400:237 Performance Appraisal

Spring 2008  M,W 9:30-10:45  BAK 315

GRADES

 

Professor  Adam Butler
Office  Baker 435
Hours   T,R 1-2; M,W 10:45-11:15; or by appointment
Phone  319.273.7293
Fax  319.273.6188
Email  adam.butler@uni.edu
Web  http://www.uni.edu/butlera

Textbook

Smither, J. W. (Ed.) (1998). Performance appraisal: State of the art in practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Objectives

This course will examine theoretical and empirical work pertaining to performance appraisal, employee development, feedback, and related issues. Consistent with the scientist-practitioner model, we will review, critique, and propose research, and use scientific theories and empirical research to understand and design appraisal systems.

Performance Assessment

Exams. The first exam will be multiple choice and will cover the topics in the Landy readings. The second exam will cover job analysis and criteria and will be a combination of multiple choice and essay questions. The first two exams are worth 50 points each. The final exam is a an integrative, take home essay and is worth 100 points.

Paper. In teams of two, students will submit either a research proposal or a performance appraisal system for their term paper. The research proposal should include a methods section and measures. The performance appraisal system should include copies of the appraisal forms. The paper should have a strong grounding in the research literature. These papers will also be presented in class. The paper/presentation is worth 100 points.

Assignments. There are two assignments due, one on job analysis and one on legal issues in appraisal. Each is worth 25 points.

Facilitator. Each student will act as a class facilitator, leading discussion about one of the empirical articles. Facilitation is worth 50 points.

Participation. Students are expected to have read the assignments and to be prepared to discuss them in class. Participation is worth 50 points.

Grading

Final grades will be determined by calculating the percentage of earned points and assigning a letter grade using the "10% cut-off rule" (i.e., 90% for A, 80% for B, etc.). Pluses and minuses will be given for scores in the upper and lower 2.5% of each grade level (i.e., > 97.5% for A+, < 92.5% for A-).

Policies

Academic Ethics. Students must observe the Academics Ethics Policies detailed in the UNI Programs and Courses Guide (2002-2004). Students suspected of cheating or plagiarism will receive a score of zero on the submitted work. Flagrant violators may receive an F for the course, and the instructor may seek expulsion from the psychology graduate program.

Accommodations for Special Needs. Students with a disability should contact the UNI Office of Disability Services.

Course Schedule

Week

Reading

Topic

Notes

1.14 Ch. 4 course introduction & overview Read Landy & Conte 4.3, 4.4, 5.1-5.4

Criteria

1.21 1 job analysis; O*NET no class 1.21. Exam I 1.23
1.28 2-4 criteria overview; alternative criteria job analysis exercise due 1.28
2.4 5 dynamic criteria Exam II 2.6;  5. Evette

Performance Appraisal

2.11 Ch. 1; 6-7 performance appraisal overview  
2.18 Ch. 11; 8 cognitive perspective

one page description of paper due 2.18;

8. Karolina

2.25 9-10 psychometric perspective  
3.3 11-12 psychometric perspective 11. Jeannie; 12. Khasha
3.10 Ch. 2; 13 social perspective: due process legal issues exercise due 3.10
3.17     Spring Break
3.24 Ch. 6, 14-15 social perspective: due process 15. Jeremy
3.31 16 social perspective: motivation 16. Cassie; no class 4.2
4.7 17 social perspective: motivation no class 4.7; 17. Kama
4.14 Ch. 5; 18-19 social perspective: politics 19. Greg
4.21 20-21 feedback 20. Amanda; 21. Kat
4.28   team reports paper due 4.28
5.7   Exam III 10am Wed  

Note. Numbers not preceded by "Ch." refer to readings below.

Readings

1.  Sackett, P. R., & Laczo, R. M. (2003). Job and work analysis. In W. C. Borman et al. (Eds.), Handbook of psychology (vol. 12, pp. 21-38). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

2.  Cascio, W. (1998). Applied psychology in human resource management (pp. 41-57). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

3.  Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993).  Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In N. Schmitt, W. C. Borman & Associates (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 71-98).

4. Cleveland, J. (2005). What is success? Who defines it? Perspectives on the criterion problem as it relates to work and family. In E. E. Kossek and S. J. Lambert (Eds.), Work and life integration: organizational, cultural, and individual perspectives (pp. 319-346). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

5. Sturman, M. C., Cheramie, R. A., & Cashen, L. H. (2005). The impact of job complexity and performance measurement on the temporal consistency, stability, and test-retest reliability of employee job performance ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 269-283.

6.  Cascio, W. (1998). Applied psychology in human resource management (pp. 58-79). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

7.  Murphy, K. R., & Cleveland, J. N. (1995). Understanding performance appraisal: Social, organizational, and goal-based perspectives (pp. 1-30). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

8.  DeNisi, A. S. & Peters, L. H. (1996). Organization of information in memory and the performance appraisal process: Evidence from the field. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 717-.737.

9. Murphy, K. R., Jako, R. A., & Anhalt, R. L. (1993). Nature and consequences of halo error: A critical analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 218-225.

10. Viswesvaran, C., Schmidt, F. L., & Ones, D. S. (2005). Is there a general factor in ratings of job performance? A meta-analytic framework for disentangling substantive and error influences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 108-131.

11. Facteau, J. D., & Craig, S. B. (2001). Are performance appraisal ratings from different rating sources comparable? Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 215-227.

12. Greguras, G. J., Robie, C., Schleicher, D. J., & Goff, M. (2003). A field study of the effects of rating purpose on the quality of multisource ratings. Personnel Psychology, 56, 1-21.

13.  Werner, J. (1997). Explaining U.S. courts of appeal decisions involving performance appraisal: Accuracy, fairness and validation. Personnel Psychology, 50, 1-24.

14. Folger, R., Konovsky, M. A., & Cropanzano, R. (1992). A due process metaphor for performance appraisal. In B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organziational behavior (vol. 13, pp. 129-177). Greenwhich, CT: JAI Press.

15. Taylor, M. S., Tracy, K. B., Renard, M. K., Harrison, J. K., & Carroll, S. J. (1995). Due process in performance appraisal: A quasi-experiment in procedural justice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 495-523.

16. Mero, N. P., Motowidlo, S. J (1995). Effects of rater accountability on the accuracy and the favorability of performance ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 517-524.

17.   Wong, K. F. E., Kwong, J. Y. Y. (2007). Effect of rater goals on rating patterns: Evidence from an experimental field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 577-585.

18.  Longenecker, C. O., Sims, H. P., & Gioia, D. A. (1987). Behind the mask: The politics of employee appraisal. Academy of Management Executive, 1, 183-193.

19. Mayer, R. C., & Davis, J. H. (1999). The effect of the performance appraisal system on trust for management: A field quasi-experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 123-136.

20. Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback intervention on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 254-284.

21. Smither, J. W., London, M., & Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does performance improve following multisource feedback? A theoretical model, meta-analysis, and review of empirical findings. Personnel Psychology, 58, 33-66.