CHAPTER 4 Defining Performance and Choosing a Measurement Approach
DEFINING PERFORMANCE
Performance is about behavior or what employees do, not about what employees produce or the outcomes of
their work.
Additional Characteristics of Performance
1. Evaluative - such behaviors can be judged as negative, neutral, or positive for individual and organizational
effectiveness
2. Multidimensional - there are different kinds of behaviors that have the capacity to advance (or hinder)
organizational goals
Determinants of Performance
+Declarative Knowledge - is information about facts and things, including information regarding a given task’s
requirements, labels, principles, and goals.
+Procedural Knowledge - is a combination of knowing what to do and how to do it and includes cognitive,
physical, perceptual, motor, and interpersonal skills.
+Motivation - involves three types of choice behaviors:
1. Choice to expend effort
2. Choice of level of effort
3. Choice to persist in the expenditure of that level of effort
Determinants of Performance
Performance is determined by a combination of declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and motivation
Performance = Declarative Knowledge × Procedural Knowledge × Motivation
If any of the three determinants of performance has a very small value (e.g., very little procedural
knowledge), then performance will also have a low level. All three determinants of performance must be
present for performance to reach satisfactory (and better) levels.
Performance Dimensions
+Task Performance - refers to the specific activities required by one’s job.
+Contextual Performance - refers to the activities required to be a good “organizational citizen”.
- Voice behavior is a type of behavior that emphasizes expression of constructive challenge with the goal
to improve rather than merely criticize.
Task Performance Contextual Performance
Varies across jobs Fairly similar across jobs
Likely to be role prescribed Not likely to be role prescribed
Antecedents: abilities and skills Antecedent: personality
Approaches to measuring Performance
Employees do not perform in a vacuum. Employees work in a specific situation, engaging in specific behaviors
that produce certain results.
I. Behavior Approach - emphasizes what employees do on the job and does not consider employees’ traits or
the outcomes resulting from their behaviors.
This approach is most appropriate when:
(1) the link between behaviors and results is not obvious,
(2) outcomes occur in the distant future, and/or
(3) poor results are due to causes beyond the employee’s control.
II. Results Approach - emphasizes the outcomes and results produced by employees. “bottom-line approach”
This approach is most appropriate when:
(1) workers are skilled in the needed behaviors,
(2) behaviors and results are obviously related,
(3) results show consistent improvement over time, and/or
(4) there are many ways to do the job right.
III. Traits Approach - emphasizes individual traits that remain fairly stable throughout an individual’s life span
This approach is most appropriate when an organization anticipates undertaking drastic structural changes.
A major disadvantage of this approach is that traits are not under the control of individuals, and even when
individuals possess a specific positive trait (e.g., high intelligence), this does not necessarily mean that the
employee will engage in productive behaviors that lead to desired results.
