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We posited that the form of the joint effects of motivation and ability in traditional performance models are interactive because motivation triggers the use of energy resources required to deploy ability at work. Moreover, we posited that achievement might best represent motivation compared to five other facets of Conscientiousness or global Conscientiousness. In two samples of customer service representatives, achievement interacted with general mental ability (GMA) in predicting task performance, whereas global Conscientiousness and the other five facets did not. This suggests that researchers examining the motivational aspects of Conscientiousness might uncover a more consistent pattern of results for task performance if they focus on the achievement facet. Furthermore, managers might see the highest levels of task performance in certain contexts when hiring individuals based on both achievement and GMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the main and interactive effects of general mental ability (GMA) and perceived organizational support (POS) on typical performance and maximum performance. Data from two field samples (96 programmers and 181 cash vault employees) empirically supported distinguishing between typical performance and maximum performance. GMA was related to maximum performance but not to typical performance, and POS was related to two out of three measures of typical performance. Interactive effects of GMA and POS were detected in both samples for maximum performance outcomes but not found for typical performance outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]