Chapter 2 - Job Performance

Question 1

What is job performance?

Answer 1

The value of the set of employee behaviours that contribute either positively or negatively to organizational goal accomplishment.

Question 2

What types of behaviours does job performance include?

Answer 2

Behaviours that are within the control of employees.

Question 3

What does job performance place a boundary on?

Answer 3

Which behaviours are and are not relevant to job performance.

Question 4

What is task performance?

Answer 4

Employee behaviours directly involved in the transformation of organizational resources into the goods and services that the organization produces.

Question 5

What are the three general categories of task performance?

Answer 5

Routine: Well-known responses to demands that occur in a normal, routine, or otherwise predictable way.

Adaptive: Responses to demands that are novel, unusual, or at the very least, unpredictable.

Creative: Degree to which individuals develop novel and useful ideas or physical outcmes.

Question 6

Why is adaptive task performance increasingly important?

Answer 6

Due to globalization, technological advance, and knowledge-based work, which increase the pace of workplace change.

Question 7

How are task performance behaviours identified by organizations?

Answer 7

Through a job analysis;
Using the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

Question 8

How is a job analysis conducted?

Answer 8

1. Generate a list of activities involved in a job, by using data from several sources, including observations, surveys, and employee interviews.
2. Rate each activity on the list according to its importance and frequency, using a subject matter expert.
3. Retain and use highly-rated activities to develop task performance, construct training programs, and generate performance evaluation systems.

Question 9

What is the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)?

Answer 9

An online database that includes the characteristics of most jobs in terms of tasks, behaviours, and required knowledge/skills/abilities.

Question 10

What is citizenship behaviour?

Answer 10

Voluntary employee activities that may or may not be rewarded, but contribute to the organization by improving the overall quality of the setting in which work takes place.

Question 11

What are the two categories of citizenship behaviour?

Answer 11

-Interpersonal: Behaviours that benefit coworkers and colleagues, and involve assisting, supporting, and developing other organizational members in a way that goes beyond normal job expectations.

-Organizational: Benefits that benefit the larger organization by supporting and defending the company, working to improve its operations, and being especially loyal to it.

Question 12

What are the various types of interpersonal citizenship behaviour?

Answer 12

-Helping: Assisting coworkers who have heavy workloads, personal matters, and showing new employees the ropes when they first arrive on the job.

-Courtesy: Keeping coworkers informed about matters relevant to them.

-Sportsmanship: Maintaining a good attitude with coworkers, even when they have done something annoying, or when the unit is going through tough times.

Question 13

What are the various types of organizational citizenship behaviour?

Answer 13

-Voice: Speaking up and offering constructive suggestions for change.

-Civic virtue: Participating in company operations at a deeper-than-normal level, by attending voluntary meetings, reading and keeping up with organizational announcements, and keeping abreast of business news that affect the company.

-Boosterism: Representing the organization in a positive way when out in public, away from the office, or away from work.

Question 14

Where is citizenship behaviour relevant?

Answer 14

In virually any job, regardless of the particular nature of its tasks.

Question 15

What does citizenship behaviour boost?

Answer 15

Organizational effectiveness.

Question 16

Is citizenship behaviour static?

Answer 16

No, it can vary significantly over time. It is relatively discretionary and influenced by specific situations.

Question 17

Should employees discount citizenship behaviour?

Answer 17

No! Management may actually care about this type of behaviour more than we think.

Question 18

What is counterproductive behaviour?

Answer 18

Employee behaviours that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment.

Question 19

What are the four categories of counterproductive behaviour?

Answer 19

-Property deviance: Behaviours that harm the organization’s assets and possessions.

-Production deviance: Behaviours that reduce efficiency of work output.

-Political deviance: Behaviours that intentionally disadvantage other individuals, not the larger organization.

-Personal aggression: Hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees.

Question 20

What are the forms of property deviance?

Answer 20

-Sabotage: Purposeful destruction of physical equipment, organizational processes, or company products.

-Theft

Question 21

What are the forms of production deviance?

Answer 21

-Wasting resources: Using too many materials, or too much time to do too little work.

-Substance abuse: Using drugs or alcohol while on the job, or shortly before coming to work.

Question 22

What are the forms of political deviance?

Answer 22

-Gossiping: Casual conversations about other people, in which the facts are not confirmed as true.

-Incivility: Rude, impolite, discourteous communication that lacks good manners.

Question 23

What happens to the organizational climate that is bound by political deviance?

Answer 23

Distrust and unhealthy competitiveness.

Question 24

What are the forms of personal aggression?

Answer 24

-Harassment: Employees being subject to unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.

-Abuse: Employees being assaulted or endangered in such a way that physical and psychological injuries may occur.

Question 25

What are the more minor forms of counterproductive behaviour?

Answer 25

Political and production deviance.

Question 26

What are the more major forms of counterproductive behaviour?

Answer 26

Property deviance and personal aggression.

Question 27

Is counterproductive behaviour a single event?

Answer 27

No, typically, employees engaging in one form of counterproductive behaviour also engage in others.

Question 28

When is counterproductive behaviour relevant?

Answer 28

It is relevant to any job.

Question 29

Who engages in counterproductive behaviour?

Answer 29

Oftentimes, you would be surprised!

Question 30

What does it mean to be a “good performer”?

Answer 30

-Being good at the particular job tasks falling within their job description, whether these are routine, or require adaptability or creativity.

-Engaging in citizenship behaviours, directed at both coworkers and the larger organization.

-Refraining from engaging in counterproductive behaviours, that can badly damage the climate of an organization.

Question 31

What workplace trends affect job performance in today’s organizations?

Answer 31

-Knowledge work: Requires cognitive work, applying theoretical and analytical knowledge that is acquired through formal education and continuous learning.

-Service work: Work providing intangible goods to customers, through direct electronic, verbal, or physical interaction.

Question 32

Is knowledge work static?

Answer 32

No, it is fluid and dynamic in nature. Facts, data, and information are always changing and easily-accessible.

Question 33

What is the effect of service work on job performance?

Answer 33

-The costs of bad task performance become more obvious and immediate.

-There is greater premium on high levels of citizenship behaviours, and low levels of counterproductive behaviours.

Question 34

What is Management by Objectives (MBO)?

Answer 34

Bases employee evaluations on whether the employee achieves specific performance goals.

Question 35

When is Management by Objectives (MBO) best suited?

Answer 35

In contexts in which objective measures of performance can be quantified.

Question 36

How are MBO objectives delineated?

Answer 36

Bilaterally; they are mutually agreed0upon, measurable, specific, time-sensitive.

Question 37

What is the Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)?

Answer 37

Performance measure that directly assesses job performance behaviours, using “critical incidents” (short descriptions of effective and ineffective behaviours) to create a measure to evaluate employee performance.

Question 38

What is 360-degree feedback?

Answer 38

Collecting performance information from not just the supervisor, but from anyone else that may have first-hand knowledge about employee performance. These individuals could include subordinates, peers, customers, and the employee.

Question 39

What is forced ranking?

Answer 39

Based of a vitality curve, with A players being the top 20%, the B players being the vital middle 70%, and C players being the bottom 10%.

Question 40

What characterizes A players?

Answer 40

They possess the four Es of leadership:
-High energy levels;
-Ability to energize others around common goals;
-Edge to make tough yes/no decisions;
-Ability to consistently execute and deliver on their promises.

Question 41

What differentiates B players from A players?

Answer 41

They lack their passion.

Question 42

What happens to C players?

Answer 42

They can’t get the job done, so they are let go.