Performance Management Commons^™

Retention, Matthew Molinaro

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Employee retention in the 21th century reflects how companies keep their employees motivated and well prepared for the challenges in the workplace. In this paper, I apply the concepts of motivation and how employers keep their employees. I also emphasize the costly effects of a employee leaving the organization, both as a dollar and emotional standpoint.

Exploring The Perceptions Of Leaders In Investor-Owned Utilities In California On Managing Organizational Change Initiatives, Maria Liza Legaspi

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study employing in-depth interviews was to identify the strategies and practices executive leaders and midlevel managers of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) perceive are effective in creating employee acceptance and support of organizational change and to identify the supports and barriers executive leaders and midlevel managers perceive as affecting employee acceptance or resistance to organizational change in IOUs.

Methodology: A qualitative research design enabled the capture of deeper thoughts and insights of executive leaders and midlevel managers of 4 IOUs in California. The study delved into the strategies and practices used by IOUs that are perceived …

Unretentive Incentives, Rebekah Paradis

Student Scholar Showcase

In the workplace, managers often offer monetary rewards or incentives as instantaneous motivators in hopes that it will alter employee behavior. Unfortunately, although these rewards have been proven to yield desired outcomes, their impacts are short lived as managers create an environment based on extrinsic motivation. When an employee works solely to receive a paycheck it is already challenging to keep them, as other companies can offer them comparable, if not better, salaries. It is even harder to retain an employee who is accustomed to receiving an incentive with a particular behavior when the reward is no longer an option, …

The Effect Of Two Types Of Workload Assignment On Productivity, Performance, And Stress, Christopher Winchester

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The importance of employees within a firm has led to an increased need in maximizing performance and productivity, while also minimizing the stress levels of employees. This study provides insight into two types of workload assignment of (1) receiving a task all at once, or (2) receiving a task broken up. It investigates how matching subjects’ workload assignment preference (WAP) can impact performance, productivity, and stress levels. The results showed that there was an even split in workload assignment preference across the population, and that employees who received a task based on their preferred type of workload assignment improved in …

Are Women Executives Hurting Firm Performance? An Examination Of Gender Diversity On Firm Risk, Performance, And Executive Compensation, Krystal Diane Sung

CMC Senior Theses

In order to assess the continuing imbalance of top executives between genders, I examine the effects of gender diversity within top management teams on firm risk, performance, and executive compensation. Capitalizing on previous analysis, I apply three unique differentiators. First, I utilize current data from 2012 to 2017 from Compustat, CRSP, and ExecuComp. Second, I provide a unique subset view on a firm and individual performance of female CEOs to examine executive compensation. Third, my scope of analysis expands to S&P Composite 1500 companies. I use separate models to estimate the effect of gender diversity on firm risk by examining …

Virtual Proximity To Promote Expatriate Cultural Adjustment, Innovation, And The Reduction Of Stress Levels, Tom Coughlan, David J. Fogarty, Sara R. Fogarty

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Given the dramatic increase in the number of expatriates living and working abroad, there is a need to advance the research into how to make sure these employees achieve success on their assignments. Often, these expatriates assume managerial roles and are intended to be the gatekeepers of information. Typically, this information is necessary for the success of their colleagues, in both their home country and their host country. The expatriate’s role is to facilitate the integration of organizational knowledge from both their home and host countries, as well as key sources in their host country’s local environment. However, historically, there …

A Structural Equation Model Of Leader–Member Exchange, Employee–Supervisor Relationship, Performance Appraisal, And Career Development, William Joseph Henkel, Al C. Endres

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Some employees perceive that supervisors do not accurately reflect employees’ performance or effectively differentiate among employees’ performances during performance appraisals (PAs). Other employees believe the performance feedback they receive is not valuable for supporting their career development (CD). Leader–member exchange (LMX) and the distributive and interactional justice dimensions of organizational justice theories comprised the theoretical frameworks in this study for examining the significance of the relationships among LMX and employee–supervisor relationships (ESRs) and those relationships’ potential influence on employees’ CD through the PA process. Participants consisted of 44 defense contractor employees in the United States. Results from partial least squares …

Business Strategy For Potential Sustainability Organizations Of The Future, Randall Duffield

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The exponential acceleration of globalization in the modern economy has resulted in the creation of new, unexpected job positions. This article explores the possibility of merging strategic business practices with a potential sustainability effort in plastic removal from the world's oceans. Though the current paradigm of political involvement relegated research to focus on a governmental position, the research and organizational methods could, and should, be applied to future private market endeavors in the same field.

Employee Performance, Well‐Being, And Differential Effects Of Human Resource Management Subdimensions: Mutual Gains Or Conflicting Outcomes?, Chidiebere Ogbonnaya, Jake G. Messersmith

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The human resource management (HRM) literature supports the idea that coherent systems of HRM practices can induce attitudinal effects when perceived subjectively by employees. Recently, scholars have proposed that subdimensions of HRM systems exist and account for variance in outcomes. This study explores differential effects of three subdimensions of HRM systems (skill‐, motivation‐, and opportunity‐enhancing HRM practices) on employee innovative behaviors and well‐being. Our predictions are based on the mutual gains perspective, which specifies positive relationships between HRM practices and employee performance, and the conflicting outcomes perspective that links HRM practices to higher job demands and stress. Using data from …

Ex-Post Service Contract Performance Management, Brian Forbes, Malcolm Brady

Articles

This paper highlights how contract incompleteness can threaten the performance of public procurement facilities management contracts during their implementation stages, based on a multiple case study comprising five public procurement services contracts. The paper takes a principle-agent view and with the unit of analysis being the contract itself. The paper shows that contract contingencies are almost inevitable and may stem from the written contract or from the participating organisations. Written and unwritten contract management mechanisms were used in practice to deal with contingencies as they arose in the services case studies examined. The paper found that written contracts do not …

Workplace Mental Health: Toolkit Usability Study Of Midwestern Business Leaders, Julie Kiehne

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to gather Midwest business leader’s feedback on usability of a Workplace Mental Health Toolkit.

In the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit Usability Study, the researcher used a mixed methods approach to gather data using a digital survey. Business leaders were asked to rate the likelihood they would use the following tools in the workplace: Psychologically Safe Workplace Checklist, Mental Health Policy Template , Well-being Checklist, Mental Health First Aid at Work Training Program.

Chinese Innovation And Global Integration- Theoretical Framework Of Perceived Insecurities In University Technology Transfer, Clovia Hamilton

Winthrop Faculty and Staff Publications

University technology transfer is growing in China and is vital to China’s innovation and intellectual property program. This paper provides a literature review used to create a theoretical framework for explaining conflicts between university technology transfer participants. Economic development and business competitiveness relies on innovation and intellectual property generation. Given increased investments in university research and Chinese universities, it is important to be aware of conflicts between university technology transfer office staff and faculty within academic exchanges. University technology transfer is growing in China and is vital to China’s innovation and intellectual property program. Conflicts between university technology transfer participants …

Employee Perceptions Of Well-Being Programs, Alice V. Edwards, Susan Marcus

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Measuring the effectiveness of well-being programs in the workplace is important for optimizing the return on investment and selection of programs that meet organizational objectives. A pilot study was performed to assess employee well-being using the Happiness Mini-Survey and a one-sample pre–post study design intended to quickly allow employees to subjectively rate their well-being before and after participating in various classes as part of a well-being program. The findings demonstrated statistical significance in employee subjective ratings; they reported feeling better emotionally, physically, and mentally after participating in the classes. The employees’ self-rating for stress level also had statistically significant improvement …

Investigating The Impact Of Internationally Acquired Qualifications On Labour Market Performance: The Case Of Brazil, Charles Alves De Castro

Articles

The aim of this study is to examine the labour market performance of Brazilian students who have acquired international qualifications in the areas of engineering and science. A comprehensive analysis of the literature review demonstrates the importance of international qualifications covering both their benefits and challenges. The gaps found in the literature review are also discussed, as well as the need for a more concrete theoretical framework about the subject. The data used in this research was gathered by semi-structured one-to-one interviews conducted in both person and through telephone. The participants consisted of Brazilian students who have acquired international qualifications …

An Exploration Of Barriers To Integration Of Strategic Human Resource Development In The United States Fire Service: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Chief Officers' Perceptions, Jon D. Musgrave

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Trends in the current human resource development (HRD) literature emphasize the role that integration of strategic human resource development (SHRD) practices has on organizational effectiveness (Garavan, 1991; Garavan, 2007; Gilley & Gilley, 2003; Gilley & Maycunich, 2000; Ruona & Gilley, 2009; Wright, 2007). The United States Fire Service currently views human resource development as a management practice to be utilized by the chief officer to address vocational or technical skills (Stowell, 2004). This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) qualitative study explored the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of chief officers in the United States Fire Service to further understanding of barriers to …

A Cross-Cultural Examination Of The Effect Of Employer Support On Employee Productivity, Shawn Tuman, Haley Lipton

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this creative, collaborative, capstone project is to conduct a cross-cultural examination of the effect of employer support on employee productivity by compiling, examining, and synthesizing conclusions from existing research. In a world of growing globalization and technological innovation, the speed of productivity is often the cornerstone that differentiates successful businesses from unsuccessful businesses, providing a competitive advantage to the quick while the others fall behind. Often this increased level of efficiency comes at a cost beyond the price of the product and the salary of employees, a deeper, psychological cost. By reviewing research focused in the United …

Exploring Churn And Alignment Between Retention And Occupational Culture As Perceived By Professional Truck Drivers, Catherine M. Cole

Dissertations

Despite advances in logistics software and increased driver pay, the trucking industry continues a historic wave of human capital risks in the form of driver turnover and driver shortages. Previous efforts to understand the phenomenon of driver turnover rely heavily on supply chain, transportation, and logistics based disciplines. The current study provides a human capital ontology towards understanding professional truck driver perceptions. Within the interpretive framework of pragmatism, the study applied a simultaneous ethnographic and phenomenological research design to explore the phenomenon of churn and professional truck driver perceptions of environmental alignment between trucking industry retention strategies and the occupational …

Surprisingly Open Or Openly Surprised? That Is The Question; Using Surprise Experiences To Increase Openness To Experience And Tolerance Of Ambiguity, Anneke Veenendaal-De Kort

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Using Surprise Experiences to Increase Openness to Experience and Tolerance of Ambiguity

In the fast-changing world in which we are currently living, we constantly come across situations and problems that we have not encountered before. An open mind and the ability to tolerate ambiguity are important skills in uncertain times. People who embrace the unpredictable can develop their resilience and flexibility. Surprisologists Luna and Renninger (2015) have discovered that a great way of dipping into unpredictability is through surprise. For my Master’s Project, I designed experiences that transform people’s openness and tolerance for ambiguity through surprise. This paper begins with …

The Impact Of Music On Task Performance At Work, Courtney Wilson

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

Music plays a big role in the daily life of an average person. Humans are almost constantly exposed to music in some form whether it is through commercials, movies, telephone music, or a variety of other sources. The centrality of music to life can be observed across cultures because music appeals to people’s “emotions and contributes to [an individual’s] ability to learn and remember information” (Brown and Brown, 1997, p. 349).

Music’s centrality to everyday life has inspired researchers to study the influence and impact that music has on individuals. Research that has been conducted over the past century has …

Middle Managers Working Beyond Senior Management’S Expectations: A Phenomenological Study Of The Managed Healthcare Industry In Southern California, Gerald Dugas

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how middle managers and senior managers working in the managed healthcare industry in southern California perceive what factors motivated middle managers to work beyond senior management’s expectations.

Methodology. A qualitative phenomenology study was chosen because it allowed the researcher to acquire a firm understanding of the nature of everyday lived experiences. This methodology was used to capture the meaning of experiences that motivated middle managers to work beyond expectations. The researcher conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experience of the participants. Participants …

Exploring A Project Management Dilemma: A Case Study Examining The Shortage Of Qualified Project Personnel In A Four-Year Research University, Francine Lyken

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Qualified individuals are an essential resource of project teams. A primary goal of the project manager is to ensure appropriate team members are hired to meet project objectives and stakeholder expectations. However, this is not always the case since a shortage of qualified project personnel seldom occurs, and prevents the project from being completed successfully. The project personnel shortage problem is prevalent in a four-year research university as inaccessibility to qualified individuals threatens the project deadline and delivery to sponsors. Research suggested these qualified individuals are recruited to provide scientific and technical expertise to academic projects. They possess knowledge and …

Organizational Information Security: Strategies To Minimize Workplace Cyberloafing For Increased Productivity, Hawazin Al Abbasi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Productivity loss occurs in organizations that experience high levels of personal Internet use by employees on company time, which includes employees using smartphones to surf without needing the firm's Internet connection. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore reliable ways for organizational leaders to monitor or limit their employees' use of smartphone technology for personal use (cyberloafing) while on the job to minimize wasted work time. Social cognitive theory, which includes an emphasis on human behavioral changes based upon the environment, people, and behavior, served as the conceptual framework. The general research question was as follows: How …

A Multifaceted View Of Ceo Compensation And Performance: A Case Study, John Nirenberg

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

This case addresses CEO pay, a topic that annually stimulates the question of whether or not executive compensation is based on performance or something else and why it is so high in absolute terms. The societal impact of the new class of executives among the largest companies in the United States set apart from the rest of the world in a cocoon of wealth and privilege inflames resentment among workers, widens an already unfathomable distance between those at the top and the rest of us, and endangers the social amity among citizens of the polity . Positive social change might …

Creating The Context For Effective Culture Work, Matthew Berberich

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

A culture that embraces change, responds quickly to changing needs and connects everyone at every level as business owners is an exciting future for companies and employees. In this culture leaders learn to unleash the unique potential in each individual to solve problems never solved before. The opportunity for positive impact goes far beyond our daily work. It spills into every area of our lives and in tangible ways impacts the world. Performance metrics and engagement only put you in line for this door to the future. The door can get locked when organizations become lulled into thinking “good-enough” by …

The Ultimate Culture Change Learning Session, Tim Kuppler

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Awareness of the importance of culture is growing at a fast rate but there is no consistent understanding about how to effectively evolve culture with a direct and sustainable impact on performance. This awareness-understanding gap helps to explain why most organizations report they don’t understand their culture and believe change is needed. Culture crises (Uber, etc.) gain widespread exposure and superficial tips and keys dominate the popular press. Leaders and change agents often feel lost in the wilderness as they try to piece together improvements that will impact culture. This will likely be the most performance-focused culture educational session you …

Project Management Office To The Rescue: Aligning Workforce And Resources With Library Vision And Delivering Results, Anastasia Guimaraes, Zheng (John) Wang

Charleston Library Conference

Many libraries today are inundated with increasing number of tasks, projects, and initiatives through which they hope to achieve their mission and strategic vision only to find themselves losing focus and drowning in the volume of work. Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame struggled with absorbing an exponentially growing number of projects and aligning them with institutional strategic initiatives and goals. The increasing number of projects and the relatively stable size of the workforce significantly impacted the institution’s ability to complete projects in a timely fashion and within the budgetary allocation.

Recipe For Success: Behavioral Ingredients For Superior Performing Leaders, Linda M. Pittenger

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The aviation and aerospace business is a complex adaptive system that includes emerging technologies, competitors, government policies, cost demands, globalization, and talent constraints. To effectively lead in the chaos of constant demands and disruptive and unpredictable external environments, having deep and broad functional expertise is not enough. Superior performing leaders require further broadening and deepening of selected behavioral competencies in order to succeed (Smith, 2000). Particular to aviation and aerospace, understanding the types of leaders needed to be successful is especially important since baby boomer employees will soon retire and the middle managers that will likely replace them lack the …

Project Portfolio Management And Its Effect On Organizational Culture Through The Competing Values Framework, Brian Wiersma

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Project portfolio management (PPM) is a growing business practice and field of academic study, and is recognized for positively impacting return on investment (ROI), project success, and organizational performance. Despite this growth, there is inconsistent use of PPM, and minimal research examining a connection between PPM and organizational culture. The problem addressed was a lack portfolio management practice established for the allocation of human resources within a group of retail stores located in the Midwest. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect implementing PPM practice into the human resource allocation process has on the organizational culture. Utilizing …

Examining The Relationships Between Performance Appraisal Reactions And Employee Engagement, Kenneth B. Levan

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the long-standing debate among scholars and practitioners regarding the effectiveness of the performance appraisal (PA) process as a useful tool to manage individual and organizational performance (Glover, 1996; Gruman & Saks, 2011; Kondrasuk, 2012; Light, 2010; Pulakos & O’Leary, 2011; Thomas & Bretz, 1994). To further this discussion, the relationship between employees’ reactions to the PA process and perceptions of engagement in the workplace is examined.

A survey of 466 respondents finds there to be a significant positive relationship between PA reactions and employee engagement. Other significant findings of the study include: 1) high correlations among Keeping …

The Effects Of Parametrically Manipulating The Ratio Of Complimentary To Constructive Feedback Statements On Performance, Amanda Mentzer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Performance feedback is frequently discussed and implemented. Although shown to be quite effective, the characteristics of feedback have yet to be fully explored. Feedback ratio was explored in this study. While participants evaluated the postural safety of body positions presented on a computer screen, researchers measured the (a) number of s that it took participants to evaluate body positions (i.e., response time), (b) percent of correctly evaluated body positions (i.e., percent correct), and (c) extent to which participants appreciated the statements they received after responding (i.e., rating). Using a mixed-factorial design, researchers manipulated feedback within groups and feedback ratio between …