Taxonomy of Short-Term within-Person Variability in Job Performance: Review and Empirical Assessment
Abstract
Recent theoretical works and methodological advancements in organizational psychology have highlighted the necessity of a within-person perspective on organizational constructs. Past research suggests that focusing on within-person variation as an outcome can inform us of organizational processes that would not be possible with a static or mean-level approach. As such, the study of performance, on both intra- and inter-individual levels, is incomplete without addressing the nature of intraindividual variations and predictors of their short-term changes (i.e., dynamics). To address this, I first compiled a list of dynamic features from affective, personality, and cognitive dynamics and used it to develop a taxonomy of short-term performance variations (e.g., variability, inertia, stability, diurnal variation) and then conducted a systematic review of empirical works on performance variability to understand its associated theoretical constructs and their predictors. In the second part of my dissertation, I empirically examined the different forms of short-term performance dynamics (mean, maximum, minimum, variability, stability, inertia, week trends, day trends) using two weeks-long experience sampling data from working adults and a) investigated the extent to which they are distinct constructs and whether they have test-retest reliability, and b) tested what situational, time-specific, individual variables are most predictive of each form. I collected ESM data from 237 full-time working participants four times a day for two weeks with a week break in the middle (total observations = 10,315, average response rate = 48.3). I found that there was a high test-retest reliability for specific dynamic features, particularly those of OCB. In addition, I found that there were unique predictors for the same performance domain depending on how their variations were operationalized.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Tay, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Psychology|Cognitive psychology|Labor relations|Organizational behavior
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