Subjective Job Performance Research Articles

Why and when does multitasking impair flow and subjective performance? A daily diary study on the role of task appraisals and work engagement.

In this diary study, we contribute to research on day-level multitasking in organizations by investigating why and when multitasking impairs employees' work-related flow and subjective job performance on a daily basis. Drawing on Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping, we propose that employees' appraisal of their daily tasks (i.e., less challenging and more hindering) may explain why multitasking has negative implications for flow and job performance. Moreover, we expect that daily work engagement can buffer the detrimental effects of multitasking on flow and job performance. A total of 33 professional workers in the food industry participated in our study and were asked to respond to 10 daily surveys at work across 4 weeks. In line with our expectations, results showed that on days when employees' working time was highly fragmented across a high number of tasks, they experienced less flow and, in turn, their job performance was lower on that particular day. Moreover, appraisal of daily tasks as less challenging - though not more hindering - explained why multitasking impairs flow. Finally, daily work engagement buffered the detrimental impact of multitasking on flow. The results presented in this paper offer novel and ecologically valid insights into why and when multitasking may backfire for employees.

Testing the validity of a Latvian multidimensional forced-choice personality inventory

The aim of this study is to evaluate the convergent and operational validity of a modified Latvian personality inventory (LPA-3, Perepjolkina, 2014) with a multidimensional forced-choice answer format (LMFI). Using three samples, a validity study of the LMFI was conducted. Convergent validity was evaluated by examining the relations between LMFI on one side and the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and the Machiavellianism scale on the other. Operational validity was evaluated by examining the relations with assessments of subjective job performance, counterproductive work performance and with a measure of scholarly significance. The results show good convergent and operational validity for five of the six LMFI factors. The Honesty-Humility measure still needs to be improved. In the future, predictive and discriminant validation studies should be conducted with more representative Latvian samples.

Human–cobot interaction fluency and cobot operators’ job performance. The mediating role of work engagement: A survey

Advanced human–robot interaction becomes an essential resource in Industry 4.0. Specifically, the deployment of collaborative robots (cobots) has changed the game in modern smart factories. These robotic agents assist human operators, working with them side-by-side on joint task execution. Because cobots are designed to be more co-workers than tools, fluent interaction between the operators and their robotic counterparts is critical for employees’ task accomplishment and, thus, high performance. The current study investigates the relationships between four perspectives of human–robot interaction fluency (i.e., the human emotions-oriented, the human contribution-oriented, the robot-oriented, and the team-oriented fluency) and operators’ subjective job performance. It also examines the mediating role of work engagement in these relationships. The analysis carried out on 190 male and female cobot operators working on the shop floor showed positive associations between human–robot interaction (HRI) fluency and job performance. The study confirmed the mediating role of work engagement in the relationships of human contribution-oriented fluency and team-oriented fluency with job performance. The obtained results suggest that HRI fluency relates to employee job performance because of the positive affective–cognitive state experienced by the operator when cooperating with a cobot in a coordinated and well-synchronized manner. The findings of the study are discussed within the theoretical framework of cognitive ergonomics, the Job Demand-Control-Support model, the job demands-resources model, and the job design perspective. The article finishes with a conclusion of the results and implications for organizational practice.

Job mobility and job performance: beliefs about social and occupational (dis)advantages as mediators

Background. Modern working conditions require an increased amount of spatial mobility from employed personnel. Research suggests that different types of job mobility might exert negative effects on well-being and health, and additionally have different costs and benefits for the work and the social domains. Methods. Using data from 3191 members of the German Armed Forces, we investigated the effects of four different types of job mobility (long-distance commuters, overnighters, residential mobiles and multi-mobiles) in contrast to non-mobiles on employees’ subjective job performance as an occupationally relevant outcome. Moreover, we expected beliefs about social and occupational advantages and disadvantages to mediate the effects of job mobility on subjective job performance. Results. A single concrete event during relocation had fewer negative consequences compared to the effects of circular mobility or multi-mobility. Moreover, beliefs about occupational and social advantages and disadvantages were differently associated with the different types of job mobility and partially mediated the direct effects of job mobility on job performance. Conclusions. Not all types of job mobility are an impairment and extra-organizational stress. Rather, the evaluation and perception of occupational and social (dis)advantages is crucial for the effects of different types of job mobility on organizational relevant outcomes.

직무 재창조가 객관적․주관적 직무 성과에 미치는 영향: 밀레니얼 세대와 기성세대 영업 관리자 간 집단 비교를 중심으로*

본 연구의 목적은 직무 재창조 이론에 기반을 두고 영업 관리자의 직무 재창조가 객관적ㆍ주관적 직무 성과에 미치는 영향을 분석하고, 밀레니얼 세대와 기성세대 간의 차이를 분석하는 데 있다. 연구 목적을 달성하기 위해 A보험사의 영업 관리자들을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였고, 총 198명(밀레니얼 세대 관리자 121명, 기성세대 관리자 77명)의 응답을 수집하였다. 설문에 응답한 영업 관리자의 객관적 직무 성과는 지점 목표비 달성률을 활용하였고, 구조 방정식 모형과 다집단 분석이 실시되었다. 구조 방정식 모형 분석 결과, 과업 재창조와 인지 재창조는 주관적 직무 성과와 정(+)적인 관련이 있었다. 다집단 분석 결과, 관계 재창조가 주관적 직무 성과에 미치는 영향에서 밀레니얼 세대와 기성세대 간의 차이가 발견되었다. 본 연구는 분석 결과를 바탕으로 직무 재창조와 직무 성과 간의 관계, 밀레니얼 세대와 기성 세대의 차이에 대해 HRD 관점에서 이론적ㆍ실천적 시사점에 대해 논의했다.

Judicial stress: the roles of gender and social support

Because judges experience a myriad of occupational stressors, they are at risk of experiencing secondary trauma, burnout, negative mental/physical health, poor job performance and low job satisfaction. These experiences might not be uniform, however, as gender and social support might mitigate such stress-related outcomes. Judges from two states in the United States completed a variety of stress and subjective performance measures. Social support was related to less perceived stress, less burnout, and more job satisfaction, but only for males. This suggests that males and females might receive qualitatively different types of social support. Different types of social support could differ in their ability to buffer judges from these stress-related outcomes. Further, among judges with high social support, females scored higher than males on subjective job performance; the opposite pattern occurred for judges with low social support. Thus, a lack of social support appears to have a negative effect on performance self-appraisals but only for females. Results have implications for the psychological study of stress and for programs designed to reduce judges’ stress.

Older managers’ informal learning in knowledge-intensive organizations: investigating the role of learning approaches among Austrian bank managers

Managers of knowledge-intensive organizations are required to keep their knowledge and skills up to date in order to steer their companies through a volatile environment. The current demographic shift prompts the question how learning may be facilitated for increasingly older managers. In this article, we argue that the approach to informal learning at work is an important concept to predict the outcomes of managers in knowledge-intensive organizations. We set out to investigate how chronological age affects learning approaches and, in turn, learning outcomes in a sample of 139 Austrian bank managers. Results of a path analysis show that deep learning increases and surface-disorganized learning decreases learning outcomes, operationalized as performance in the last job appraisal, development of job-specific core skills, perceived career development, and subjective job performance. Furthermore, we have found that older managers more often use a surface-disorganized learning approach, which in turn leads to lower learning outcomes. In sum, this study integrates research about aging and learning within organizations and helps to explain the mechanism by which age affects learning outcomes.

The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Many previous studies have shown that meditation practice has a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive functioning, which are related to job performance. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of meditation practice, (2) identify the characteristics of individuals who practice meditation, and (3) examine the association between meditation practice and job performance. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were conducted. In study 1, we examined the prevalence of meditation practice and the characteristics of the persons practicing meditation; in Study 2, we examined the association between meditation practice and job performance. The outcome variables included work engagement, subjective job performance, and job satisfaction. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to assess work engagement, the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was used to measure subjective job performance, and a scale developed by the Japanese government was used to assess job satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used in Study 2. Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors were included as covariates in the analyses. The results of Study 1 indicated that 3.9% of persons surveyed (n = 30,665) practiced meditation; these individuals were younger and had a higher education, higher household income, higher stress level, and lower body mass index than those who did not practice meditation. The results of Study 2 (n = 1,470) indicated that meditation practice was significantly predictive of work engagement (β = 0.112, p < .001), subjective job performance (β = 0.116, p < .001), and job satisfaction (β = 0.079, p = .002), even after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.083, p < .001; β = 0.104, p < .001; β = 0.060, p = .015, respectively). The results indicate that meditation practice may positively influence job performance, including job satisfaction, subjective job performance, and work engagement.

Basic Assumptions of Service Employees: Influence on Job Performance and Market-oriented Behaviors

Understanding what drives frontline service employees in their interactions with guests and customers is a focal question in service management. Employees’ basic assumptions may determine employee performance and work behavior in several domains. This study investigates the relation of service employees’ basic assumptions about customers and co-workers with subjective job performance and market-oriented behaviors of service employees. The study sample consists of 241 hotel employees. The analyses revealed that basic assumption about co-worker competence associated positively with customer intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination, and responsiveness. The basic assumption about customer control related positively with perceived customer-related performance but negatively with customer intelligence generation and responsiveness. The results of the study suggest that basic assumptions about co-workers can predict customer-related behavior; therefore, researchers should consider that the basic assumptions about customers significantly influence job performance towards customers.

Exploring the measurement of basic assumptions about guests and co‐workers in the hospitality industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a measure of employee basic assumptions about guests and co‐workers in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two independent samples using self‐administrated questionnaires and analysed using correlational and reliability analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and one‐way ANOVA.FindingsThe analyses identified two dimensions of basic assumptions about guests, control and affect. Assumptions about co‐workers also consisted of two main dimensions termed responsibility and competence. The results showed that assumptions about guest control positively correlated with subjective job performance; assumptions about guest affect and co‐worker competence positively correlated with organisational commitment and job satisfaction; and assumptions about co‐worker responsibility positively correlated with intentions to stay with the organisation.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on a limited sample of service employees. Even though hospitality employees' basic assumptions about guests and co‐workers are validated in a service context, the suggested conceptualisation still needs a more comprehensive validation. Assumptions about competitors may be important determinants of hospitality employees' behaviour towards guests, and such assumptions should be analysed in future studies.Originality/valueThe present study is the first to investigate simultaneously assumptions about guests and co‐workers in a hospitality environment and the effect that such assumptions have on outcome variables. Altogether, the study demonstrates that basic assumptions may be a viable construct for HR management. They are easily identifiable and related to employee job satisfaction, job performance, organisational commitment, and staff turnover intentions.