Social psychological research on attitude/belief similarity points to perceived similarity between people as leading to greater attraction and more favorable evaluations. When applied to the area of performance evaluations, organizational research on raters and ratees has focused primarily on the characteristics of the participants of the…

Research on performance appraisals has often overlooked the importance of attitudinal and organizational variables. To test a model of the influence of organizational contextual variables on the perceived utility of performance appraisals, 239 Virginia mental health workers completed a questionnaire. The 21 items were designed to measure the four…

Analysis of the personnel files of 3,500 managers in a large corporation reveals that, while graduate degrees have salary advantages, they have negligible or negative influences upon the job performance measures of salary growth, performance ratings, or probability of promotion. Appended are 17 references. (MLF)

Outlines a 10-step process for designing performance improvement systems which is intended to reduce time spent on the project, to assure client approval, and to assure management support. Client participation with the consultant throughout the process is stressed as the key to success. (LRW)

The source of employee recruitment has been related to numerous important work outcomes (e.g., turnover, performance), but reasons for this relationship are not known. To test the viability of two possible explanations for recruiting source effects, i.e., employee level of realistic expectation, or individual differences, information was gathered…

Studies the effect of sex on the correlation between job satisfaction and self-evaluation using two experiments with college students. Results of both studies indicate that women rate their performance lower when they are dissatisfied with a task than when they are satisfied, but men's ratings are not affected by their task satisfaction. (FMW)

The work preferences of four adults with severe handicaps were assessed, and three choice-related situations were presented. The study found that clients attended to work tasks almost twice as much when they chose their tasks and when assigned to work on preferred tasks, versus when assigned to work on nonpreferred tasks. (Author/JDD)

Managers must evaluate the performance, promotability and potential of workers with very different personal characteristics such as age, sex, or race. The research literature indicates that these personal characteristics affect decisions. Furthermore, these characteristics appear to be more salient and to affect decisions in some situations more…

This document presents a step-by-step method for evaluating collective tactical training exercises for maneuver-arms units. The guidance presented is generally applicable to formal (external) and informal (internal) evaluations. Both types of evaluations are treated as stemming from training exercises. That is, training is a major purpose of the…

From a cognitive perspective, racial bias is evident when raters weigh job-relevant information differentially as a function of ratee race. The results of studies that have examined this issue have been conflicting. Meta-analytic procedures were used to provide more definitive conclusions as to whether supervisor ratings are more strongly related…

Reality shock within organizations can be defined as the discrepancy between an individual's expectations established prior to joining an organization and the individual's perceptions after becoming a member of the organization. To investigate the effects of reality shock on organizational commitment, 109 bank tellers were monitored for 10 months…

Ninety managers interacted with low performing workers who demonstrated either insufficient ability or motivation. Results indicated that cooperative superiors expected mutual assistance, communicated supportively, and gave assistance. Superiors used threats and disliked low effort subordinates but wanted to work again with low ability…

This report investigates the appropriateness of using the General Technical (GT) composite of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) as a reenlistment criterion. Three aptitude measures, all ASVAB composites, were compared to measures of proficiency in job performance: the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), the GT, and the…

Although it has been suggested that organizational reward practices can promote dysfunctional behaviors or restrict employee effort, there is little empirical evidence about their influence on employee attitudes and performance or the degree to which they are affected by supervisor reward/punishment behaviors. To investigate perceived demotivating…

This investigation examined whether auditory prompting tapes could influence performance fluency in three mentally retarded young people. The musical tapes with embedded, interspersed performance cues successfully increased the participants' vocational task fluency and decreased stereotypic behavior in one participant. (Author/DB)