Getting Rid of Performance Ratings: Genius or Folly? A Debate

A mixed-method approach to examining the experiences of allied health clinicians and managers of the performance, appraisal and development framework in a regional health care service

INTRODUCTION

Evaluating employee performance is important for organisational success however, limited research exists across the allied health workforce.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated allied health clinician and manager experiences and perceptions of the appropriateness of the performance and development (PAD) framework.

DESIGN

A mixed methods design with purposive sampling was conducted in a medium size hospital and health service in regional Queensland to investigate the appropriateness of the PAD framework. A 29 item online survey collected likert scale and open ended responses. Identified respondents also completed a semi-structured interview. Aggregated satisfaction scores identifying PAD alignment, processes, education, resources and perceptions were analysed to identify organisational PAD appropriateness. Themes from interviews provided concurrent experiential data.

FINDINGS

Eighty-five respondents completed the online survey and 20 interviews were conducted. A Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test revealed a significant (p < 0.05) clinician (n = 75) response of moderate dissatisfaction (36%) for the PAD framework, while managers (n = 10) were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied (50%) or moderately satisfied (40%). Clinician aggregated agreement responses were significantly (p < 0.05) higher for PAD alignment (45%), processes (63%), education (49%) and lower for feedback (33%) and resources (28%). Manager aggregated agreement responses were high for PAD alignment (85%), processes (55%), education (57%), feedback (65%) and perceptions (50%). Interviews (n = 20) revealed three themes: uncertainty around PAD framework; expectations for experienced leadership and importance of discipline specific knowledge.

DISCUSSION

This study draws on both clinician and manager input to assess the overall PAD framework with responses favouring clinician dissatisfaction to the current process.

CONCLUSION

The PAD framework is valuable for staff development when there is positive rapport and discipline alignment between both clinician and manager. Successful staff appraisals require efficient and appropriate documentation that promotes individual development, clinical performance and organisational priorities.

Performance Feedback During a Pandemic – (Social) Distancing from Feedback?

Abstract. Debate over performance management (PM) is at an all-time high. However, little is known about PM and feedback when employees work from home. In this qualitative study, we interview 45 human resources (HR) managers to clarify how PM practices in organizations may have transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying teleworking measures. Based on the interviews, organizations were categorized according to their pre-COVID-19 PM approach (i.e., formal, informal, both). HR managers of organizations that applied both formal and informal PM practices indicated that they felt they could adapt to the rapidly changing environment most easily. Moreover, these organizations provided employees with digital tools and training. Since hybrid working will remain relevant post-COVID-19, we identify future research propositions and practical recommendations.

Causality of the satisfaction–performance relationship: A task experiment

Despite the common belief among practitioners that a happy worker is a productive worker, researchers have been struggling to understand the causality between satisfaction and performance for decades. This study attempts to bring clarity to current understanding through an experiment with repeated measures of satisfaction and performance. A total of 143 participants repeatedly performed a task based on the Stroop test, with their objective performance and task satisfaction measured each time. Two different types of feedback (high/low performance) were randomly assigned to participants in order to manipulate perceived performance. The data were analyzed using a path analysis. The results support the hypothesized influence of task satisfaction on task performance and of perceived task performance on task satisfaction.

A moderated-mediation analysis of performance appraisal politics perception and counterproductive work behavior

Politics has become a common element in the performance appraisal process, and as decision recipients in this process, those appraised tend to be more sensitive to performance appraisal politics. This paper examines the mechanisms by which performance appraisal politics perception (PAPP) affects counterproductive work behavior (CWB) from the perspective of those appraised. The mediating effect of perceived organizational justice (POJ) and the moderating effect of political skill (PS) are incorporated into a parsimonious moderated-mediation model. A quantitative research approach is employed with survey data from 460 employees of large and medium-sized enterprises in Hubei Province (China), and structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrap analysis are used to test the proposed hypothesized relationships. The findings demonstrate that PAPP has a positive impact on CWB, and POJ partly mediates the relationship between PAPP and CWB. The results also reveal that individual PS moderates the positive correlation between PAPP and CWB. The academic and practical implications of these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research, are also discussed.

Side effects associated with organizational interventions: A perspective

Drawing on examples from published research, the authors offer a perspective on the side effects that are associated with organizational interventions. This perspective is framed in the context of the many hard-won positive influences that industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists have had on individuals, groups, organizations, and social institutions over the last century. With a few exceptions, we argue that side effects tend to receive less attention from I-O psychology researchers and practitioners than they deserve. A systematic approach to studying, monitoring, and advertising side effects is needed to better understand their causes, consequences, and the contexts in which they are most likely to emerge. The purpose of this piece is to stimulate conversations within the field about the phenomenon of side effects as well as what might be done to improve our science and practice in this domain.

Performance management trends–reflections on the redesigns big companies have been doing lately

Purpose

Since several high-profile companies announced that they were radically redesigning their performance management systems and processes (PMSPs), commentators and scholars argue that these changes represent a trend that many companies are following, and even more are considering pursuing. The present paper aims to provide an overview of these redesigns and their rationales from the companies' point of view and theoretically reflect on their organisational value.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a review of articles from journals, professional magazines and the business press that describe how nine high-profile companies from the debate changed their PMSP design.

Findings

The PMSP redesigns are directed towards what in the literature has been referred to as people PMSPs. The authors identify five organisational challenges to which the people PMSPs are exposed and specify the design elements that the companies have changed to meet these challenges. Finally, the authors outline a set of theoretical propositions that demonstrate some of the trade-offs involved with the redesigns.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to researchers and practitioners by providing more insight into why and how companies have redesigned their people PMSPs. Answers to these questions are vital in understanding the trends and redesigns that practitioners are currently considering. Furthermore, since the empirical research of the effects of these redesigns is still limited, we outline a set of theory-based propositions helpful for future empirical investigations.

Designing employee performance evaluation model in Isfahan municipality: an interorganizational experience

Purpose

This study aimed at developing and testing a model to evaluate employee performance in Isfahan municipality.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method design is applied in this study. To extract the model, a semi-structured interview based on the thematic analysis approach was employed. The qualitative data were obtained using a researcher-made questionnaire from a sample of 12 municipal experts selected based on purposive sampling. In the quantitative phase, the sample consisted of 76 managers and interim managers. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by the content validity index, while the structural validity was tested based on structural equation modeling using SmartPLS software. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability indices.

Findings

The factors obtained in the qualitative model included performance evaluation criteria, the desired time interval for performance evaluation, results announcement, performance evaluation approach, performance evaluation method and evaluator-related variables. There should have been an agreement between evaluators and those who were evaluated in all components of the model. In the quantitative section, performance evaluation criteria, evaluators, the evaluation method and time interval were confirmed with coefficients of 0.871, 0.815, 0.646 and 0.615, respectively.

Practical implications

The novelty of this study is that it uses a mixed-method research approach to extract a performance evaluation model that is specific to the Isfahan municipality.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study is that it uses a mixed-method research approach to extract a performance evaluation model that is specific to the Isfahan municipality.

Anchoring human resource management to sustain employee performance at Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Orientation: Practices employed to manage the human resources at Johannesburg (JHB) Metropolitan Municipality were explored to unearth their impact on employee performance.Research purpose: The study sought to reveal the human resource management (HRM) practices that could support employee performance at local government.The motivation for the study: The achievement of organisational goals depends on HRM practices that enhance employee competencies. Employee performance in municipalities is often considered to be substandard. This study aimed to strengthen HRM practices to enhance performance at JHB Metropolitan Municipality.Research approach/design and method: The qualitative inquiry adopted an interpretive stance to reveal participants’ experiences that relate to employee performance. Ten participants were identified purposively and the obtained data were analysed with the assistance of the Atlas.ti software.Main findings: Whilst the organisation’s employee-attraction practices were strong, its retention practices were weak. Employees generally felt undervalued, which negatively affected their morale and the organisation’s goal attainment.Practical/managerial implications: The organisation should introduce effective employee-retention strategies, focussing on thorough needs analyses, skills development and rewards linked to performance. Building employee commitment should be prioritised.Study contribution: Human resource management effectiveness in the Johannesburg Municipality would be enhanced by appropriate soft HRM investment in senior management either through recruitment or development or both. Furthermore, the municipal culture should change from HRM practices that are influenced by tradition to an adaptive approach that responds to public-sector dynamics and varying employee expectations.

Getting Ratees to Accept Performance Feedback: A Relational Approach

This paper seeks to understand the association between ratees' relational justice perceptions and their feedback acceptance, both directly and through leader-member exchange (LMX). The paper also examines the moderated mediation effect of supervisory trust. The paper presents the findings of two studies. Study 1 utilized two data sets collected through an online survey from 280 part-time students working full-time (Sample 1) and 292 working professionals (Sample 2) in Pakistan. Study 2 utilized data collected from N = 167 students recruited for a scenario-based experiment that manipulated whether a manager was fair or unfair. Results revealed that relational justice positively predicted feedback acceptance in Studies 1 and 2. LMX positively mediated the above-mentioned relationship in both studies. As expected, supervisory trust negatively moderated the relational justice-feedback acceptance relationship in Study 2. The present study contributes to performance management theory and practice by illuminating that raters can stimulate performance partnership by employing a relational justice approach that increases the likelihood that employees accept performance feedback.

The purposes of performance management systems and processes: a cross-functional typology

Purpose

This paper aims to organise, in a general typology, the different purposes of performance management systems and processes (PMSPs) that are discussed across the performance management literature in different functional areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The typology is developed based on a traditional review of the performance management literature from three types of functional areas, represented by operations and production management, management accounting and human resource management.

Findings

The cross-functional typology illustrates how the different types of purposes discussed in the literature can be organised in a hierarchical structure. In this way, the basic purpose of organisational value creation for PMSPs can be decomposed into two layers of sub-purposes, the first specifying the domain and the second outlining the specific managerial use of PMSPs.

Practical implications

The presented typology may help managers across different functional areas map the purposes of their PMSPs; this mapping will not only provide the basics for understanding a PMSP's potential value for an organisation but also serve as an important input for PMSP design.

Originality/value

The presented typology has a broader scope than existing typologies of purposes in research and, consequently, better interrelates and tracks the various types of purposes discussed across different functional areas. This contributes not only to our understanding of performance management as a cross-functional field but also to research on the use and design of PMSPs in organisations.

Exploring adaptability and proactivity across cultural contexts

Behavioral performance indicators linked to traits of adaptability and proactivity have been increasingly promoted in workplace management initiatives as predictors of high performance and employee potential (Grant and Ashford, 2008; Griffin et al., 2007). While these behaviors have been found to be helpful heuristics in Western workplace research samples, additional insight would help managers understand how they vary across geographical regions amidst rapidly expanding multinational markets. This study aimed to examine the relationship between workplace performance behaviors of adaptability and proactivity across diverse geographical regions, including North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Using data gathered from professional employees from global companies, the study sample consisted of 3,860 participants working across 15 countries (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, and the United States). The results indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between work performance adaptability and proactivity across countries, though a much smaller effect across groupings based on subsets of high versus low economic gross domestic product (GDP). Implications for talent management approaches to better develop these constructs cross-culturally are discussed.

The use of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services in development of interventions to increase fidelity

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other Developmental Disabilities (DD) often have deficits in social, play, and language which often require substantial support to develop the skills. Caregivers and educators are often tasked with developing these skills and working to transfer those acquired skill sets across settings and people (i.e. parents, day care workers, family members). Oftentimes, these naturally occurring skills are more challenging to teach since they require ongoing attention, interaction, and skill promotion from the educators and caregivers. As a result, these skills are sometimes underdeveloped or not worked on as frequently, which in turn, presents greater hardships on families and caregivers. The current study used a multiple treatment design to evaluate the efficacy of three different interventions on promoting and maintaining staff to client interactions during breaks. Treatment one included the antecedent intervention of posted rules; treatment two included the consequence intervention of posted graphical data; the final treatment was a function based treatment (based upon the results of the PDC-HS) which included direct manipulation of immediate consequences for staff to client interactions. Results showed that staff performed at a higher, and more consistent rate, when the treatment was function-based and directly/immediately related to their behavior. This simple manipulation shows promise in promoting the development of staff and family responses that are needed to enhance skill sets that are sometimes more challenging, yet necessary, to develop.

The Effect of Strengths-Based Performance Appraisal on Perceived Supervisor Support and the Motivation to Improve Performance

Strengths-based performance appraisal focuses on identifying, appreciating, and developing employee’s qualities in line with the company goals. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we hypothesized that strengths-based performance appraisals will bring about a stronger motivation to improve (MTI) performance, by making subordinates feel supported by their supervisor and thereby fulfill their need for relatedness. Moreover, we hypothesized that strengths-based performance appraisal will reduce the threat to the relationship between supervisor and subordinate when the performance rating is relatively low. To investigate our hypotheses, we distributed a questionnaire to employees working for a large Dutch consultancy firm right after their yearly appraisal (N = 422) and linked the questionnaire data to their official performance ratings. Conditional process analysis indicated that strengths-based performance appraisal had a positive effect on perceived supervisor support (PSS), and in turn on MTI performance. Furthermore, the effect of strengths-based performance appraisal was particularly strong, when the performance rating was relatively low. Our findings may inspire future research into strengths-based performance appraisal as a relational approach to employee development.

How does appreciation lead to higher job satisfaction?

Purpose

Building on the “Stress-as-Offense-to-Self” theory, this study investigates appreciation as a predictor of job satisfaction over time, mediated by subjective success and feelings of resentment towards one's organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Analyses are based on a three-wave study with two-month time intervals, with a sample of 193 employees from six Swiss organizations.

Findings

Double mediation by subjective success and feelings of resentment was confirmed; no mediation was found in a reversed mediation model. Results highlight the importance of appreciation for employees' feelings of success and job satisfaction, but also for affect related to the organization as a whole.

Practical implications

Organizations should recognize the role of appreciation in satisfaction, affective reactions toward the organization, and information about one's standing. Appreciation can be expressed in multiple ways; it not only increases job satisfaction but also helps employees to validate their judgments about their own performance.

Originality/value

Appreciation is a promising resource for employee well-being. The present study is one of few focusing on appreciation as a resource in its own right, rather than as part of broader constructs, such as social support. Our results not only confirm the importance of appreciation but also shed light on mechanisms through which it may exert its influence. They complement a multilevel analysis based on the same data showing an association of appreciation with different indicators of well-being on the interpersonal as well as the intrapersonal level.

Do Employees Prefer to Receive Ratings? The Role of Justice Perceptions and Justice-Related Factors

Abstract. We empirically investigated whether employees would rather not receive performance ratings, as often claimed by those advocating the elimination of ratings. We also investigated whether rating preference is colored by perceived justice/injustice and whether factors antithetical to positive reactions to ratings – politics, low previous performance rating, and lack of a perceived link between ratings and outcomes – relate to employee rating preference. A survey of working adults indicated that most would rather receive ratings than not. The results also suggest that justice perceptions have a stronger influence on rating preference than injustice perceptions and that the perceived rating–outcome link has an especially robust relationship with rating preference.

Responsible talent management: towards guiding principles

Purpose

This article addresses three concerns about the operationalization and possible effects of exclusive talent management; the core assumptions that underpin and shape talent practices, the problem of fair talent identification and potentially adverse employee reactions.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper that integrates empirical research on talent and talent management with ideas from business ethics.

Findings

Organizations should not simply assume that they meet the underlying assumptions of talent management. Where the assumptions can reasonably be shown to be valid, then a framework based on a set of principles is suggested to guide organizational approaches towards responsible talent management.

Practical implications

The article provides talent practitioners with a set of principles, or at least some substantive suggestions, to be considered in the design of socially responsible talent management programmes and in programme evaluation.

Social implications

The article provides guidance for organizations wishing to improve the care of their workforce in relation to strategies of employee differentiation based on performance and potential.

Originality/value

Despite the burgeoning literature on talent management, the topic has not received much attention from an ethical and socially responsible viewpoint. This article adds to that literature and suggests further research particularly concerning the existence of real talent differences on which the entire talent management project is based.

Performance appraisal, justice and organizational effectiveness: a comparison between two universities

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how the design of a performance appraisal system (PAS) affects the perceived justice of academic employees (AE) about their performance appraisal (PA) and how this is associated with organizational effectiveness in terms of organizational leadership (OL).

Design/methodology/approach

The study subjects are two economic faculties of two Estonian public universities. The data for the study were collected using the PA Survey with a total of 82 AEs, OL Capability Questionnaire with a total of 72 AEs and the organizations' documents to analyze PAS. Assessment and analysis of the data included: the measurement of PAS design; the measurement of perceived justice from PA; the measurement of organizational leadership capability; analysis of the results gained from studying perceived justice from different PAS designs and organizational effectiveness in terms of OL.

Findings

Ultimately, the study reveals that PAS design affects academic employees' perception of distributive justice and organizational external effectiveness in terms of OL but does not affect academic employees' perception of procedural justice and organizational internal effectiveness in terms of OL.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that organizational effectiveness depends on perceived justice of employees from the design of PAS. However, the results of this study are valid in the arrangements of academic jobs in universities and in similar or close context of Estonian culture.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates the role of PAS design in conditions of intellectual job arrangement in universities with its influence on organizational effectiveness in the context of OL.

Performance management in primary healthcare: Nurses' experiences

BACKGROUND

The use of the performance management (PM) system is highly contested by public servants in South Africa, although its value as essential to the appraisal and management of staff is undeniable.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions and experiences of the PM system at primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in relation to the current health system's reforms.

METHOD

An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative design was utilised. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. A semi-structured interview tool was used to collect data from 18 nurses in four sub-districts of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda district in the North West province. Data were analysed through thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The findings of this study confirmed that PM is implemented to some extent. However, various loopholes in its implementation threaten the accuracy and transparency of the system and leave it vulnerable to perceived organisational injustice and unfairness, with the objectivity of the system questioned. The limitations of the current PM system revealed by this study include (1) the lack of alignment with current health system reforms towards comprehensive and integrated care that demands person-centred care; (2) the system's usefulness for career progression, performance improvement and rewarding exceptional performance.

CONCLUSION

Performance management is inadequately applied in PHC facilities at district level and needs to be realigned to include the appraisal of key attributes required for the current health system's reforms towards comprehensive and integrated care, including the provision of person-centred care, which is central for responding adequately to South Africa's changing disease profile towards multi-morbidity.

Improving the effectiveness of the employee performance management process

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of managerial values in improving the effectiveness of employee performance management (EPM).

Design/methodology/approach

The research has been conducted as a conceptual study, in which EPM criteria are compared to managerial values and the related maturity model. A thorough review of the EPM and values literature identified relevant and significant works.

Findings

Despite copious extant literature on EPM, the process is riddled with persistent problems, particularly concerning the manager’s enthusiasm to adequately implement EPM and its subsequent effectiveness. A managerial grounded values framework is, therefore, proposed. Using a circular approach that is assisted by a values maturity model, it serves as a charter that guides the supervisor’s actions, goals, choices, decisions and attitudes; principles that are very much at the heart of an effective EPM process. Curiously, managerial values and EPM have not generally been connected.

Practical implications

This values-based circular framework contributes to the effectiveness of the EPM process and thus to a positive EPM experience that motivates, enhances engagement and guides personal development. When enacted individual values and EPM are linked, they are argued to lead to sustained superior financial performance.

Originality/value

This study makes an important and novel contribution to the performance literature by using a values-based maturity model to improve the effectiveness of the EPM process.

Relationship between Ability-Based Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence, and Job Performance

Based on previous findings, which found that the three facets of ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) have varying effects on job performance, this study investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence, cognitive intelligence (CI), and job performance. The use of a cascade model suggests a progressive pattern, starting from emotion perception, followed by emotional understanding and emotion regulation, with downstream effects on job performance. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of both measurements, we employed the performance-based ability measurement, the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and the self-reporting ability EI measurement, Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). Our findings supported the cascade model, but in the case of WLEIS measures, both self-emotion appraisal and others’ emotion appraisal precede emotion regulation, leading to a positive effect on job performance. Moreover, CI moderated the relationship between EI and job performance, such that a decline in CI rendered the relationship more positive. The MSCEIT and WLEIS showed similar results, thus supporting the cascading model and moderating effects.

Competency based superior performance and organizational effectiveness

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between competency-based performance management and organizational effectiveness (OE). It signifies the importance of developing competency-based performance concept in organizations. Since conventional performance management systems (PMSs) are diminishing and as organizations are looking for breakthrough PMSs, this research attempted to fill the gap from stakeholder’s perspective – employee, manager and organization in devising new approach in PMS.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design involved developing scale for “competency-based superior performance” and validating scale for “organizational effectiveness,” The data for this survey are collected from 292 respondents through structured questionnaire. Hypotheses depicting aforementioned relationships were empirically tested in the context of competency-based performance practices in organizations based in India. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used for data analysis.

Findings

The empirical results provide methods to accelerate the performance management initiatives based on a leadership competency model (LCM), which are necessary for building performance culture in the organization. The paper contributes by developing a new scale for measuring competency-based performance practices. The scale for OE is revisited. A positive relationship between competency-based superior performance and OE with productivity, adaptability and flexibility has been empirically confirmed using SEM.

Research limitations/implications

The paper limits the performance measurement concept using leadership competencies.

Practical implications

The developed model will act as a building block for performance measurement in organizations. This paper promotes LCM to be applied in creating a performance-based culture.

Originality/value

This is a unique attempt to test the relationship between competency-based performance management and OE.

The Evolution of Performance Management: Searching for Value

This article reviews the history of performance management (PM), beginning with performance evaluation. We discuss various strategies that have been used to enable accurate ratings as well as cognitive processes and contextual factors that have been shown to significantly impact ratings. We raise questions about the concept of true performance and whether raters can be enabled and motivated to make accurate ratings. We progress to discussing more structured and comprehensive PM processes that typically involve cascading goals, goal setting, competency modeling, evaluation of behavior and results, and implementation. These systems have proven to be tedious and low-value, resulting in unprecedented, wide-spread experimentation with innovative practices to move companies away from heavy PM processes to simpler, cost-effective strategies that actually drive performance. These have ranged from abandoning ratings to implementing innovations in goal-setting, real-time feedback, coaching, and PM behavior change. Directions for future research and practice are discussed.

Investigating the Effects of Cultural-Mindset Priming on Evaluation of Job Performance Behaviors

Recent reviews of performance evaluation process and practices indicate that there is substantial variability in the structure and formalization of performance evaluations in organizations across cultures and call for further exploration of the role of cultural variables on the performance evaluation process. In the current study, we use self-construal priming procedures to evaluate the effects of cultural mindset on the performance evaluation process. Specifically, the effects of independent (individualistic) and interdependent (collectivistic) mindset priming on relative importance given to performance behaviors when making judgments of overall job performance was investigated. Participants first completed either independent (n = 87) or interdependent (n = 87) priming tasks by circling either I/me/my or we/us/our in a paragraph of text. Following this, they completed a managerial role-play exercise in which they read employee performance vignettes (manipulated on task, citizenship and counterproductive performance behaviors) and rated the overall performance of each employee. Rater policies were captured using regression analyses and relative weights placed on each performance behavior were computed. Results suggest that when making judgments of overall performance, as compared to raters primed with interdependence, raters primed with independence placed less weight on citizenship behaviors and higher weights on counterproductive performance behaviors. No significant differences were observed in the weights placed on task performance behaviors. Study limitations and implications for research are discussed.

Positive Interventions: Alternate Routes to Quality Workplace Relationships

Social exchange theory (SET) is an important foundation of social sciences from which many workplace theories have emerged. Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu (2018) contend that social exchange is at the heart of workplace relationships. Although SET is a complex framework, in essence, it views workplace interactions as exchanges of resources broadly construed, ranging from tangible resources such as money, goods, and services to intangible ones such as information, support, and trust (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005; Foa & Foa, 1980). Governed by the rule of reciprocity, parties involved in social exchanges use rational deliberation to gauge how much they need to repay for others’ actions. Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu posit that workplace theories rooted in SET should be modified to accommodate the new realities in modern organizations. Although we concur with their observations about new characteristics of work, we are not as optimistic as Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu about SET's capacity to guide our understanding and actions to improve workplace relationships. We argue that positive interventions are important complements to the social exchange process, thereby promoting the quality of work relationships.

The New Era Workplace Relationships: Is Social Exchange Theory Still Relevant?

In this article, we argue that changes in workplace characteristics over the last few decades may affect work relationships and call for adjustments in the traditional theoretical framework used to understand them. Since the last quarter of the 20th century, there have been theories regarding changes in labor relationships following technological, political, globalization, and economical changes. However, we examine the changes in light of psychological theories rather than labor or industrial approaches. We review four main areas where social exchange theory (SET) has been implemented, address recent changes that challenge the traditional SET perspective, and propose alternative models. We refer to these models as “hybrid” as they integrate traditional SET premises with new-era workplace characteristics. First, we describe several changes in workplace characteristics. Next, we review some of the most conventional applications of SET to work relationships. Finally, we critically examine whether this theory meets the requirements of work relationships in the new world of work and conclude by arguing that SET needs to be adjusted to reflect the assumption that frequent changes in employee and organizational characteristics in the new workplaces require similar frequent adjustments in exchange relationships.

Putting an End to Bad Talent Management: A Call to Action for the Field of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Organizations are undergoing unprecedented transformation in the area of talent management (TM). Companies are rapidly adopting new tools and approaches in a variety of what has traditionally been core areas of industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology such as performance management, employee attitudes, recruiting, testing and assessment, and career development. Increasingly, however, these new approaches have little to no research backing behind them, and they do not tend to be the focus of I-O psychology theory and research. We call this trend anti-industrial and organizational psychology (AIO), as we believe these forces to do not advance the field for long-term strategic impact. We present a framework that describes how AIO practices are adopted by organizations, and how I-O psychologists often gravitate away from these practices rather than actively help to separate the wheat from the chaff. We found support for our hypothesis through a brief analysis of Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). In this analysis, we found that only 10% of the focal articles from 2008 to 2016 represented topics that we call frontier—emerging areas in organizations but where there is no research support for them. We propose a set of recommendations for the field of I-O psychology and call for a more strategic approach to identifying and vetting new TM trends in order to increase the relevancy and impact of I-O psychology for our key stakeholders.

A Cycle or a Ceiling? The Cumulative Effects of Subtle Discrimination Through the Lens of Performance Management

We agree that the impact of subtle discrimination spawns from a dynamic process containing inherent cyclical elements, and we applaud the focal article's effort to provide clarity to a murky arena. More nefarious than the cycle, however, is the continued and typically unchecked presence of subtle discrimination in the workplace, which affords a clear path for prolonged and compounding negative effects. Although Jones, Arena, Nittrouer, Alonso, and Lindsey (2017) touch on the potential for cumulative effects of subtle discrimination, we believe they missed an opportunity. The potential for cumulative effects of subtle discrimination to severely limit the career success of women and minorities is substantial and not well diagnosed (Agars, 2004). Building on their point, we wish to draw greater attention to this concern and articulate how the cumulative effects of subtle discrimination undermine the impact of performance management and limit the development and advancement of individuals from stigmatized groups.