Defining Performance and Choosing a Measurement Approach

1
Defining Performance and Choosing a Measurement
Approach
2
Overview

• Defining Performance
• Determinants of Performance
• Performance Dimensions
• Approaches to Measuring Performance

3
Defining Performance

• Performance is
• Behavior
• What employees do

4
Defining Performance

• Performance is NOT
• Results or Outcomes
• What employees produce

5
Behaviors labeled as Performance are

• Evaluative
• Negative
• Neutral
• Positive
• Multidimensional
• Many different kinds of behaviors
• Advance or hinder organizational goals

6
Behaviors are Not always

• Observable
• Measurable

7
Results/Consequences may be used

• To infer behavior
• As proxy for behavioral measure

8
Determinants of Performance
Performance Declarative Knowledge X
Procedural Knowledge X Motivation
9
A. Declarative Knowledge

• Information about
• Facts
• Labels
• Principles
• Goals
• Understanding of task requirements

10
B. Procedural Knowledge

• Knowing
• What to do
• How to do it
• and

11
Procedural Knowledge (continued)

• Skills
• Cognitive
• Physical
• Perceptual
• Motor
• Interpersonal

12
C. Motivation

• Choices
• Expenditure of effort
• Level of effort
• Persistence of effort
• (Deliberate Practice leads to excellence)

13
Deliberate Practice

• Approach performance with goal of getting better
• Focus on performance
• What is happening?
• Why?
• Seek feedback from expert sources
• Build mental models of job, situation,
  organization
• Repeat first 4 steps on an ongoing basis

14
Implications for Addressing Performance Problems

• Managers need information to accurately identify
  source(s) of performance problems
• Performance management systems must
• Measure performance
• AND
• Provide information on SOURCE(s) of problems

15
Factors Influencing Determinants of Performance

• Individual characteristics
• Procedural knowledge
• Declarative knowledge
• Motivation
• HR practices
• Work environment

16
Performance DimensionsTypes of
multi-dimensional behaviors

• Task performance
• Contextual performance
• Pro-social behaviors
• Organizational citizenship

17
Task performance

• Activities that
• transform raw materials
• help with the transformation process
• Replenishing
• Distributing
• Supporting

18
Contextual performance

• Behaviors that
• contribute to organizations effectiveness
• and
• provide a good environment in which task
  performance can occur

19
Differences Between Task and Contextual
Performance

• Task Performance
• Varies across jobs
• Likely to be role prescribed
• Influenced by
• Abilities
• Skills

• Contextual Performance
• Fairly similar across jobs
• Not likely to be role prescribed
• Influenced by
• Personality

20
Why Include Task Contextual Performance
Dimensions in PM system?

1. Global competition
2. Customer service
3. Teamwork
4. Employee perceptions of PM
5. Supervisor views

21
Job Performance in Context
That produce various results
A performer (individual or team)
Engages in certain behaviors
In a given situation
TRAIT
BEHAVIOR
RESULTS
22
Approaches to Measuring Performance

• Trait Approach
• Emphasizes individual traits of employees
• Behavior Approach
• Emphasizes how employees do the job
• Results Approach
• Emphasizes what employees produce

23
Trait Approach

• Emphasis on individual
• Evaluate stable traits
• Cognitive abilities
• Personality
• Based on relationship between traits performance

24
Trait Approach (continued)

• Appropriate if
• Structural changes planned for organization
• Disadvantages
• Improvement not under individuals control
• Trait may not lead to
• Desired behaviors or
• Desired results

25
Behavior Approach

• Appropriate if
• Employees take a long time to achieve desired
  outcomes
• Link between behaviors and results is not obvious
• Outcomes occur in the distant future
• Poor results are due to causes beyond the
  performers control
• Not appropriate if
• above conditions are not present

26
Results Approach

• Advantages
• Less time
• Lower cost
• Data appear objective

27
Results Approach (continued)

• Most appropriate when
• Workers skilled in necessary behaviors
• Behaviors and results obviously related
• Consistent improvement in results over time
• Many ways to do the job right

28
Quick Review

• Defining Performance
• Determinants of Performance
• Performance Dimensions
• Approaches to Measuring Performance