Performance Appraisal & Career Development of Faculties in Indian School of Business & Technology, Chennai
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
PERFORMANCE
The Oxford English dictionary defines Performance as the “accomplishment, execution, carrying out, and working out of anything ordered or undertaken”. Armstrong and Baron argue that performance is a matter not only of what people achieve, but how they achieve it. And performance is a multidimensional construct, the measurement of which depends on a variety of factors.
Brumbach offers the most precise definition, “Performance means both behaviors and results. Behaviors are also outcomes in their own right and can be judged apart from results”.
From the definition, and interpretations above, it can be argued that performance is not just about outputs, it is also concerned with actions and behaviors demonstrated to achieve given targets.
Performance versus Outcomes
Campbell defines Performance as Behavior. It is something done by the employee. This concept differentiates performance from outcomes. Outcomes are the result of an individual's performance, but they are also the result of other influences. In other words, there are more factors that determine outcomes than just an employee's behaviors and actions.
Determinants of Performance
Individual differences on performance are a function of three main determinants: Declarative Knowledge, Procedural Knowledge and Skill, and Motivation.
Declarative Knowledge refers to knowledge about facts, principles, objects, etc. It represents the knowledge of a given task's requirements.
If declarative knowledge knows what to do, Procedural Knowledge and skill knows how to do it. For example, procedural knowledge and skill includes cognitive skill, perceptual skill, interpersonal skill, etc.