This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) collection of library documents illustrates approaches to and techniques of performance appraisal used in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries. Included are (1) performance appraisal forms, policies, and procedures from Stanford University, University Library Council, Louisiana State…

Although school board members are not always viewed as part of a school's administrative team, their role in policy formation and in other aspects of school administration requires attention to their competency levels. This research examined training needs for school board members, superintendents, and principals. The present report covers Kansas…

Studies of employee tardiness, absence, and turnover generally adhere to one of five models: generalized withdrawal, which proposes positive intercorrelations among withdrawal behaviors; independent forms, which hypothesizes non-significant correlations among withdrawal behaviors; progression of withdrawal, which suggests that individuals engage…

The majority of empirical studies on performance appraisal (PA) systems focus on the search for the perfect form in which subjective traits are replaced by objective and job-relevant, measurable behaviors. Organizations using a PA system to evaluate their employees struggle with issues of implementation, adaptation, and linkage with other human…

In a study to explore the relationship of family and work roles to depression in dual career couples, 69 couples, in which both spouses worked full-time outside of the home and had at least one child under 18 years of age, completed the self-report Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), and a questionnaire assessing work and…

This report presents 23 research abstracts that investigate the effects of feedback on job performance. A narrative that precedes the abstracts lists generalizations and conclusions that are representative of the studies presented in the report. It concludes that the studies reviewed confirm that feedback improves the performance of subordinates.…

Many of the caring and socializing functions formerly provided by primary groups, such as the family or church, now are assumed by formal institutions. The quality of life in our society increasingly has been influenced by human service professionals. Motivational problems for these professionals can adversely affect their performance and can…

This document contains validated activities and competencies needed by librarians working in an academic library. The activities and competencies are organized according to the functions which academic librarians perform: acquisitions; cataloging; circulation and reader services; collection maintenance; interlibrary loan; management; reference;…

This document contains validated activities and competencies needed by librarians working in a database producer organization. The activities and competencies are organized according to the functions which these librarians perform: acquisitions; thesaurus development and control; indexing/abstracting; and publications and product management.…

This document contains validated activities and competencies needed by information professionals working in an information center/clearinghouse. The activities and competencies are organized according to the functions which information center professionals perform: acquisitions; thesaurus development and control; indexing/abstracting;…

Sex bias in performance evaluations has been found in laboratory research as well as in a variety of organizational settings. To explore the effects of hiring practices on performance evaluations and other personnel decisions in an experimental analog of affirmative action, 154 female undergraduates rated a fictitious male or female college…

This report acknowledges the problems faced by industrial/organizational psychologists who must make personnel decisions involving physically demanding jobs. The scarcity of criterion-related validation studies and the difficulty of generalizing validity are considered, and a model of physical performance that builds on Fleishman's (1984)…

This report examines three performance-based funding (PBF) plans: (1) merit pay for teachers and/or administrators; (2) career ladders; and (3) formula-driven incentive payments to schools. The report contends that present-day problems in public schools result largely from the organizational structure of the educational enterprise. Being based on…

A recent survey of 473 Minnesota businesses conducted by Parents in the Workplace (a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota) revealed that most area businesses provide or are considering providing a wide range of child care related benefits for employees. Flexible scheduling of employees' work hours, part-time work, leave to care for…

In order to alleviate present and anticipated personnel shortages, the Armed Services will have to move away from the present reliance on young adults as a source of personnel. Questions remain about the effects of age changes in cognition on work performance of older personnel. Changes in cognitive capacities over the adult working years are…