Case Study: Determinants of Performance

Brian and Maria are both floor sales associates in the home appliance department of a large retail store in Bloomington, Indiana. Four years ago, a new training program was implemented for all new sales associates, which included detailed product information, appliance industry background information, upselling strategies, and role-playing games with tailored feedback. Brian and Maria have been working there for 3 and 5 years, respectively, and although Brian received this training and Maria did not, their sales figures have always been very similar and very average.

Maria has a clear conceptual understanding of the companys vision and is excellent with the customers; she always has a positive attitude, is eager to attend to them, and has an intuitive sense of what they are looking for. Most of her customer reviews have been positive and commented on her pleasant disposition and contagious laughter. However, a few mentioned that she was constantly running off to print descriptions of the products or to talk to other sales associates and that this caused interruptions in the customers shopping experience. Although she gets along with nearly all the employees, there have been a few complaints that her excessive socializing makes her late for shifts and meetings.

Brian is more reserved than Maria; he is less engaging with the customers and allows them to shop without bombarding them with too much information. When he notices that they are showing particular interest in a product he walks over and offers to answer any questions they may have. Brian seems to know every detail of every product. All of the salespeople depend on him to answer the toughest questions. His communication style is very concise and matter of factno more and no less. Most people find it hard to tell if he is annoyed by all the questions people ask, mostly because he doesnt express emotions and never comments or complains. Brian is punctual with everything, including leaving at precisely the time his shift ends. This often leads him to handing over valuable sales to his colleagues which they appreciate.

Please write a 500-word essay that incorporates the following elements:

Briefly describe the three determinants of performancedeclarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and motivationand based on the information provided, give examples of each for both Maria and Brian.Identify the causes of poor performance for each employee, and provide recommendations to the manager regarding what can be done to enhance their performance.

Case Study: Choosing an Appropriate Performance Measurement Approach

• Using the accompanying table as a guide, describe an example of a specific job in a specific organization for each of the three performance measurement approaches.Explain the reasoning behind why you believe that the behavior, results, or traits approach is best suited to each of the three contexts.

(Suggested points: 15, .2 [4.6], .2 [4.7], .2 [4.8], .2 [4.9], .2 [4.10])

Behavior approach to measuring performance is most appropriate when

• The link between behaviors and results is not obvious.
• Outcomes occur in the distant future.
• Poor results are due to causes beyond the performers control.

Results approach to measuring performance is most appropriate when

• Workers are skilled in the needed behaviors.
• Behaviors and results are obviously related.
• Results show consistent improvement over time.
• There are many ways to do the job right.

Trait approach to measuring performance is most appropriate when

• Job requires high levels of cognitive abilities and specific types of personalities.
• Primary key competency is judgment.
• Independence, autonomy, or working in isolation.
• Behavior and outcomes are difficult to observe and measure.