A Phenomenological Exploration of the Nature of Individual Performance

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD in HRM, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Iran

2 Corresponding author: PhD in HRM, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Individual performance can be considered as a central concept in human resource management. This research is a phenomenological exploration of this concept in order to discover and describe its nature and essence. To this end, a phenomenological method, which is aimed at discovering the nature of phenomena, is used. In this regard, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 16 employees working in 4 different organizations to find out what the concept of individual performance mean to them. Analysis of the data revealed that the concept of individual performance conveyed six different meanings and mental conformation for the interviewees. They perceived performance as result, technical action, social action, effort, mental capacity, and personality. Consideration of the fact that individual performance did not mean the same for the interviewees, and that a semantic relativity is dominant, can help human resource experts increase the effectiveness of communication. Furthermore, since several personnel decisions on individuals are affected by their perceptions of the individual’s performance, the findings of this study can help readers understand why the employees’ decisions are made. The present study can also serve as a basis for a phenomenological research program to discover the nature of important phenomena in human resource management.

Keywords

References

زارع، سیدمحسن؛ شائمی برزکی، علی؛ انصاری، محمداسماعیل و ابزاری، مهدی (1397)، بررسی ابعاد اقتضایی نظام ارزیابی عملکرد کارکنان، فصلنامه پژوهش‌های مدیریت منابع انسانی دانشگاه جامع امام حسین(ع)، ش 34: 25 ـ 50.
زهاوی، دان (1392)، پدیدارشناسی هوسرل، مترجمان مهدی صاحبکار و ایمان واقفی، تهران: نشر روزبهان.
عارف، هادی؛ بودلایی، حسن و بیگی، وحید (1394)، پدیدارشناسی تجربه اخراج‌شدن از کار، نشریه عملی ـ پژوهشی مدیریت دولتی، دوره ۷،‌ ش 3: 573 ـ 594.
عارف، هادی؛ سیدجوادین، سیدرضا؛ پورعزت، علی‌اصغر و محمدی الیاسی، قنبر (1398)، ارزیابی عملکرد: عرصه تقابل معناها، فصلنامه علمی ـ پژوهشی مدیریت سازمان‌های دولتی، دوره 7، ش ۳: 29 ـ 44.
مبینی دهکردی، الهه و ابراهیمی، مسیح (1395)، تحلیل نقش نظام ارزشیابی عملکرد در بهره­وری سازمان با استفاده از نظریه داده‌بنیاد، فصلنامه پژوهش‌های مدیریت منابع انسانی دانشگاه جامع امام حسین(ع)، ش 25: 59 ـ 81.
محمدی الیاسی، قنبر (1387)، موضوع کارآفرینی به‌عنوان یک حوزه علمی، توسعه کارآفرینی، دوره 1، ش 1: 51 ـ 85.
 
Aguinis, H. (2014). Performance Management: 3rd Edition. Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate.
Argyris, C. (2005). Double-loop learning in organizations: A theory of action perspective in Smith, K. G., Hitt, M. A. (Eds). Great Minds in Management: The Process of Theory Development (pp. 261–279). Oxford University Press.
Armstrong, M. (2009). Armstrong’s Handbook of Performance Management: An Evidence-Based Guide to Delivering High Performance. Kogan Page Publishers.
Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993). Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In N. Schmitt & W. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 71–98). New York: Jossey-Bass.
Campbell, J. P., McCloy, R. A., Oppler, S. H., & Sager, C. E. (1993). A theory of performance. In E. Schmitt, W. C. Borman, & Associates (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 35–70). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
DeNisi, A. S. (1996). A Cognitive Approach to Performance Appraisal: A Program of Research. Routledge.
Gibson, S. K., & Hanes, L. A. (2003). The Contribution of Phenomenology to HRD Research. Human Resource Development Review, 2(2), 181–205.
Giorgi, A. and Giorgi, B. (2008). Phenomenological psychology in C. Willig and W. Stainton Rogers (Eds.) The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology. London: Sage.
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 123–136.
Holt, R., & Sandberg, J. (2011). Phenomenology and Organization Theory. In H. Tsoukas, & R. Chia, (Eds.) Philosophy and Organization Theory (pp. 215-249). United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Han, K., Hong, Y., Kim, A., & Winkler, A.-L. (2012). Clarifying the construct of human resource systems: Relating human resource management to employee performance. Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 73–85.
Jiang, K., Takeuchi, R., & Lepak, D. P. (2013). Where do We Go from Here? New Perspectives on the Black Box in Strategic Human Resource Management Research: Perspectives in Strategic HRM. Journal of Management Studies,  50(8), 1448–1480.
Maitlis, S., & Christianson, M. (2014). Sensemaking in Organizations: Taking Stock and Moving Forward. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 57–125.
Meyers, M.C., Kooij, D., Kroon, B. et al.(2019). Organizational Support for Strengths Use, Work Engagement, and Contextual Performance: The Moderating Role of Age. Applied Research Quality LifeL, 1-18.
Pradhan, R. K., & Jena, L. K. (2017). Employee Performance at Workplace: Conceptual Model and Empirical Validation. Business Perspectives and Research, 5(1), 69–85.
Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and social sciences. (3rd ed.). New York: Teachers College.
Shin, K. R., Kim, M. Y., & Kim, Y. H. (2003). Study on the lived experience of aging. Nursing & Health Sciences, 5(4), 245–252.
Sonnentag, S., & Frese, M. (2005). Performance Concepts and Performance Theory. In S. Sonnentag (Ed.), Psychological Management of Individual Performance (pp. 1–25). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Viswesvaran, C., & Ones, D. S. (2000). Perspectives on Models of Job Performance. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 8(4), 216–226.
Weber, M. (1949). Objectivity in Social Science and Social Policy. In The Methodology of the Social Sciences. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
Wu, B. (2020). Government Performance Management in China: Theory and Practice. China Academic Library, Springer.
Journal of Research in Human Resources Management
Volume 13, Issue 1 - Serial Number 43
NO 43, Spring Quarterly
May 2021
Pages 43-65

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 January 2020
  • Revise Date: 02 April 2020
  • Accept Date: 05 July 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics