Ad Kleingeld

Task complexity and task, goal, and reward interdependence in group performance management : A prescriptive model

A prescriptive model on how to design effective combinations of goal setting and contingent rewards for group performance management is presented. The model incorporates the constructs task complexity, task interdependence, goal interdependence, and reward interdependence and specifies optimal fit relationships between these constructs. Four propositions address the levels of goal interdependence that should be created given certain levels of task complexity and task interdependence. Based on the assumption that reward systems should reinforce goal attainment through a level of reward interdependence that is similar to the level of interdependence created by the goals, four additional propositions are formulated. These are confronted with the results of experimental studies on the effects of reward interdependence on group performance. We argue that the research on effective combinations of goal setting and contingent rewards for the performance management of groups will benefit from studies in which: (1) both task interdependence and task complexity are taken into account, and (2) goal interdependence and rewards interdependence are manipulated separately.

Goals, strategies, and group performance : some limits of goal setting in groups

Based on Mitchell and Silver’s (1990) tower-building paradigm, the authors performed two experiments on multilevel quantity goals, strategies, and performance in task-interdependent groups. The study compared four goal types: IG (individual goal), GG (group goal), IG + GG (individual + group goal), and NSG (nonspecific goal). IG yielded low cooperation and performance, whereas, unexpectedly, NSG yielded high cooperation and performance. To explain this finding, we discerned two goal-setting components: Goal referent (performance-level targeted; individual/group) and goal specificity. Mediation analyses suggest that referent triggers a cooperation/competition mechanism, explaining the lower IG performance, whereas specificity triggers a speed/ accuracy mechanism, explaining the higher NSG performance. We conclude that individual goals can interfere with cooperative processes and group performance, and, for time-constrained interdependent tasks requiring speed and accuracy, specific difficult quantity goals may promote risk taking, thereby obstructing goal attainment.

Predicting Student Performance from LMS Data: A Comparison of 17 Blended Courses Using Moodle LMS

With the adoption of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in educational institutions, a lot of data has become available describing students’ online behavior. Many researchers have used these data to predict student performance. This has led to a rather diverse set of findings, possibly related to the diversity in courses and predictor variables extracted from the LMS, which makes it hard to draw general conclusions about the mechanisms underlying student performance. We first provide an overview of the theoretical arguments used in learning analytics research and the typical predictors that have been used in recent studies. We then analyze 17 blended courses with 4,989 students in a single institution using Moodle LMS, in which we predict student performance from LMS predictor variables as used in the literature and from in-between assessment grades, using both multi-level and standard regressions. Our analyses show that the results of predictive modeling, notwithstanding the fact that they are collected within a single institution, strongly vary across courses. Thus, the portability of the prediction models across courses is low. In addition, we show that for the purpose of early intervention or when in-between assessment grades are taken into account, LMS data are of little (additional) value. We outline the implications of our findings and emphasize the need to include more specific theoretical argumentation and additional data sources other than just the LMS data.

Approach and avoidance temperament: an examination of its construct and predictive validity at work

In four studies, we investigated the factorial structure and the construct and predictive validity of the approach-avoidance temperament questionnaire (ATQ; Elliot & Thrash, 2010) for attitudes and behavior at work. In Study 1 (N = 395 university students), we showed that a Dutch translation of the ATQ can be best described by a two-factorial structure. In Study 2 (N = 295 senior-year students), we documented approach and avoidance temperament as predictor of students’ career adaptability and engagement. In Study 3 (N = 103 employees), we demonstrated that approach and avoidance temperament have incremental predictive validity for work engagement beyond goal orientation (three-dimensional model). In Study 4 (N = 93 employees), approach temperament was positively related to peer ratings of job performance, independent of achievement goals (four-dimensional model). Overall, we showed that individual differences in terms of a predisposition for the orientation and reaction to positive/negative stimuli across situations can be used to increase our understanding of behavior at work. Our results support the practical utility of approach and avoidance temperament for work settings.

Self-Estimates of Intelligence: Interaction Effects of the Comparison to a Specific Reference Group and Neuroticism

An experiment that investigated the interaction effect of Neuroticism and the comparison to different reference groups on self-estimates of intelligence is reported. University students (100 men, 15 women) were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and asked to rate their own intelligence on a one-item measure, in IQ points, having been provided with reference values for either the general population or a student sample. Analysis of data confirmed that the accuracy of self-estimates of intelligence was influenced by the variation of the instruction. Participants provided more accurate estimations when confronted with comparison information about fellow students than about the general population. Persons scoring high on Neuroticism estimated their intelligence lower, but only when their estimation was based on a general reference group. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The effect of self-set grade goals and core self-evaluations on academic performance : a diary study

The aim of this diary study was to examine the eff ect of self-set grade goals and core self-evaluations on academic performance. Data were collected among 59 university students (M age = 18.4 yr., SD = 0.8) In a 2-wk. exam period on up to five exam days. Multilevel analyses revealed that the individual grade goals students set for their exams were positively related to the grades they obtained for these exams. However, the goal–performance relationship only applied to students scoring high on core self-evaluations. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the effect of self-set grade goals and core self-evaluations on academic performance and imply important practical applications to enhance academic performance.

Measuring and Enhancing Organizational Productivity by Means of ProMES: Three Practical Implications

A large number of practical experiences that have come from various Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System ProMES projects are organized around what seem to be three essential questions that have to be answered when one aims at productivity improvement. The first question regards the essence of organizational effectiveness and how a group can effectively contribute to that. In other words, the What of productivity improvement. The second question refers to the group s motives to contribute to organizational effectiveness. In other words, the Why of productivity improvement, from the perspective of the employees. The last question deals with the task strategies a group should follow in order to actually improve. In other words, the How of productivity improvement. Along with the description of practical examples some indications for future research are given.

The Effect of Subconscious Performance Goals on Academic Performance

ABSTRACT We investigated the impact of subconscious goals on academic performance in two field experiments. We show that unobtrusive priming of goals with regard to achievement motivation by means of a photograph improves performance in different educational contexts. High-school students who were exposed to an achievement-related photograph achieved higher grades than students in two control conditions. This effect was not affected by students’ prior performance. University students exposed to a photograph representing a specific, difficult goal reached even higher performance than students taking the exam with a general achievement photograph. For practice, subconscious goals may form a powerful, cost-effective tool to enhance academic performance. However, varying results across the experiments also prompt the need for further investigations of such effects.

A Method to Enable Ability-Based Human Resource Allocation in Business Process Management Systems

Business process management systems are used to orchestrate the activities in an organization. These information systems allocate resources to perform activities based on information that describes those resources and activities. It is widely recognized that resource allocation can be enhanced by considering resource characteristics during selection. However, little guidance is available that shows how such characteristics should be specified. Human ability is one such characteristic, with the advantage that it is well-defined in the Fleishman Taxonomy of Human Abilities. This paper presents a method that leverages the Fleishman taxonomy to specify activities and human resources. Those specifications are then used to allocate resources to activities during process run-time. We show how ability-based resource allocation can be implemented in a business process management system and evaluate the method in a real-world scenario.

Subconscious Performance Goals: Investigating the Moderating Effect of Negative Goal-Discrepancy Feedback

ABSTRACT Building on theories of conscious goals and feedback, we investigated the moderating effect of negative feedback on the relation between subconscious goals and performance. In two lab experiments, we manipulated subconscious performance goals and negative feedback about personal performance as well as social comparison information. In Study 1 (n = 80), subconscious goals positively influenced performance in an attention and concentration task when participants had received no feedback and negatively when participants had been confronted with negative performance feedback. In Study 2 (n = 90), additional comparison feedback indicating a higher performance of others led to higher performance of participants with versus without subconscious performance goals. The moderating effect of feedback was visible in self-efficacy, and we found partial support for its mediating role.