Defining performance and choosing a

Measurement Approach
 Defining performance:
 

• Performance management systems usually

include measures of both behaviors and
results.
• However the definition of performance does
not include the results of an employee’
behaviors, but only the behaviors of
themselves.
 Determinants of performance:
 

A combination of three factors allows some people to

perform at higher levels then others:

• Declaration knowledge
• Procedural knowledge
• Motivation

• Declaration knowledge:
  Declaration knowledge is information about facts and
things, including information regarding a given task’s
requirements, labels, principles, and goals.
 Determinants of performance
 

• Procedural knowledge
Procedural knowledge is combination of knowing what to
do and how to do it and includes cognitive, physical,
perceptual, motor, and interpersonal skills.
 
• Motivation
Motivation involves three types of choice behavior
o Choice to apply effort (I will go to work today)
o Choice of level of efforts (I will put in my best)
o Choice to persist in the expenditure of that level of effort. (I
will be persistent no matter what)
 Determinants of performance
 

Declaration knowledge Procedural Knowledge Motivation

Facts Cognitive skill Choice to perform

Principles Psychomotor skill Level of efforts

Goals Physical skill Persistence of efforts

  Interpersonal skill  
 Determinants of performance
 

• Multiplicative relationship
Performance= declarative knowledge ×
Procedural knowledge × Motivation
 What is Deliberate Practice?
• Deliberate practice is different from regular
practice and from simply working several
hours per day.
• Top performers in all fields engage in
deliberate practice consistently, daily,
including weekends.
 What is Deliberate Practice?
• Deliberate practice involves
• Approach performance with goals of getting better
and better
• As you are performing focus on what is happening
and why you are doing things the way you do.
• Once your task is finished, seek performance
feedback from expert.
• Build mental models of your job, your situation
and your organization.
• Repeat all steps continually.
 Implications for addressing performance problems:

In order to properly address performance

problems, managers must find information
that will allow them to understand if the
source of the problem is declarative
knowledge, procedural knowledge,
Motivation, or any combination of these three
factors.
 Factors influencing determinants of performance:

There are three individual characteristics that determine

performance:

• Procedural knowledge
• Declarative knowledge
• Motivation
 
• HR practices and the work environment can also affect
performance. Manager’s first need to identify which of these
factors is hampering performance.
• Then managers can help the employee improve his or her
performance.
 Performance Dimensions
• Performance dimensions: 
Performance is multidimensional, meaning that we need to
consider many different types of behaviors, to understand
performance. 
• Performance facets:
1. Task performance
2. Contextual performance
• Contextual and task performance must be considered
separately because they do not necessarily occur
simultaneously.
• An employee can be highly proficient at her task, but be an
underperformer regarding contextual performance.
 Performance Dimensions
• Task performance is defined as: 
1. Activity that perform raw materials into the goods
and services that are produced by the organization.
 
2. Activity that help with the transformation process
by refilling the supply of raw materials, distributing
its finished products, or providing important
planning, coordination, supervising, or staff
functions that enable it to function effectively and
efficiently
 Performance Dimensions
• Contextual performance: is defined as those behaviors that
contribute to the organization’s effectiveness by providing a good
environment in which task performance can occur.  
1. Persisting with enthusiasm and exerting extra effort as necessary to
complete one’s own task activities successfully.
2. Volunteering to carry out task activities that are not formally part of
job.
 
3. Helping and cooperating with others.
 
4. Following organizational rules and procedures.
 
5. Endorsing, supporting, defending organizational objectives.
 Approaches To Measuring Performance

• Three approaches to measure performance:

o Traits
o Behavior
o Results
Trait approaches
• Emphasize the individual performer and ignores
the specific situation, behaviors, and results.
• These can include abilities such as cognitive
abilities or personality.
 Approaches To Measuring Performance

Behavior approach:
• The link between behavior and results is not obvious.
• Outcomes occur in the distant future
• Poor results due to causes beyond the performance control

Results approach: 
• Workers are skilled in the needed behaviors. 
• Behaviors and results are obviously related. 
• Results show consistent improvement over time. 
• There are many ways to do the job right