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Context Revalidation was launched in the UK to provide assurances to the public that doctors are up to date and fit to practice. Appraisal is a fundamental component of revalidation. Approximately 150 000 doctors are appraised annually, costing an estimated £97 million over 10 years. There is little understanding of the theory of how and why appraisal is supposed to produce its effects. A realist review of the literature was utilised to explore these issues, as they generate context-mechanism-outcome ( CMO) configurations, resulting in the creation of theories of how and why appraisal of doctors produces its effects. Methods A programme theory of appraisal was created by convening stakeholders in appraisal and searching a database of research on appraisal of doctors. Supplementary searches provided literature on theories identified in the programme theory. Relevant sections of texts relating to the programme theory were extracted from included articles, coded in NVivo and synthesised using realist logic of analysis. A classification tool categorised the included articles' contributions to programme theory. Results One hundred and twenty-five articles were included. Three mechanisms were identified: dissonance, denial and self-affirmation. The dissonance mechanism is most likely to cause outcomes of reflection and insight. Important contexts for the dissonance mechanism include the appraiser being highly skilled, the appraisee's working environment being supportive and the appraisee having the right attitude. The denial mechanism is more likely to be enacted if the opposite of these contexts occurs and could lead to game-playing behaviour. A skilled appraiser was also important in triggering the self-affirmation mechanism, resulting in reflection and insight. The contexts, mechanisms and outcomes identified were, however, limited by a lack of evidence that could enable further refining of the CMO configurations. Conclusion This review makes a significant contribution to our understanding of appraisal by identifying different ways that appraisal of doctors produces its effects. Further research will focus on testing the CMO configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether faking in personality assessments affects the prediction of job performance and consequences of selection decisions when a nonlinear relationship was assumed between personality scores and job performance. It was also examined whether a selection strategy suggested for nonlinear relationships reduces the adverse impact of faking on consequences of selection decisions. The findings from the item response theory-based simulations indicated that the prediction of job performance was affected by faking, whereas selection accuracy was not substantially affected by faking. The improvement in selection accuracy due to the strategy suggested for a nonlinear relationship was not noticeable. However, the suggested strategy reduced adverse impacts of faking on the estimation of selected applicants' performance scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the professional identity and role of human resource managers in fostering and implementing strategies that encourage high workplace performance. Workplace performance affects Australian competitiveness and this is the first detailed empirical analysis of Australian HR managers that combines case studies and survey methods. This research seeks to provide more in-depth knowledge and understanding of HR managers and line managers and how the HR function can contribute to high workplace performance. Overall this research suggests that while the HR function is likely to change in the future, its role is not diminishing in organisational decision-making. In particular, the HR function appears to provide an important function in providing the balance between behaviours and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'happy-productive worker thesis' has long intrigued organisational researchers and practitioners. Despite mixed empirical evidence from decades of research, there is support in the literature for this thesis. An account is provided on a variation on the enduring debate of the happiness-productivity theme, to support an emerging 'happy-performing managers proposition'. An empirical study is presented to establish the dimensions of managers' job happiness (operationalised as affective well-being and intrinsic job satisfaction) associated with contextual and task performance. The emphasis was on investigating an aspect of human behaviour with the potential to enhance managerial performance. These findings inform the broader debate on what determines the job performance of managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important fact emerging from the combination of my article and the three commentaries is the consensus judgment that content validity is appropriate scientifically and professionally for use with tests of specific cognitive skills used in job performance. This is important because the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures have typically been interpreted as not permitting such usage, and this is particularly the case in the interpretation given to the Guidelines by federal government enforcement agencies. Although the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Principles and the Standards do not prohibit such usage, many industrial-organizational psychologists believe that it is not professionally or scientifically appropriate to employ content validity methods with cognitive measures. The hope is that this series will convince them otherwise. On this point, all four authors in the series are in agreement. The major disagreement among us concerns whether specific cognitive skills used in content valid tests must be considered constructs or not. My position, and apparently that of Kehoe, is that they need not be so considered. I argue that constructs must be invoked only in the context of a substantive theory. Sackett and Ployhart, on the other hand, argue that all measures taken on people must be viewed as constructs, regardless of whether any theoretical propositions and assumptions are involved. In this response, I present reasons why this need not be the case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political skill is the capacity to understand others in working life effectively, and to apply such knowledge to induce others to act in ways that add to one's personal or organizational goals. The present investigation reported the results of 2 studies designed to examine the job performance prediction effectiveness of political skill when investigated in conjunction with general mental ability (GMA) and personality characteristics. The results demonstrated that political skill accounted for a significant proportion of job performance variance beyond GMA and personality variables cross-sectionally in Study 1, and predictively (i.e., using a 1-year timeframe) in Study 2 examining effects on multiple dimensions of job performance. The implications of these results, strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested the hypothesis that the relationship between team climate and team performance is moderated by climate strength. The study sample was composed of 155 bank branches, and a two-wave panel design was implemented. We measured four team climate facets (support, innovation, goal achievement and enabling formalization). We obtained two subjective indicators of team performance (ratings provided by team members and by team managers) and a financial indicator of team performance. Seven out of the 12 interaction effects tested were statistically significant and showed the expected sign. When financial team performance was the criterion, only the interaction term was significant. This suggests that only strong climates are related to financial team performance over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To validate the 75 core National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists' (NACNS) clinical nurse specialist (CNS) competencies among practicing CNSs. Specific aims were to (a) determine the extent to which 75 core CNS competencies were used in current CNS practice, (b) determine the importance of those competencies to practicing CNSs, and (c) identify gaps between CNS core competencies and role expectations in current practice. Design: A survey design was used with both paper-and-pencil and online instruments. The survey included 150 items and three open-ended questions. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used, which targeted practicing CNSs. Findings: Respondents ( N=505) were practicing CNSs who entered the field as RNs between 1956 and 2006. The survey had a high degree of internal consistency reliability (0.967%) between the subscales. The 75 NACNS core competencies were found to be useful and important for CNSs. A few gaps were identified between CNS core competencies and CNS role expectations in current practice. Conclusions: No one method for validating competencies will be satisfactory for all situations; however, the processes and methods used in this study were well suited to accomplish the goal of validating CNS core competencies. The process described here may be instructive to leaders of other national and international professional organizations interested in developing and evaluating competencies. Core competencies are useful and important to currently practicing CNSs. Clinical Relevance: The CNS role is growing internationally. Core CNS competencies can be a framework for CNS role development, education, and practice. As described here, a competency validation survey is one way to assure that CNSs are meeting healthcare needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high skill levels needed to cope with complex technical systems and the pace of technological change, there remain persistent skill gaps in the United States workforce. Organizations are increasingly relying on skill-based programs to encourage and foster employee skill development. Unfortunately, many questions remain about how to make skill-based promotions. Drawing from research on performance testing and structured interviewing, as well as work that examines broader issues of performance prediction and candidate reactions, we outline the development and empirical test of a performance interview that can be used for skill-based promotions. Such interviews allow employees to demonstrate their skills on the job, and thus may be more accepted by employees. We first discuss seven design principles that form the conceptual foundation for the performance interview, followed by the specific steps practitioners can follow to develop a performance interview. Finally, using a sample of 230 auto parts manufacturing employees, we provide empirical evidence for the high reliability, validity, and positive candidate reactions to the performance interview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study conducted in two auto-parts after-market distribution centres, immediate performance goals and feedback were delivered to employees in a warehouse on wireless vehicle-mounted computers. Engineered labour standards (ELS) calculated work-unit goal times and presented the driver with immediate performance feedback. Ultimately, the ELS feedback was linked to the company's forklift driver team pallet-per-hour quota achievement. Replenishment performance for forklift drivers (N = 12) was improved by 2.14 pallets per hour when an intervention package that included the depiction of goal times and immediate performance feedback on wireless vehicle- mounted computers and a newly developed ELS. The implications of these findings, limitations, and safety issues are discussed in terms of operational issues regarding ELS in large industrial settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship among key issues discussed in positive organizational behavior (POB) and the implications for organizational success. One of the key outcomes of this paper is to have a better understanding of the relationship between work and a person's broader purpose of existence, and how work helps to accomplish one's purpose of life. In addition, quantitative measures are used to determine the relationship between work and happiness; a positive organizational culture and firm performance; and positive employee characteristics and employee performance. Through various statistical analyses, positive relationships were found among typical measures of positive psychology, positive organizational behavior, and employee performance. Implications for organizations and utilizations of research findings to create sustainable competitive advantages are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses data collected using a 360°-assessment instrument to investigate the structural equivalence of 360°-assessment ratings, according to rater type, controlling for organizational level. Data from 533 managers and their raters were employed in the study, which used multi-group structural equations modeling. Issues central to the implementation and use of 360°-assessment data are also considered within the context of current research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research investigated questions that persist regarding the criterion-related and construct validity of situational (SI) versus past-behaviour (PBI) structured interview formats in predicting the job performance of managers. Analyses of data collected from 157 applicants to managerial positions showed that the PBI format significantly predicted job performance ratings (r = .32, p < .01), whereas the SI format did not (r = .09, ns). Investigation of potential construct differences between the SI and PBI formats showed that the PBI was more highly related to manager-relevant cognitive ability measures, assessment centre exercises and personality traits, as compared with the SI. Such differences help to explain the predictive validity differences between the SI and PBI observed in current and previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies examined supervisors' satisfaction with subordinates, and its predictors and importance to supervisors. Study 1 found entity relationships in the form of similarity between supervisors' and subordinates' values were uniquely related to satisfaction with subordinates. Liking of subordinates (from LMX theory) appears to link leadership and job-satisfaction domains. In Study 2, entity relationships, functional relationships, and job performance of subordinates were related to supervisors' satisfaction with subordinates. Functional relationships were the strongest and job performance the next strongest predictors. Performance was related moderately to similarity of supervisors' and subordinates' values and functional relationships. Satisfaction with subordinates was not related to supervisors' global satisfaction and turnover intention in either study, suggesting that subordinates may not be very important to supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research investigating attributional style and job performance among sales staff has been limited by its focus on specific sales roles: notably selling insurance by telephone. Important questions therefore remain regarding the mechanism by which attributions influence job performance in sales roles more generally. This paper describes a field study comparing two attributional models of job performance: (1) a learned helplessness (LH) model, and (2) an achievement motivation (AM) model. Managers' performance ratings were collected for 452 retail sales assistants who completed a job-specific attribution questionnaire and a work-satisfaction questionnaire. Results indicate that sales assistants who made more internal-controllable attributions for positive outcomes received higher performance ratings (r=.20, p<.01) and were more satisfied in their work (r=.12, p<.05). The findings provide support for an AM model of job performance among retail sales assistants. They suggest that more successful sales assistants proactively manage their environment in order to create opportunities for successful interactions with customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely accepted cognitive models of job attitudes suggest that a person's job attitude results from the linear combination of attitudes toward individual job features (feature-based processing). This is a relatively difficult cognitive process. We suggest that people act to economize scarce cognitive resources by using knowledge about job categories to generate job impressions when presented with category-consistent job features. People use feature-based processing when presented with job features that are inconsistent with a job category. Our results suggest that impressions do depend on the descriptive consistency of job features with a job category. The implications of the model for job perceptions in the workplace are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little information available on the performance of UK managers on the 16PF when administered as part of a selection procedure. The present paper reports the results of analyses of data from 1796 short-listed managers who were given the 16PE (Form A). The assessment was part of a selection procedure carried out for a wide range of clients by an executive recruitment agency. Normative analyses of these data are presented and effects related to age and gender are examined. Internal consistencies of both primary and secondary scales are presented and the problem of low primary reliabilities is discussed. Factor analysis of the primary scale scores produced five second-order factors which closely match the 16PF second-order factor scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the agreement between superior and subordinate performance ratings and the correlations between these performance ratings and standardized measures of job satisfaction. Subjects were 261 members of the fire service, representing three ranks in the organizational hierarchy: chiefs (N = 12), captains (N = 76), and firefighters (N = 173). Subjects completed performance ratings of both their superiors and subordinates, and standardized measures of job satisfaction. Results indicated significant agreement between superior (chief) and subordinate (firefighter) ratings of captains' performance. These performance ratings were also positively correlated with both subordinate (firefighter) and supervisor (captain) job satisfaction, particularly satisfaction with supervisors and with co-workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy and reliability of SDy estimates (the standard deviation of job performance in Dollars) derived using the method introduced by Schmidt et al. (1979) was investigated using estimates for the position of medical insurance claim approver. As a test of accuracy, the resulting estimates of SDy and Dollar values of performance at the 15th, 50th, and 85th percentiles were compared to more objective values of these parameters based on job information. Although the estimates of SDy were significantly lower than the actual SDy value, the estimates of the Dollar value of performance at all three percentiles were not significantly different from the actual values. The inter-rater reliability of the Schmidt et al. method was investigated within the context of generalizability theory and was found to be relatively low (p²=0.56), as was the stability of SDy estimates over a six-month period (r=0.38). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One reason for Annett, et al's technique of hierarchical task analysis not being more widely adopted is that would-be analysts have failed to understand the concept of ‘redescription’. It is argued that the original tabular format proposed for recording such analyses has not facilitated this understanding. For example, the table does not enable easy examination of the redescription of a superordinate operation, nor is there a clear separation between the basic task analysis and hypotheses proposed to ensure operator competence. A revised format is proposed to overcome these objections and is illustrated using a complex planning task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the effects of discussing an individual's strengths and weaknesses in job performance during appraisal interviews have come to widely differing conclusions. Some of the possible reasons for this are discussed and taken account of in this investigation of appraisal interviews in a government department. Interviews perceived as containing varying degrees of performance feedback (both positive and negative, positive only, negative only and none at all) were compared on a number of variables indicating the effectiveness of the appraisal. The results indicate that interviews perceived as containing a balanced review of the individual's strengths and weaknesses in performance achieved the greatest positive effect overall, while those containing no feedback whatsoever achieved relatively little. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's view on the underperforming surgical trainee. He remarks on the contribution of Elisabeth Paine to the "ANZ Journal of Surgey," that address under-performing trainee to be provided with better training and to enhance surgical skills and standards. He mentions the factors that affect the trainee's performance. He notes several factors that are needed to be incorporated to the training including objective criteria, fair process and transparency of decision making.