a framework for investigating the impact of declarative knowledge on the salesperson's ability to identify custom...

Self-Appraisal in Performance Evaluation: Development Versus Evaluation

Abstract: Self-appraisal (SA) may complement evaluative supervisory ratings. SAs also may be used to help employees improve their job performance. This review (a) explains why research on the evaluation function of SA has provided such poor results, (b) suggests modification in SAs that may increase their developmental effectiveness, and (c) reviews two theoretical orientations which justify the belief that SAs can improve job performance.

Joint relation of experience and ability with job performance: Test of three hypotheses.

Abstract: Data from four different jobs (TV = 1,474) were used to evaluate three hypotheses of the joint relation of job experience and general mental ability to job performance as measured by (a) work sample measures, (b) job knowledge measures, and (c) supervisory ratings of job performance. The divergence hypothesis predicts an increasing difference and the convergence hypothesis predicts a decreasing difference in the job performance of highand low-mental-ability employees as employees gain increasing experience on the job. The noninteractive hypothesis, by contrast, predicts that the performance difference will be constant over time. For all three measures of job performance, results supported the noninteractive hypothesis. Also, consistent with the noninteractive hypothesis, correlational analyses showed essentially constant validities for general mental ability (measured earlier) out to 5 years of experience on the job. In addition to their theoretical implications, these findings have an important practical implication: They indicate that the concerns that employment test validities may decrease over time, complicating estimates of selection utility, are probably unwarranted.

Dimensions of Job Performance

Abstract: : This report describes and applies a method of determining the dimensions that make up the performance of work throughout the Navy's enlisted ratings and grades. The dimensions of work performance are defined within a hierarchy from micro to macro and the relationships between such dimensions and input variables such as ability, experience, and motivation are described. Key inclusions and omissions from current research within DoD on the prediction of job performance are identified. Keywords: Job Performance, Performance measures, Performance dimensions, Naval personnel, Enlisted personnel.

The Job analysis handbook for business, industry, and government

Abstract: JOB ANALYSIS HISTORY AND FOUNDATION: Job Analysis in the World of Work History of Job Analysis in U.S. Military Organizations USES FOR JOB ANALYSIS RESULTS IN ORGANIZATION ADMINISTRATION: Job Descriptions Wage Incentives USE FOR JOB ANALYSIS RESULTS IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Manager Assessment and Research Task-Based Training Program Development PLANNING FOR JOB ANALYSIS: Organizing and Maintaining Acceptance of Job Analysis Selecting a Job Analysis Approach METHODS FOR OBTAINING JOB INFORMATION Content Analysis of Job Documentation Observing the Work INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING JOB ANALYSIS METHODS: Motion Study Methods Time Study Methods HUMAN FACTORS JOB ANALYSIS METHODS: Human Factors in Systems Design WORKER-BASED PSYCHOLOGICAL JOB ANALYSIS METHODS Job Element Analysis.

Choosing an Involvement Strategy

Abstract: The most prevalent approach to designing work organizations calls for such features as hierarchical decision making, simple repetitive jobs at the lowest level, and rewards based on carefully measured individual job performance. But this "control" approach appears to be losing favor. Numerous articles and books have recently argued that work organizations need to move toward an "involvement" or "commitment" approach to the design and management of work organizations.' The advantages of the involvement approach are said to include higher quality products and services, less absenteeism, less turnover, better decision making, and better problem solving in short, greater organizational effectiveness.2 Careful examination of the suggested ways to increase involvement reveals not one but at least three approaches to managing organizations. All three encourage employee participation in decision making. These three approaches, however, have different histories, advocates, advantages, and disadvantages. An organization interested in adopting an involvement-oriented approach needs to be aware of the differences among these approaches and strategically choose the approach that is best for it. The three approaches to involvement are (1) parallel suggestion involvement, (2) job involvement, and (3) high involvement. They differ in the degree to which they direct that four key features should be moved to the lowest level of an organization. Briefly, the features are: (1) information about the performance of the organization, (2) rewards that are based on the performance of the organization, (3) knowledge that enables employees to understand and contribute to organizational performance, and (4) power to make decisions that influence organizational direction and performance. Information, rewards, knowledge, and power are the central issues for all organizations. How they are positioned in an organization determines the core management style of the organization. When they are concentrated at the top, traditional control-oriented management exists; when they are moved downward, some form of participative management is being practiced. The parallel suggestion approach does the least to move power, knowledge, information, and rewards downward, while the high involvement approach does the most. Because they position power, information, knowledge, and rewards differently, these approaches tend to fit different situations and to produce different results. It is not that one is always better than another, but that they are different and, to some degree, competing. Let us consider how these three approaches operate, and the results they produce. Once we have reviewed them, we can discuss when and how they are best used.

Nurses and shift work: effects on job performance and job‐related stress

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of day, afternoon, night and rotating shift schedules on the job performance and job-related stress of nurses. Registered nurses from five hospitals (n = 463) were surveyed using a structured questionnaire which measured both job performance and job-related stress. Analysis of data indicated that both the nurses' job performance and their job-related stress were related to the type of shift they worked. Overall job performance was highest for the nurses on the day shift, followed by the night, afternoon, and rotating shifts. Rotating shift nurses experienced the most job-related stress, followed in turn by the afternoon, day, and night shift nurses. The findings are interpreted within a conceptual framework which examines the social organization of work in the hospital by shift and the effects of shift work on biological rhythm synchronization.

The effect of experience on the auditor's organization and amount of knowledge

Abstract: SYNOPSIS AND INTRODUCTION: Research (see Wright 1988 and Bedard 1989 for reviews) has examined how experience affects the auditor's ability to perform audit tasks successfully. A plausible explanation (see, e.g., Schmidt et al. 1986) for the failure to obtain a significant positive relationship between experience and performance with regularity is that these constructs are indirectly related (for other reasons see Bonner 1990). Few studies have attempted to explicate this indirect relationship by examining the knowledge and skills that develop with audit experience and may lead to improved task performance (cf. Alba and Hutchinson 1987).1 The current study focuses on the manner in which experience affects knowledge structure for several reasons. First, identification of "systematic differences in content and structure of (domain-specific) knowledge. . . can be used to facilitate investigating the relationship [between experience and performance]" (Davis and Solomon 1989, 160). For example, when systematic differences are identified, the relationship between these differences and expert performance can be examined empirically. Second, a more refined knowledge structure is considered by many (e.g., Chi et al. 1982) to have a significant influence on skilled performance. Substantiating this point, Schmidt et al. (1986) found that job knowledge was the strongest determinant of job performance (and that experience was the strongest determinant of job knowledge). In accounting, many researchers

Gender and Support for Reagan: A Comprehensive Model of Presidential Approval*

Abstract: This article examines the sources of gender differences in approval of President Reagan's job performance. Employing data from the I982 National Election Study survey, a comprehensive model of presidential approval is developed. Analyses are conducted separately for men and women and then compared item by item to locate the demographic and attitudinal sources of Reagan's "gender gap." The results indicate that military and social welfare issues are the most important components of the gender gap, while demographic differences, women's issues, environmental protection, and reactions to Reagan's perceived personal qualities matter little, or actually reduce the gender difference in approval of the president.

The Relationship between Pay-for-Performance Perceptions and Pay Satisfaction.

Abstract: A study was conducted with 104 hospital employees to assess the relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay satisfaction. Unlike previous research examining this relationship, a multi-item measure of pay-for-performance perceptions and a multidimensional measure of pay satisfaction were used. As hypothesized, the results indicated a positive relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay-raise satisfaction, pay-level satisfaction, and overall pay satisfaction even after the effects of salary level, salary increases, performance ratings, job tenure, job satisfaction, and promotions were controlled. The importance of gathering perceptual data on characteristics of the pay system believed to have differential relationships with the subdimensions of pay satisfaction are discussed.

The psychology of work and human performance

Abstract: 1. The Field of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 2. Research in the Organizational Setting. 3. Recruiting and Selecting Personnel. 4. Assessing the Abilities of Personnel. 5. Training: Development, Methods, and Evaluation. 6. Appraising Performance. 7. Motivation: Understanding Differences in Performance. 8. Job Satisfaction. 9. Organizational Leadership. 10. Group Behavior in the Workplace. 11. Special Populations in the Workplace: Women, Minorities, and Older Workers. 12. The Nature of Organizations. 13. Organization Development. 14. Human Factors and Working Conditions. 15. I/O Psychology and Worker Health.

An Integrative Model of Updating and Performance

Abstract: Under conditions of rapid technological innovation, maintaining the technical competence of a firm's human resources becomes critical. This research developed a theoretical framework and model for updating. It was proposed that individual characteristics and contextual features would jointly affect perceptions of the job and the climate for updating. The perceptions would, in mm, mediate the relationship between the contextual features and individual responses of performance and updating. Data gathered from 483 engineers drawn from 220 subunits across seven organizations provided partial support. Context measures were significantly mediated by the perceptions. Individual characteristics, however, were directly linked to performance and updating responses. The results suggest that attempts to influence performance and updating may require modifications to the techno-structural aspects of work.

Communication Climate, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment The Effects of Information Adequacy, Communication Openness, and Decision Participation

Abstract: This study attempted to investigate the effects of communication on organizational commitment (employee loyalty). Based on data from 521 nurses in four general care hospitals, the relationships among three communication variables, four demographic variables, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment were statistically analyzed. The results of the study suggest that communication does affect organizational commitment, that communication affects job satisfaction (employee morale), but that job satisfaction does not affect organizational commitment. A model of these relationships is proposed.