Understanding the latent structure of job performance ratings.
This study quantified the effects of 5 factors postulated to influence performance ratings: the ratee's general level of performance, the ratee's performance on a specific dimension, the rater's idiosyncratic rating tendencies, the rater's organizational perspective, and random measurement error. Two large data sets, consisting of managers (n = 2,350 and n = 2,142) who received developmental ratings on 3 performance dimensions from 7 raters (2 bosses, 2 peers, 2 subordinates, and self) were used. Results indicated that idiosyncratic rater effects (62% and 53%) accounted for over half of the rating variance in both data sets. The combined effects of general and dimensional ratee performance (21% and 25%) were less than half the size of the idiosyncratic rater effects. Small perspective-related effects were found in boss and subordinate ratings but not in peer ratings. Average random error effects in the 2 data sets were 11% and 18%.
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College of Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7229, USA. steve_scullen@ncsu.edu
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D015982:Bias; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015588:Observer Variation