Supervisor-rated Job Performance Research Articles

Stability and Change of Job Performance Across the Career Span

Two-wave data from a large sample of employees (N = 1,155) 25–65 years of age were used to evaluate rank-order and mean level stability and change in supervisor-rated job performance obtained twice (4 years apart). Results showed moderated levels of rank-order stability across the career span. However, although rank order stability increased during the first phases of one’s career, peaking at age 55, it then demonstrated a decline from age 55 to age 65. Patterns of mean-level change showed that job performance was generally higher for younger workers than for older workers. All in all, our results support the value of investigating different definitions of job performance change and offers insights for planning/programming and implementing interventions aimed to improve (or maintain) job performance.

Getting to the core of locus of control: Is it an evaluation of the self or the environment?

Responding to criticisms surrounding the structural validity of the higher order core self-evaluations (CSE) construct, in the current study we examined the appropriateness of including locus of control as an indicator of CSE. Drawing from both theoretical and empirical evidence, we argue that locus of control is more heavily influenced by evaluations of the environment compared with the other CSE traits. Using data from 4 samples, we demonstrate that model fit for the higher order CSE construct is better when locus of control is excluded versus included as a trait indicator and that the shared variance between locus of control and CSE is nominal. This does not mean that locus of control is irrelevant for CSE theory though. We propose that evaluations of the environment moderate the relations that CSE has with its outcomes. To test this proposition, we collected data from 4 unique samples that included a mix of student and employee participants, self- and other-ratings, and cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Our results revealed that locus of control moderated relations of CSE with life and job satisfaction, and supervisor-rated job performance. CSE had stronger, positive relations with these outcomes when locus of control is internal versus external. These findings broaden CSE theory by demonstrating one way in which evaluations of the environment interface with evaluations of the self. (PsycINFO Database Record

Hope in Adolescent Careers

Being hopeful is critical for individuals who are engaged in vocational pursuits. However, the empirical research examining how and why hope is related to work and career outcomes remains sparse. We evaluate a model that proposes that dispositional hope affects job performance and turnover intentions through increased work motivation in terms of autonomous goals ( reason to motivation), positive affective experience at work ( energized to motivation), and occupational self-efficacy beliefs ( can do motivation). The hypotheses were tested among 590 Swiss adolescents in vocational education and training using path analysis and multiple mediation analyses. The results revealed that hope was positively related to all three motivational states and supervisor-rated job performance and negatively related to turnover intentions. Positive affect mediated the effects of hope on turnover intentions and performance. Autonomous goals mediated the effects of hope on turnover intentions. These results support the importance of hope to employee well-being and organizational outcomes.

Why does self-reported emotional intelligence predict job performance? A meta-analytic investigation of mixed EI.

Recent empirical reviews have claimed a surprisingly strong relationship between job performance and self-reported emotional intelligence (also commonly called trait EI or mixed EI), suggesting self-reported/mixed EI is one of the best known predictors of job performance (e.g., ρ = .47; Joseph & Newman, 2010b). Results further suggest mixed EI can robustly predict job performance beyond cognitive ability and Big Five personality traits (Joseph & Newman, 2010b; O'Boyle, Humphrey, Pollack, Hawver, & Story, 2011). These criterion-related validity results are problematic, given the paucity of evidence and the questionable construct validity of mixed EI measures themselves. In the current research, we update and reevaluate existing evidence for mixed EI, in light of prior work regarding the content of mixed EI measures. Results of the current meta-analysis demonstrate that (a) the content of mixed EI measures strongly overlaps with a set of well-known psychological constructs (i.e., ability EI, self-efficacy, and self-rated performance, in addition to Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and general mental ability; multiple R = .79), (b) an updated estimate of the meta-analytic correlation between mixed EI and supervisor-rated job performance is ρ = .29, and (c) the mixed EI-job performance relationship becomes nil (β = -.02) after controlling for the set of covariates listed above. Findings help to establish the construct validity of mixed EI measures and further support an intuitive theoretical explanation for the uncommonly high association between mixed EI and job performance--mixed EI instruments assess a combination of ability EI and self-perceptions, in addition to personality and cognitive ability.

Morning employees are perceived as better employees: employees' start times influence supervisor performance ratings.

In this research, we draw from the stereotyping literature to suggest that supervisor ratings of job performance are affected by employees' start times-the time of day they first arrive at work. Even when accounting for total work hours, objective job performance, and employees' self-ratings of conscientiousness, we find that a later start time leads supervisors to perceive employees as less conscientious. These perceptions in turn cause supervisors to rate employees as lower performers. In addition, we show that supervisor chronotype acts as a boundary condition of the mediated model. Supervisors who prefer eveningness (i.e., owls) are less likely to hold negative stereotypes of employees with late start times than supervisors who prefer morningness (i.e., larks). Taken together, our results suggest that supervisor ratings of job performance are susceptible to stereotypic beliefs based on employees' start times. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceived Emotional Demands-Abilities Fit

The purposes of this paper are to introduce the concept of perceived emotional demands–abilities (ED–A) fit and develop theory about how it relates to other fit perceptions as well as employee well-being and performance outcomes. ED–A fit is defined as the perceived congruence or match between the emotional demands of the job and one's abilities to meet those demands. In two studies using occupationally diverse samples from Western and Eastern cultures, we empirically distinguished perceived ED–A fit from other fit perceptions (i.e. person–organisation, demands–abilities, needs–supplies, person–group, person–supervisor). In addition, across the two studies, we found that perceived ED–A fit accounted for incremental variance in job satisfaction, work tension, felt inauthenticity, burnout, self and supervisor ratings of job performance, and psychological need satisfaction, controlling for the effects of other fit perceptions.

The Incremental Validity of Honesty–Humility Over Cognitive Ability and the Big Five Personality Traits

The present study examines the incremental validity of Honesty–Humility (H-H), a measure of the tendency to be fair and genuine in dealing with others, for supervisory ratings of job performance (including both task and contextual performance) over cognitive ability and the Big Five personality traits. Specifically, we explore the incremental validity of H-H in predicting contextual performance. Results based on 217 South Korean military officer candidates are consistent with previous conclusions that Conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of contextual performance and that cognitive ability is the strongest predictor of task performance. More important, our results reveal that H-H offers moderate incremental validity for contextual performance but no incremental validity for task performance over the effects of cognitive ability and the Big Five personality traits.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer Orientation, and the Job Performance of Frontline Employees

This study examines frontline employee responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) using a multisourced data set at a Global 500 financial services company. The authors find that frontline employees identify with the organization (i.e., organizational identification) and with customers (i.e., employee–customer identification) as a function of how much the employees perceive management and customers (respectively) to support the company's CSR activities. However, these respective effects are stronger among employees for whom CSR is already tied to their sense of self (i.e., CSR importance to the employee). In addition, both organizational identification and employee–customer identification are related to supervisor-rated job performance; however, only the effect of employee–customer identification is mediated by customer orientation, suggesting that these two targets of identification manifest through distinct mechanisms. The research empirically addresses the open questions of whether and when CSR can yield observable changes in employee behavior and alerts researchers to a novel target of identification for frontline employees.

Developmental climate: A cross-level analysis of voluntary turnover and job performance

This research investigates the influence of shared perceptions of developmental climate on individual-level perceptions of organizational commitment, engagement, and perceived competence, and whether these attitudes mediate the relationship between developmental climate and both individual voluntary turnover and supervisor-rated job performance. Survey data were collected from 361 intact employee–supervisory mentoring dyads and matched with employee turnover data collected one year later to test the proposed framework using multilevel modeling techniques. As expected, shared perceptions of developmental climate were significantly and positively related to all three individual work attitudes. In addition, both organizational commitment and perceived competence were significant mediators of the positive relationship between shared perceptions of developmental climate and voluntary turnover, as well as shared perceptions of developmental climate and supervisor-rated job performance. By contrast, no significant mediating effects were found for engagement. Theoretical implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Morning Employees are Better: Employees’ Start Times Influence Supervisor Performance Ratings

In this research, we draw from the stereotyping literature to suggest that supervisor ratings of job performance are affected by employees’ start times – the time of day they first arrive at work. ...

The predictive validity of selection for entry into postgraduate training in general practice: evidence from three longitudinal studies.

The selection methodology for UK general practice is designed to accommodate several thousand applicants per year and targets six core attributes identified in a multi-method job-analysis study To evaluate the predictive validity of selection methods for entry into postgraduate training, comprising a clinical problem-solving test, a situational judgement test, and a selection centre. A three-part longitudinal predictive validity study of selection into training for UK general practice. In sample 1, participants were junior doctors applying for training in general practice (n = 6824). In sample 2, participants were GP registrars 1 year into training (n = 196). In sample 3, participants were GP registrars sitting the licensing examination after 3 years, at the end of training (n = 2292). The outcome measures include: assessor ratings of performance in a selection centre comprising job simulation exercises (sample 1); supervisor ratings of trainee job performance 1 year into training (sample 2); and licensing examination results, including an applied knowledge examination and a 12-station clinical skills objective structured clinical examination (OSCE; sample 3). Performance ratings at selection predicted subsequent supervisor ratings of job performance 1 year later. Selection results also significantly predicted performance on both the clinical skills OSCE and applied knowledge examination for licensing at the end of training. In combination, these longitudinal findings provide good evidence of the predictive validity of the selection methods, and are the first reported for entry into postgraduate training. Results show that the best predictor of work performance and training outcomes is a combination of a clinical problem-solving test, a situational judgement test, and a selection centre. Implications for selection methods for all postgraduate specialties are considered.

Perceptions of organizational politics: A meta-analysis of its attitudinal, health, and behavioural consequences.

In this study, we report the results of a meta-analysis of the relations between perceptions of organisational politics (POP) and attitudinal, psychological health, and behavioural variables using data from 118 independent samples, totaling 44,560 participants. Among the variables examined, POP was most strongly related to organisational trust and interactional justice, but also exhibited relations with a variety of other criteria, including positive relations with stress, burnout, turnover intentions and counterproductive work behaviour, and negative relations with job satisfaction, citizenship behaviour, and job performance. We also found evidence that some effect sizes were moderated by the publication status, geographical origin of data, and types of measures used to assess POP.Keywords: perceptions of organisational politics, stress, job satisfaction, absenteeism, organisational trustIt has been about 25 years since Ferris, Russ, and Fandt (1989) introduced their seminal model of perceptions of organisational politics (POP) and more than a decade since it was revised and updated by Ferris, Adams, Kolodinsky, Hochwarter, and Ammeter (2002). Since that time, researchers have used these models to guide their investigations of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of perceptions of politics in work settings. Reviews of this literature have generally shown that politics is influenced by a variety of individual attributes, such as Machiavellianism, positive affectivity, and locus of control, and conditions in the work environment, such as job autonomy, centralization, and formalization (e.g., Ferris et al., 1989; Hochwarter & Thompson, 2010; Valle & Perrewe, 2000). In addition, research has shown that individuals who perceive politics at work experience negative outcomes; for example, lower levels of job satisfaction and commitment and higher levels of job stress (e.g., Atine, Darrat, Fuller, & Parker, 2010; Miller, Rutherford, & Kolodinsky, 2008).Although Ferris et al.'s (2002, 1989) framework has been useful in advancing the understanding of the nomological network of POP, much of the empirical research on the construct has focused on its proposed consequences. Given this, the primary purpose of the present meta-analysis was to contribute to our understanding of, and guide future research on POP by (a) representing, as accurately as possible given the available data, the relations between POP and its theoretically proposed consequences; and (b) investigating whether these relations are moderated by methodological or other variables.Using insights from the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001), we propose organisational politics as a job demand that requires employees to expend sustained physical and/or psychological effort to manage, resulting in various negative attitudinal, psychological health, and/or behavioural consequences. Past reviews by Chang, Rosen, and Levy (2009) and Miller, Rutherford, and Kolodinsky (2008) have helped to integrate segments of the literature on POP but focused on a narrower set of individual outcomes than were examined in this meta-analysis. For instance, Miller et al. (2008) focused specifically on job satisfaction, stress, job performance, turnover intentions, and organisational commitment, while Chang et al. (2009) focused on strain, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, organisational citizenship behaviours-individual (OCB-I), organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB-O), task performance, and affective commitment. Our goal with the present research is to extend and update previous reviews in three ways. First, we analyse a broader range of variables that have been theoretically positioned as consequences of POP. In addition to the variables included in previous studies, we also include variables such as absenteeism, counterproductive work behaviours, self- and supervisor-rated job performance, burnout, job involvement, organisational trust, organisational support, perceived work control, distributive justice, interactional justice, and procedural justice. …

Direct and indirect relationship between social stressors and job performance in Greater China: The role of strain and social support

This study examined the direct relationship between two social stressors (interpersonal conflict and organizational politics) and supervisor-rated job performance among employees in three Chinese societies in Greater China. The potential moderating effects of social support on the relation between social stressors and job performance were also investigated. Further, the potential mediating role of strain between stressors and job performance was tested. Data were collected from 1032 employees in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. The results showed that both types of social stressors were positively correlated with strain, and negatively related with job performance. There was evidence supporting that social support was a significant moderator of the social stressor–performance relationship. Further, results were consistent with the hypothesis that strain could be a mediator between social stressors and job performance.

Scoring Biodata: Is it rational to be quasi‐rational?

Five quasi‐rational biodata scales were developed by empirically keying biodata items to predict scores on a measure of the Big Five dimensions of personality. The criterion‐related validities of the quasi‐rational scales were compared to empirical and rational biodata keying methods using supervisory ratings of job performance as the criterion. Empirical keying outperformed the quasi‐rational and rational methods (which had similar validities).

Work engagement as a mediator between employee attitudes and outcomes

This paper assesses the role of work engagement in the relationships between affective commitment, job satisfaction and two employee outcomes – supervisor-rated job performance and self-reported intention to quit – using a cross-lagged research design. Our evidence supports the discriminant validity of work engagement, job satisfaction and affective commitment, and explores the temporal relationships between these constructs. Our findings suggest that work engagement mediates the relationships from affective commitment to job performance and intention to quit. Work engagement also mediates the relationship from job satisfaction to job performance, and partially mediates the relationship from job satisfaction to intention to quit.

Social Media for Selection? Validity and Adverse Impact Potential of a Facebook-Based Assessment

Recent reports suggest that an increasing number of organizations are using social networking websites (SNWs) such as Facebook.com to screen job applicants. Unfortunately, empirical research concerning the potential implications of using SNW information for staffing purposes is extremely limited. We address this practice by examining how recruiter ratings of Facebook profiles fare with respect to two important criteria on which staffing procedures are evaluated: criterion-related validity and subgroup differences. We captured Facebook profiles of 416 college students who were applying for full-time jobs, and recruiters from various organizations reviewed the profiles and provided evaluations. We then followed-up with applicants in their new jobs. Recruiter ratings of applicants’ SNWs were unrelated to supervisor ratings of job performance (rs = -.13 to -.04), turnover intentions (rs = -.05 to .00), and actual turnover (rs = -.01 to .01). In addition, SNW ratings did not contribute to the prediction of these criteria beyond more traditional predictors, including cognitive ability, self-efficacy, and personality. Furthermore, there was evidence of subgroup difference in Facebook ratings that tended to favor female and White applicants. The overall results suggest that organizations should be very cautious about using SNWs such as Facebook to evaluate job applicants.

On the validity of implicit association measures of personality traits

Participants (N=200) completed self-report and implicit association (IAT) measures of Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability. Peer trait ratings and supervisor ratings of job performance were also collected. Results suggested low convergence between IAT and self-report trait measures. Cognitive ability and self-positive bias both explained significant portions of the method variance expressed by IAT measures. Correlations between IAT trait measures and job performance were statistically non-significant, of similar magnitudes to their self-report counterparts, and of magnitudes consistent with past research on criterion validities of self-report trait measures. The results offer only very limited support for the use of IAT trait measures in applied assessment settings.

Employment Specialist Competencies as Predictors of Employment Outcomes

Employment specialist competencies were examined as predictors of employment outcomes for consumers with serious mental illness participating in supported employment. Self-report and supervisor-rated performance measures from 57 employment specialists were correlated with three consumer employment outcomes (i.e., competitive employment rate, 90-day employment rate, and dropout rate). Employment specialists varied from 0 to 80% in the competitive employment rates for their caseloads. Supervisor ratings of job performance and employment specialist efficacy, percentage of time in the community, and frequency of contacts with consumers were associated with employment outcomes. Employment specialist self-report measures were unrelated to employment outcomes. Surprisingly, employment specialists with larger caseload sizes had higher employment rates. Employment specialists vary widely in their effectiveness. Behavioral measures and supervisory ratings of employment specialists were most predictive of employment outcomes. Direct observation of employment specialist job performance appears to be the most promising method for identifying competencies predictive of employment outcome.

Combined Effects of Perceived Politics and Psychological Capital on Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intentions, and Performance

With a diverse sample (N = 231 paired responses) of employees from various organizations in Pakistan, the authors tested for the main effects of perceived organizational politics and psychological capital on turnover intentions, job satisfaction, and supervisor-rated job performance. They also examined the moderating influence of psychological capital in the politics–outcomes relationships. Results provided good support for the proposed hypotheses. While perceived organizational politics was associated with all outcomes, psychological capital had a significant relationship with job satisfaction and supervisor-rated performance only. As hypothesized, the negative relationship of perceived organizational politics with job satisfaction and supervisor-rated performance was weaker when psychological capital was high. However, the result for turnover intentions was counter to expectations where the politics–turnover intention relationship was stronger when psychological capital was high.

Employee Work Engagement, Affect and Outcomes

This paper assesses the role of work engagement in the relationship between employee affect, as measured by affective commitment and job satisfaction, and employee outcomes using a cross-lagged survey design. Our structural model places affective commitment as an antecedent rather than an outcome of engagement, and the employee outcomes are subsequent values of supervisor-rated job performance and self-reported intention to quit. Our evidence supports the discriminant validity of work engagement (vigor), job satisfaction and affective commitment. Secondly, we demonstrate that affective commitment is an antecedent of work engagement rather than an outcome. We also establish that work engagement mediates the relationship between employee affect and job performance while playing no role in the determination of employee intention to quit.