Lecture 3 - Job performance

• Performance Management - A continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning performance with the strategic goals of the organisation
• Locke and Lantham's Goal-setting theory


  • Goals motivate action
  • Developed inductively over 25 years using approx. 400 lab and field studies (from mid 60s-1990)
  • One of the most influential theories in management
• Goal Setting Theory explains the mechanisms by which goals influence behaviour
• Two types of goals

  
  

  1. Performance goals - individuals motivated to achieve a standard
  2. Learning goals - individuals are motivated to learn and understand
• How do goals affect performance?(4 ways)

  • Direction of behaviour
  • Energising of behaviour
  • Persistence
  • Development
• Goal-setting results in higher performance than not setting goals.
• More difficult goals result in higher levels of effort, but only whilst the person has the abilities/skills needed.
• Goal-setting, 5 moderating factors?

  1. Goal commitment - person wants to do it
  2. Feedback - required to track performance
  3. task complexity - how difficult will it be
  4. self - efficacy - person's belief in their ability
  5. national culture
• 3 components of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB)?

  • Personal Support
  • Organisational Support
  • Conscientiousness Initiative
• Counterproductive Work Behaviours


  Property damage, substance abuse at work, violence, workplace bullying, lateness, absenteeism, , turnover, aggression, revenge
• Why does counterproductive work behaviour occur?

  
  

  1. negative emotional reaction to unfairness and inequity at work
  2. Boredom
• Assessing performance


  • Objective measures - sales figures, quality, lateness
  • Competency approach - most popular approach (combined knowledge, skills and abilities)
• Competencies


  The combined knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that underlie effective performance
• The "Great Eight" competencies

  • Leading and deciding
  • Supporting and cooperating
  • Interacting and presenting
  • Analysing and interpreting
  • Creating and conceptualising
  • Organising and executing
  • Adapting and coping
  • Enterprising and performing
• 3 Factors influencing performanc?

  • Individual factors - self efficacy, motivation, skills
  • Organisational factors - leadership style
  • Job-related factors - role clarity
• What is Self-efficacy?

  The belief a person has in their ability to complete a task or meet a goal
• Self-efficacy increases job performance through providing an increased sense of control and perseverance.
• There is a correlation between task/job-specific self-efficacy and work-related performance.
• Those with high-self efficacy are more likely to embrace challenges and view any problems as an opportunity for development.
• It is in the organisation's interest to foster high self-efficacy in their employees.
• People who use their strengths perform better at work, and are more likely to stay with a company.
• Using strengths is a core predictor of workplace engagement, which is in turn a predictor of performance.
• The acquisition of new knowledge and skills through training improves performance.
• More proactive employees perform more efficiently.
• Leadership style and performance

  • Transformational leadership - focus on long term goals
  • Transactional leadership - relies on rewards and punishments
  • Laissez-fare leadership - allows employees to have autonomy
• Which leaderships are positive and which one are negative?

  
  

  • Transformational leadership and laissez-faire style leadership - significant positive impact on employee performance
  • transactional leadership had a negative impact.
• Job characteristics


  • Job autonomy
  • Job/task complexity
  • Job stress
  • Role clarity
• Employees with increased job autonomy have more flexibility in their work because they choose how to perform their jobs efficiently and their performance increase.
• Objective and subjective task complexity both predict performance: high complexity reduces performance.
• Stress can be a performance booster in some conditions, but when it passes the employee's limit/capacity it can reduce performance.
• High role clarity, both for self and others, is associated with higher performance.
• 3 steps of performance management?

  Setting Goals, measuring performance, providing feedback
• Goal characteristics (SMART)

  1. Specific and challenging
  2. Measurable
  3. Realistic and time-bound
• 4 ways of increasing self efficacy in employees?

  1. Effective goal-setting
  2. facilitate work 'flow'
  3. provide training opportunities
  4. effective leadership
• Why are objective measures not always used to assess performance?

  Subjectivity