Anderson School of Management Theses & Dissertations

Publication Date

5-20-1968

Abstract

Although numerous performance evaluation techniques have been developed, such as graphic rating scales, check lists, paired comparisons, critical incident, etc., there remains an element of human judgement in their application, ad judgment is affected by personal values. The relationship of value or orientations to interpersonal relations, understanding, communications, decision making, and the evaluation of decision has clear-cut implications to the problems associated with performance evaluation. In the administrative setting, the white collar worker' performance is interpersonal relations, communications, and decision making. This is particularly true of the 68 people who participated in this study, since they were all engaged in various purchasing activities for a research and development laboratory. In attempting to evaluate an employee's performance, the supervisor has more to overcome than the generally recognized problems of stereotyping, halo effect, and projection. He must consider, among other things: (1) the effects of his own value system on his perception of the employee's performance, (2) the employee's value system as it relates to decisions and other elements of job performance, and (3) the effect of congruency or lack of congruency between his values and those held by the employee. This study utilizes quantitative measures of differences between employee and supervisor values, in an attempt to determine whether or not a statistically significant relationship exists between such differences and the employee's performance rating by that supervisor. The same test is applied between each supervisor and his supervisor. The basis for the hypothesis is explained in terms of the interaction of perception, values, communication, and performance evaluation. The criteria for rejecting the null hypothesis are established. A review of some of the work in the perception of physical objects establishes a foundation from which the effects of perception in a social context can be better understood. Likewise, personal values and attitudes are described as they apply to administrative decision making, and the evaluation of such decision. The parameters of the research study are described in terms of the participating personnel and the climate of their organization, and also in terms of the constructs of the sources of data—the performance evaluation rating system, and the questionnaire used to measure the individual’s values. The questionnaire data was subjected to a factor analysis which reduced the number of variables from 12 on the original instrument to five factors. These five factors were used in a multiple regression analysis to determine whether or not a significant correlation exists between differences in value scores and performance ratings for personnel working for the same supervisor. The multiple R produces a predictive equation which is used to test the assumption:

y = b0+b1Z1+b2Z2….+b5Z5+e

where Y = the employee’s performance rating

b0= the mean of Y’s

b1....b5 = the regression coefficients

Z1….Z5 = the difference between supervisor and employee values as expressed by the factored questionnaire scores

e = some random variable independent of the b’s

The outcome of the multiple regression was significant at the 0.05 level for the group consisting of first level and second level supervisors. In the larger group of the first level supervisors and their employees, the results were not significant at the 0.05 level. A further analysis of the data also revealed that differences in the relative importance of the measured values exists between the two groups.

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Anderson School of Management

First Committee Member

Everett G. Dillman

Second Committee Member

Howard Vivian Finston

Third Committee Member

Simon Herman

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