Peer Appraisals: Differentiation of Individual Performance on Group Tasks

The use of peer appraisals has been widely acclaimed, but how useful are they really? Student groups made non‐anonymous ratings of peer performance on two group tasks, and the ratings contributed to the students' course grades. Groups differentiated very little among peers in their performance ratings. Individuals in non‐differentiating groups reported more positive distributive and procedural justice, satisfaction, and turnover intent than did individuals in differentiating groups. In differentiating groups, no differences in attitudes were found between individuals who were differentially rewarded or penalized for their performance. Implications for peer appraisal practice and future research are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

自我监控、互惠机会与考核目的对绩效评价结果的影响 ——一项准实验研究

绩效考核是人力资源管理的重要工作,考核结果出现偏差是绩效评价常见的问题。从评价者人格特质和考核情境因素入手,分析评价者的心理过程和行为表现,为理解考核结果偏差提供了新的视角。以学生评教准实验模拟绩效评价活动,数据分析表明:评价者自我监控水平、评价者和被评价者之间的互惠机会、评价目的对评价结果有独立的显著影响;自我监控水平和互惠机会、自我监控水平和考核目的、自我监控水平、互惠机会和考核目的对评价结果有交互影响;高自我监控水平的评价者,在有互惠机会和管理性考核时,有更多的高评行为。研究证实了评价者人格特质和考核情境因素对考核结果的主效应和交互效应,对指导绩效考核实践有一定的价值。     

The social context of performance appraisal and appraisal reactions: A meta‐analysis

This study reviews and meta‐analyzes the literature on the social context of performance appraisal. Results indicate that aspects of rater‐ratee relationship quality (i.e., supervisor satisfaction, supervisor support, supervisor trust) are strongly related to ratee reactions to performance appraisals. Rater‐ratee relationship quality is more strongly related to appraisal reactions than appraisal participation or performance ratings. Integrating social exchange theory with procedural justice theory, this article tested whether or not the relationship quality–appraisal reactions relationship was due to relationships between relationship quality and instrumental resources for the ratee (i.e., appraisal participation and rating favorability). When controlling for relationships between these resources and appraisal reactions, a direct path between relationship quality and reactions was significant, supporting a relational model of the exchange between appraisal partners. The relationship quality–appraisal reaction relationship was not moderated by performance rating favorability or appraisal participation. In total, these results highlight the importance of relationship quality to employee reactions to performance appraisal—and the importance of ratee reactions as an important resource in the social exchange between appraisal partners. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Accuracy and effectiveness in appraisal outcomes: the influence of self‐efficacy,personal factors and organisational variables

Two studies tested relationships of personal factors and organisational context variables with rating accuracy and perceived effectiveness of appraisals, and the role of self‐efficacy as a mediator of the relationships between the two sets of variables. Study 1 was a controlled experiment in which nurse supervisors appraised a video stimulus of a nurse's performance. Study 2 was a field study in which nurses and their supervisors each independently completed an assessment of their annual appraisal review, following the meeting. A ten‐item scale for performance appraiser self‐efficacy (PASE) was developed and tested for measurement properties on a large sample of nurses that included those who participated in either Study 1 or Study 2. The PASE scale was found to have high reliability and reasonable predictive validity. PASE predicted rating accuracy, appraiser and appraisee perceptions of effectiveness, and appraiser‐appraisee agreement on the effectiveness of an actual appraisal, after controlling for the effects of personal factors and organisational context. The main contextual influences were accountability, importance and management concern but the effects varied for self‐efficacy and different appraisal outcomes. The main predictor of self‐efficacy was the amount of training received by appraisers across the multiple sub‐tasks of appraisal.     

Are you really doing good things in your boss's eyes? Interactive effects of employee innovative work behavior and leader–member exchange on supervisory performance ratings

Organizations increasingly depend on employee efforts to innovate. However, the quality of relationships between leaders and employees may affect the recognition that employees receive for their innovative work behaviors. Drawing from a social cognition perspective, we tested a model in which leader–member exchange (LMX) moderates the impact of employee innovative work behavior on supervisory ratings of employee performance. Results from two multisource studies combining self, colleague, and supervisor ratings consistently showed that employees receive more favorable performance ratings by engaging in innovative work behavior when they have high‐quality LMX relationships. Moreover, we found that this interactive relationship was mediated by leader perceptions of innovative employee efforts, providing support for a moderated mediation model. Implications for the literatures on performance appraisal, LMX, and innovation are discussed.     

Wage Differences Between Men and Women: Performance Appraisal Ratings vs. Salary Allocation as the Locus of Bias

This article explores the nature and origins of wage differences between men and women in the context of a single large financial services organization. Data collected on 800 women and 1831 men showed that modest wage differences do exist and that they tend to be concentrated primarily in managerial levels. Two possible sources of bias in evaluation were assessed – performance appraisal ratings and the translation of performance appraisal ratings into salay. Our analyses showed that performance appraisal ratings, on average, do not differ between men and women at the same level; however, the relationship between performance appraisal ratings and salary was stronger for men then women, particularly at higher levels. This suggests that the salary allocation process, and not the performance appraisal process, may be the source of bias in large organizations.     

Unionised employee's reactions to the introduction of a goal‐based performance appraisal system1

While performance appraisal research has a rich history, we sought to address a long‐noted void in the human resource management (HRM) literature, namely an investigation of employees' reactions to a newly introduced performance appraisal. Specifically, we examined the reaction of 408 unionised employees to a newly introduced performance appraisal system. Reactions examined included appraisal satisfaction, job satisfaction, appraisal fairness, goal setting and the perceived purpose of the system. Satisfaction with the appraisal system was higher when (a) employees perceived it as being fair, (b) it was used primarily for developmental purposes and (c) it allowed them to participate in goal setting. Of additional importance, perception of a developmental focus in the appraisal partially mediated the relationship between appraisal satisfaction, and each of job satisfaction, appraisal fairness and goal setting.     

Going beyond self–other rating comparison to measure leader self‐awareness

Data were collected from leaders who rated their interpersonal competencies, were rated by their direct reports on the same competencies, and then were asked to predict as accurately as possible how their direct reports rated them. Leader self‐awareness was examined by analyzing self–other ratings and prediction–other ratings with a supervisor‐rated measure of leader effectiveness. Results showed that prediction–other ratings explained a greater percentage of the variance in leader effectiveness than did self–other ratings. These results suggest that prediction–other rating comparison may be a viable additional way to measure self‐awareness in organizational settings and may avoid some of the disadvantages when only using self‐ratings or self–other ratings.     

Is Perceived Creativity‐Reward Contingency Good for Creativity? The Role of Challenge and Threat Appraisals

To address the complex effect of perceived reward for creativity on creative performance, we examined the role of cognitive appraisal as an individual difference variable. An individual's appraisal of reward for creativity, including challenge appraisal (perceived potential for recognition, growth, or mastery) and threat appraisal (perceived potential for revealing incompetence and damaging self‐respect), is hypothesized to shape the effects of perceived reward for creativity. We further expect creativity‐related intrinsic motivation to play a mediating role in the perceived reward‐creativity relationship. The results of a three‐wave field study showed that when challenge appraisal was high, perceived reward was positively related to creative performance through creativity‐related intrinsic motivation, whereas when threat appraisal was high, perceived reward was negatively related to creative performance through creativity‐related intrinsic motivation. A similar analysis showed that intrinsic task motivation was not able to channel the moderating effect of perceived reward and individual appraisal on creative performance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

When unfairness matters most: supervisory violations of electronic monitoring practices

This study examined the effects of different sources of monitoring information, quality of treatment and quality of decision‐making manipulations on perceptions of fairness and satisfaction with monitoring. Drawing on Blader and Tyler's four‐component model of fairness, participants were asked to rate their perceptions of fairness, satisfaction and intentions to comply with electronic performance‐monitoring policies that originated from formal organisational policies or from their direct supervisors. Results indicated that procedural justice violations originating from the supervisor (vs. formal organisational policy) led to lower perceptions of fairness and satisfaction with monitoring. Furthermore, the effect of procedural justice violations on compliance with monitoring was mediated by perceptions of fairness and satisfaction with monitoring. The present research has theoretical and practical implications for the design, implementation and communication of organisational electronic monitoring practices.     

How the impact of HR practices on employee well‐being and performance changes with age

With changing retirement ages and an aging workforce, interest is growing on the potential contribution of relevant bundles of HR practices in eliciting well‐being and performance among aging workers. Drawing on theories on lifespan development and self‐regulation, we distinguished two bundles of HR practices: development HR practices that help individual workers reach higher levels of functioning (e.g. training), and maintenance HR practices that help individual workers maintain their current levels of functioning in the face of new challenges (e.g. performance appraisal). Further, based on lifespan theories, we expected and found that the association between development HR practices and well‐being (i.e. job satisfaction, organisational commitment and organisational fairness) weakens, and that the associations between maintenance HR practices and well‐being, and between development HR practices and employee performance, strengthen with age. In addition, a third bundle of ‘job enrichment’ HR practices emerged that elicited higher job performance among aging workers.     

Upward influence tactics and their effects on job performance ratings and flexible working arrangements: The mediating roles of mutual recognition respect and mutual appraisal respect

Supervisor's human resources (HR) decisions have a significant impact on the employees they manage but have been found to be subject to bias. The upward influence tactics use by subordinates can play a role in this. We investigated the effects of seven upward influence tactics on supervisor job‐performance ratings and the extent of subordinate flexible working arrangements (FWAs). Supervisors are often responsible for determining whether employees are granted FWAs. We posit an alternative theoretical mechanism by which upward influence tactics bring about their effects, mediated through two distinct types of respect, mutual appraisal respect and mutual recognition respect. We collected data from 389 matched supervisor–subordinate dyads, and found that both mutual appraisal respect and mutual recognition respect mediated relationships between several upward influence tactics and both job‐performance ratings and FWAs. Our findings show that upward influence tactics affect the quality of the relationship between employees and their supervisors, specifically, these two forms of mutual respect. Further, both mutual appraisal respect and mutual recognition respect may explain why supervisors show favoritism to some subordinates over others, in reaching HR decisions in these areas.     

Reducing Organizational Politics in Performance Appraisal: The Role of Coaching Leaders for Age‐Diverse Employees

We examined whether a supervisor's coaching leadership style predicts the perception of organizational politics in performance appraisal (OPPA) reported by the collaborators. Additionally, we drew on social cognition and motivational life‐span development theories to hypothesize age‐related differences in perceived OPPA and its link with the coaching leadership style. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) on a sample of 576 employees and 112 leaders, we found that coaching leaders are perceived as less manipulative in their performance ratings, especially by older employees. This article includes a discussion of the implications these results have for performance management of an age‐diverse workforce. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Costs of Exhibiting Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has been associated with positive organizational outcomes and with higher managerial ratings of employee performance. However, concerns have been raised about the possible personal costs of performing such activities. This paper examines the relationship between OCB and emotional exhaustion and work‐family conflict and explores the moderating role of job performance in shaping those relationships. In a time‐lagged field study of customer‐contact center employees the research found that one particular dimension of OCB—conscientiousness—was associated with higher emotional exhaustion and with work‐family conflict. The study also revealed that conscientious employees who performed their in‐role job responsibilities at a high level experienced greater emotional exhaustion and work‐family conflict than conscientious employees who performed their in‐role job responsibilities at a low level. Our findings suggest that organizational pressures to increase the level at which both discretionary and formal role obligations are performed can carry negative consequences for employees. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Transfer of training: Written self‐guidance to increase self‐efficacy and interviewing performance of job seekers

Subsequent to training IT professionals ( n = 35) in skills for performing effectively in a selection interview, 16 were randomly assigned to a transfer of training intervention, written self‐guidance (WSG). This methodology is based on social cognitive and self‐persuasion theories. The results showed that WSG resulted in significantly higher ratings from an interviewer than did those in the control group. Self‐efficacy for interviewing skill mediated the relationship between WSG and performance. A content analysis of the WSG letters showed that the use of self‐affirming and self‐relevant statements was positively related to performance in the selection interview. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Organization‐Based Self‐Esteem,Psychological Contract Fulfillment,and Perceived Employment Opportunities: A Test of Self‐Regulatory Theory

This study addresses organization‐based self‐esteem (OBSE) development by examining the role of perceptions of employer psychological contract fulfillment, and the self‐regulatory processes by which OBSE evolves and produces its effects. Self‐regulatory theory helps reveal why psychological contract fulfillment relates to OBSE, how OBSE mediates its effects, and the ways in which OBSE might interact with perceived employment opportunities to affect job satisfaction, performance, and turnover intentions. The results show that OBSE is related to and mediates the relationships between relational contract fulfillment and employee job satisfaction and performance, but OBSE is not related to transactional contract fulfillment. Nor does OBSE mediate the relationships between transactional contract fulfillment and the dependent variables. Perceived employment opportunities moderate the relationships of OBSE with job satisfaction and turnover intentions. This study concludes with recommendations of ways managers can increase their sensitivity to the types of messages they communicate to employees. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The role of organizational justice in multi-source performance appraisal: theory-based applications and directions for research

This paper develops a model of organizational justice to explain the outcomes of multi-source performance appraisal. Central to this explanation is how employee reactions to appraisal cause changes in performance. This paper examines the literature on organizational justice and proposes a model to determine how employees will react to performance appraisal ratings. The model suggests that when performance appraisal ratings are low, employees use procedural justice evaluations to determine the fairness of those ratings. Employees act to improve low ratings that they perceive to be fair. Their performance may decrease on ratings they perceive to be unfair.     

The Effects of Personnel Reform Systems on Georgia State Employees' Attitudes

Abstract

In order to maximize the value of human resources, today's reformers have abandoned traditional merit systems, calling instead for public personnel management systems based on a set of new principles known as managerialism. The study at hand, conceived within a principal–agent theoretical framework and using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a hierarchical regression model and a structural equation model (SEM), probed four personnel reform effects in the state of Georgia: (1) a monetary incentive system (i.e. a merit pay system); (2) a performance monitoring system (i.e. a performance appraisal system); (3) a knowledge incentive system (i.e. a training and development system); and (3) a discretionary controlling system (i.e. an at-will system). The research findings indicate that all four personnel reform systems are directly and indirectly associated with organizational consequences. Among these effects, discretionary controlling and performance monitoring systems are most salient and are most effective at enhancing the level of an agent's work motivation and job satisfaction as well as decreasing their turnover intentions. Implications and limitations of this research are also discussed.     

Performance appraisal satisfaction and employee outcomes: mediating and moderating roles of work motivation

The purpose of this study was to explore alternative relationships between performance appraisal satisfaction and employee outcomes in the form of self-reported work performance, affective organizational commitment and turnover intention. A cross-sectional survey of 593 employees from 64 Norwegian savings banks showed that performance appraisal satisfaction was directly related to affective commitment and turnover intention. The relationship between performance appraisal satisfaction and work performance, however, was both mediated and moderated by employees' intrinsic work motivation. The form of the moderation revealed a negative relationship for employees with low intrinsic motivation and a positive relationship for those with high intrinsic motivation. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.     

Multirater and Gender Differences in the Measurement of Political Skill in Organizations

Organizational political skill is an essential component of a leader's success. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain whether differences existed in how individuals rated themselves and were rated by others on 13 political skills using the Brandon Partners and Seldman Learning Organizational Savvy Multi‐Rater Assessment. Over 4,500 individuals completed an online self‐rater assessment to test the reliability and validity of the instrument. A sample of 131 individuals with 1,056 observer ratings completed an online multirater assessment to address the research questions. The dependent variables were the 13 political skill set average scores and the independent variables included gender and rater group. Significant rater group differences in multirater assessment of political acumen were found in all skill sets. The greatest difference was between the self‐ratings, always the lowest, and the ratings of the four rater groups. No significant gender differences in self‐assessment of organizational political skill were found in the 13 skill sets. Significant gender differences in ratings by others were found with females scoring higher than males in two areas. The findings contribute to our understanding of gender differences regarding the perception of political skill. Organizations can use this knowledge in educational programs to elevate leader performance.