Showing papers on "Job performance published in 1993"

Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance

Abstract: Partial table of contents: THE CONCEPT OF COMPETENCE. Definition of a "Competency". A COMPETENCY DICTIONARY. Achievement and Action. Managerial. Cognitive. DEVELOPING A MODEL. Designing Competency Studies. Conducting the Behavioral Event Interview. FINDINGS: GENERIC COMPETENCY MODELS. Salespeople. Helping and Human Service Workers. Entrepreneurs. COMPETENCY-BASED APPLICATIONS. Performance Management. Pay. Societal Applications. Competency-Based Human Resource Management in the Future. Bibliography. Index.

Strategic Sensemaking and Organizational Performance: Linkages Among Scanning, Interpretation, Action, and Outcomes

Abstract: This study investigated the strategic "sensemaking" processes of scanning, interpretation, and action and how those activities are linked to organizational performance. Using path analyses on data from 156 hospitals, we tested the direct and indirect effects among these sensemaking processes and performance outcomes and developed a model of their relationships. In a more general sense, the research represents an attempt to provide insight not only into relationships between cognition and action, but also into the links between those fundamental processes and organizational performance outcomes.

Comprehensive meta-analysis of integrity test validities: Findings and implications for personnel selection and theories of job performance.

Abstract: The authors conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis based on 665 validity coefficients across 576,460 data points to investigate whether integrity test validities are generalizable and to estimate differences in validity due to potential moderating influences. Results indicate that integrity test validities are substantial for predicting job performance and counterproductive behaviors on the job, such as theft, disciplinary problems, and absenteeism. The estimated mean operational predictive validity of integrity tests for predicting supervisory ratings of job performance is.41. Results from predictive validity studies conducted on applicants and using external criterion measures (i.e., excluding self-reports) indicate that integrity tests predict the broad criterion of organizationally disruptive behaviors better than they predict employee theft alone

Conscientiousness and performance of sales representatives: Test of the mediating effects of goal setting.

Abstract: The authors used 91 sales representatives to test a process model that assessed the relationship of conscientiousness to job performance through mediating motivational (goal-setting) variables. Linear structural equation modeling showed that sales representatives high in conscientiousness are more likely to set goals and are more likely to be committed to goals, which in turn is associated with greater sales volume and higher supervisory ratings of job performance. Results also showed that conscientiousness is directly related to supervisory ratings. Consistent with previous research, results showed that ability was also related to supervisory ratings of job performance and, to a lesser extent, sales volume

Another Look at the Job Satisfaction-Life Satisfaction Relationship

Abstract: The relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction has been heavily researched over the years. In spite of this research interest, results have not proved conclusive in demonstrating the causal nature of the relationship. In the present study, a causal model was hypothesized and tested that involved simultaneous consideration of cross-sectional and longitudinal effects between job and life satisfaction. This type of analysis has not previously been conducted and allows the strongest conclusions to date regarding the causality between these constructs. Results based on a national probability sample of workers indicated that job and life satisfaction were significantly and reciprocally related. The cross-sectional results suggested a relatively strong relationship between job and life satisfaction, but the longitudinal results suggested a weaker relationship over a 5-year period, particularly with respect to the effect of job satisfaction on life satisfaction. The meaning of these results in the context of past research on the job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship is discussed. Recently, Tail, Padgett, and Baldwin (1989) provided the first meta-analytic estimate of the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Using correlations from 34 studies, Tail et al. (1989) estimated the average corrected correlation between the constructs to be .44. The authors concluded their review with this comment: "On the basis of the substantial relationship between job and life satisfaction documented here, further explanatory research of this nature is now clearly warranted" (p. 505). In a recent review of the literature, Rain, Lane, and Steiner (1991) held that although Tail et al.'s study was useful in providing an overall assessment of the job satisfactionlife satisfaction relationship, it did not address the direction of causality between the constructs. Rain et al. argued that more efforts investigating the causality between job and life satisfaction were needed. Thus, despite extensive research, the critical question concerning what the direction of influence between job and life satisfaction is remains unanswered. The correlation estimated in Tait et al.'s (1989) meta-analysis suggests that a positive relationship exists, but this study provided no information regarding whether job satisfaction causes life satisfaction, life satisfaction causes job satisfaction, or the two constructs are mutually causative. A causal influence from life satisfaction to job satisfaction is supportive of the dispositional perspective (Judge & Hulin, in press; Judge & Locke, 1993; Staw, Bell, & Clausen,

Nurses' job satisfaction: a meta-analysis of related variables.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the magnitude of the relationships between nurses' job satisfaction and the variables most frequently associated with it. A meta-analysis of data from 48 studies with a total of 15,048 subjects revealed that job satisfaction was most strongly associated with stress (-.609) and organizational commitment (.526). Seven variables had correlations between .20 and .50: communication with supervisor, autonomy, recognition, routinization, communication with peers, fairness, and locus of control. Four other variables frequently included in these studies had low correlations (less than .20): age, education, tenure, and professionalization. The influence of employment site, date of study, and measures used on the size and consistency of estimates was described.

The relationship between organizational transfer climate and positive transfer of training

Abstract: This study describes the development and investigation of the concept of organizational transfer climate and discusses whether it influences the degree to which trainees transfer behaviors learned in a training program to their job situations. The study was conducted in a large franchise that owns and operates over one hundred fast-food restaurants in a large metropolitan area. Analyses indicated that when manager trainees were assigned to units that had a more positive organizational transfer climate, they were rated as better performers of the behaviors previously learned in training. As was predicted, it was also found that manager trainees who learned more in training performed better on the job. It was concluded that, in addition to how much trainees learn in training, the organizational transfer climate of the work situation affects the degree to which learned behavior will be transferred onto the actual job. This research suggests that organizational transfer climate is a tool that should be investigated as a potential facilitator for enhancing positive transfer of training into the work environment.

Longitudinal study of the effects of information seeking on newcomer socialization

Abstract: In this study, the effects of information seeking on newcomer socialization are assessed. The results suggest that by seeking information, organizational newcomers can facilitate the socialization process. The frequency with which 135 new staff accountants sought specific types of information during their first 6 months of employment was related to how well they had mastered their job, defined their role, learned about their organization's culture, and become socially integrated. In contrast to findings from research focusing on the organization's role in socialization, these findings suggest that newcomers are proactive information seekers who take an active role in adjusting to their new environment

The impact of organizational citizenship behavior on evaluations of salesperson performance

Abstract: The research objective was to examine the relative impact of “organizational citizenship behaviors” (OCBs) and objective sales productivity on sales managers’ evaluations of the performance of thei...

Affect and managerial performance: A test of the sadder-but-wiser vs. happier-and-smarter hypotheses.

Abstract: We thank Jennifer Halpern for her role in the original planning of this study and for her contributions to the development of the coding scheme used in this project. This study was made possible by a faculty research grant to the first author from the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California at Berkeley. This study provides a comparative test of two psychological theories concerning the relationship between affect and performance. Managerial simulations are used to test whether people who are positive in disposition perform better or worse on both decisional and interpersonal tasks. Results are consistent in supporting the happier-and-smarter as opposed to the sadder-but-wiser hypothesis, since they show positive relationships between dispositional affect and performance. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance to both the older literature on links between satisfaction and performance and the more recent controversy over the dispositional approach to job attitudes.'

Behavior-based and outcome-based salesforce control systems

Abstract: The authors develop a conceptual model depicting relationships between salesforce control systems, characteristics, performance, and sales organization effectiveness as a framework for testing the ...

The Influence of Cognitive and Affective Based Job Satisfaction Measures on the Relationship Between Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract: One of the most widely believed maxims of management is that a happy worker is a productive worker. However, most research on the nature of the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance has not yielded convincing evidence that such a relationship exists to the degree most managers believe. One reason for this might lie in the way in which job performance is measured. Numerous studies have been published that showed that using Organizational Citizenship Behavior to supplant more traditional measures of job performance has resulted in a more robust relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Yet, recent work has suggested that the relationship between job satisfaction and citizenship may be more complex than originally reported. This study investigated whether the relationship between job satisfaction and citizenship could depend upon the nature of the job satisfaction measure used. Specifically, it was hypothesized that job satisfaction measures which reflect a cognitive basi...

Dispositional affectivity as a predictor of work attitudes and job performance

Abstract: Previous research has shown that dispositional negative affect (NA) is associated with lower levels of job satisfaction. Little research has been conducted, however, on other organizational implications of negative affect or on the potential effects of dispositional positive affect (PA). The present studies examined the relationship of both positive and negative affectivity to organizational commitment, turnover intentions, global job satisfaction and performance. In the first study both NA and PA were associated with organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Additionally, commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover. Finally, PA and tenure interacted to predict job performance, such that PA and job performance were positively related, but only for high tenure employees. In Study 2 the findings were generally similar, but not identical. Both NA and PA were related to global job satisfaction and turnover intentions. However, only PA was related to affective organizational commitment. Moreover, both job satisfaction and affective commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover intentions. Finally, unlike Study 1, PA was not related to job performance. Rather, NA and tenure interacted such that when individuals were lower in tenure, NA was negatively related to performance.

Effects of stressful job demands and control on physiological and attitudinal outcomes in a hospital setting.

Abstract: We tested the job demands--job control model of stress with a group of 136 registered nurses. Significant interactions between subjective and objective measures of work load and a measure of perceived control predicting physiological and attitudinal outcomes indicated support for the model. In addition, objectively assessed job demands were significantly associated with blood pressure and cortisol levels. The model also predicted elevations in physiological responses after individuals left work, suggesting that potentially health-impairing reactions to jobs that have high demands and low controllability might carry over to home settings and thus pose a high risk of long-term health impairment. The results have implications for the role of personal control in occupational stress generally and for nurse-management practices specifically.

Panel analysis of the moderating effects of commitment on job satisfaction, intent to quit, and health following organizational change

Abstract: The authors examined the moderating effects of organizational commitment on the relationship of stress with job satisfaction, intent to quit, and health during organizational turmoil. Panel data were provided by hospital employees surveyed before and after a major divisional consolidation. Findings indicated that commitment buffered the relationship between stress and job displeasure (a canonically derived variate combining residualized job dissatisfaction, intent to quit, and irritation). Stress increased job displeasure only when commitment was low.

Expatriation, Repatriation, and Domestic Geographical Relocation: An Empirical Investigation of Adjustment to new Job Assignments

Abstract: This research examines the relative impact of six sets of factors on multiple indices of adjustment to new job assignments. These six sets of factors include demographic variables, indices of the “internationalness” of the job change (e.g., whether the job changer is an expatriate, repatriate, or domestic geographical relocator), job characteristics variables, types and amount of career development assistance, degree of change between successive job assignments, and types of individual coping strategies employed by job changers. Data were collected from 459 job changers from twenty-six countries. The results highlight both the commonalities among expatriates, repatriates, and domestic geographical relocators in adjusting to new job assignments as well as the differences among them.

Moderation by organization-based self-esteem of role condition-employee response relationships

Abstract: Behavioral plasticity theory is offered as an explanation for the moderating effects of self-esteem on role perception-employee response relationships. According to this theory, because individuals...

Antecedents and consequences of job satisfaction among information center employees

Abstract: The determinants and consequences of job satisfaction for Information Center (IC) personnel have received very little attention, despite their importance to the successful implementation and use of computer technology in organizations. This study explores the antecedents and consequences of job satisfaction for IC employees. Five components of job satisfaction--work, supervision, coworkers, pay, and promotion--were examined besides overall job satisfaction. Two stress variables--role ambiguity and role conflict--were considered as antecedents to satisfaction. Organizational commitment and intention to leave the organization were considered as outcomes from job satisfaction. The study also assessed the importance of personal characteristics as moderating variables to the relationship between the two role stressors and job satisfaction. Results show that role ambiguity was the most dysfunctional variable for IC employees in relation to job satisfaction. Organizational tenure was found to moderate the relationships between role stressors and overall job satisfaction, and some of its components. In addition, the relationship between role ambiguity and some components of job satisfaction were found to be education- and age-dependent. Results also confirmed the importance of job satisfaction in predicting organizational commitment and intention to leave. Implications for IC management and future research are discussed.

The g-ocentric View of Intelligence and Job Performance Is Wrong

Abstract: In their article, Ree and Earles summarized a vast research literature on the efficacy of g, or general intelli gence, in predicting job performance, both in training phases and in application of job knowledge and skills to actual job performance. In every case cited, g correlated from .33 in range-restricted samples to .76 in more general population samples of job applicants. Non-g aptitudes added little to the prediction from g. Critics of the connection between general intelligence and job performance voice their objections and counterpoints in an article and several comments that follow.

Perceived Political Climate and Job Attitudes

Abstract: The present study examines the relationships between perceived Organizational Politics (OP) and job attitudes. Questionnaires containing scales of perceived OP climate and job attitudes were administered to a sample of 200 employees in several organizations. It was found that variables reflecting on the employee's status in the organization such as Gender and Supervisory Position moderate the relationships between perceptions of organizational politics and job attitudes. The association between climate and negative job attitudes was stronger for employees of lower status than for those of a higher status. It was speculated that organizational politics has a potentially damaging effect on lower status employees, who react to a climate of politics by showing increasingly negative attitudes towards the organization.

Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: What Is the Relationship?

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of overall fairness, organizational citizenship behavior, employee attitudes, and the quality of the supervisory/subordinate relationship based on the justice and organizational citizenship literature. Results show that employees do form perceptions of overall fairness and that these perceptions influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Relationships are found between altruism and perceptions of overall fairness, job satisfaction and categories of organizational citizenship behavior, and the quality of the supervisory-subordinate relationship and perception of overall fairness and organizational citizenship behavior. Practical implications and issues for future research are discussed.

Competency-Based Performance Improvement: A Strategy for Organizational Change

Abstract: This important new book presents a systematic approach to analyzing and improving performance in organizations The most promising approaches to systematic strategic needs analysis, competency model development, curriculum design, learning intervention design and development, and program evaluation are explained The author shows, step-by-step, how best to implement competency-based performance improvement programs In addition, case studies of three organizations (private and governmental) detail the actual experiences and benefits that these organizations realized in their performance improvement efforts

Pregnancy as a source of bias in performance appraisals

Abstract: Notwithstanding recent gains, women have still not achieved parity with men in the workplace. This is further complicated by common negative images of pregnant women (Taylor and Langer, 1977). The present study investigated (1) stereotypes about pregnant working women, and (2) the effect of an employee's pregnancy on performance evaluation. In the first study, subjects' attitudes about pregnant employees were assessed via questionnaire. Substantial negative stereotyping was found to exist, especially among males. In Study 2, subjects viewed videotapes of either a pregnant or a non-pregnant women doing assessment-center-type tasks and were asked to evaluate her performance. When the employee was pregnant, she was consistently rated lower compared to when she was non-pregnant. A main effect of rater sex and a rater sex by pregnancy condition interaction were found, indicating that males assigned lower ratings than females and were also more negatively affected by the pregnancy condition. Implications for organizational policy regarding employee pregnancy and performance appraisal systems are discussed.

Dynamic Criteria and the Measurement of Change

Abstract: The question of whether work performance criteria are dynamic has been addressed by applied psychologists for many years. Despite this attention, we have few definitive answers. This article provides both theoretical and methodological arguments for refocusing investigations into dynamic criteria toward the study of intraindividual change and interindividual differences in intraindividual change. A longitudinal sample of insurance sales personnel's performance is used to demonstrate that systematic time trends are present at the individual level and that there are interindividual differences in these change patterns

The Adjustment of Japanese Expatriates to Living and Working in Britain

Abstract: SUMMARY Ninety-one Japanese managers and professionals on international assignments in the London offices of trading houses and insurance companies responded to a wide-ranging survey on work and non-work adjustment. Dependent variables included standardized measures of adjustment, well-being, mental health and modes of adjustment (personal change and role innovation). In comparisons with samples from other studies, the expatriates experienced lower work well-being and mental health, and, compared with a sample of United Kingdom domestic job changers, engaged in less role innovation but recorded higher personal change, especially in their values. Predictor variables, including predeparture experience, family factors, self-rated job performance, self-efficacy, work-non-work spillover, social interaction and perceived company purpose in the assignment, were found to be differentially related to outcome measures. A new method of retrospectively recording changes in feelings over time in the work and non-work domains was also applied, supplying tentative evidence for a negative shift in affect on arrival, especially in the non-work domain, and a further fall after arrival, especially in the work domain. In most cases, this latter dip was followed by a recovery, providing some evidence in favour of the U-curve hypothesis. Implications for theory and practice are reviewed.