A Multi-Level Investigation of Overall Job Performance Ratings

Multi-level modeling was used to understand how supervisor assign overall job performance ratings. Results indicated a uniform relationship between task and overall performance ratings across supervisors but significant variability in the relationship between contextual and overall performance ratings. Employee and supervisor attributes were examined to explain this variability. Job performance is typically conceptualized as " actions and behaviors that are under the control of the individual that contribute to the goals of the organization, " (Rotundo & Sackett, 2002, p. 66). Campbell (1990) asserts that job performance is inherently multidimensional, a view that is shared by the vast majority of performance researchers (e. However, it is also generally accepted that, while multidimensional conceptions of performance are appropriate when conducting research, for decision making in organizations, a unidimensional, or composite criteria is preferred (e.g., Schmidt & Kaplan, 1971). And while the notion that raters will differ in the way they combine information to arrive at an overall rating is far from new (e.g., Naylor & Wherry, 1965), in the job performance domain, research dedicated to explaining this variability is limited. Performance Task performance refers to behaviors and activities that support the organization's technical core, which can involve the execution of technical processes (transforming raw materials into the goods or services provided by the organization) or the maintenance of those processes, for instance by providing raw materials, distributing products, or through planning and coordination functions (Borman & Motowidlo, 1993; Motowidlo, et al., 1997). The term contextual performance was coined by Borman and Motowidlo (1993) who argued that performance measures used in selection research and practice ignored activities such as persisting, helping, and endorsing organizational objectives. They argue that the criterion domain consists of task performance as well as contextual performance, or behaviors that support the broader psychological and social environment in which that technical core must function. An individual's overall performance rating can be thought of as a measure of his or her organizational worth (Motowidlo & Van Scotter, 1994). Implicit in this definition is that job performance must include only those behaviors that contribute to the organization's goals (Campbell, 1990). Accordingly, the rating assigned to an incumbent's overall job performance will depend not only on the level at which he or she performs certain behaviors, but also on the rater's beliefs about the goals of the organization and his or her mental model relating job behaviors to those goals. According to …