Reactions to different types of forced distribution performance evaluation systems

Journal of Business and Psychology

Volumn 24, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 77-91

  Blume, Brian D ^a   Baldwin, Timothy T ^b   Rubin, Robert S ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FLINT   (United States)

^b INDIANA UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c DEPAUL UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Force ranking; Forced distribution; Performance evaluation; Performance management; Policy capturing; Relative performance appraisal

Indexed keywords

EID: 70350619499     PISSN: 08893268     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10869-009-9093-5     Document Type: Article

References (85)

1. Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 267-299). New York: Academic Press.
2. Aiman-Smith, L., Bauer, T. N., & Cable, D. M. (2001). Are you attracted? Do you intend to pursue? A recruiting policy capturing study. Journal of Business and Psychology,16, 219-237. doi:10.1023/A:1011157116322.
3. Aiman-Smith, L., Scullen, S. E., & Barr, S. H. (2002). Conducting studies of decision making in organizational contexts: A tutorial for policy-capturing and other regression-based techniques. Organizational Research Methods,5, 388-414. doi:10.1177/109442802237117.
4. Arvey, R. D., & Murphy, K. R. (1998). Performance evaluation in work settings. Annual Review of Psychology,49, 141-168. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.141.
5. Axelrod, B., Handfield-Jones, H., & Michaels, E. (2002). A new game plan for C players. Harvard Business Review,83, 80-88.
6. Bates, S. (2003). Forced ranking. HRMagazine,48, 62-68. (June).
7. Bloom, M. (1999). The performance effects of pay dispersion on individuals and organizations. Academy of Management Journal,42, 25-40. doi:10.2307/256872.
8. Blume, B. D., Baldwin, T. T., & Rubin, R. S. (2005). Forced ranking: Who is attracted to it? A study of performance management system preferences. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Honolulu.
9. Bossidy, L., & Charan, R. (2002). Execution: The discipline of getting things done. New York: Random House.
10. Breaugh, J. A., & Starke, M. (2000). Research on employee recruitment: So many studies, so many remaining questions. Journal of Management,26, 405-434. doi:10.1177/014920630002600303.
11. Bretz, R. D., & Judge, T. A. (1994). The role of human resource systems in the job applicant decision processes. Journal of Management,20, 531-551. doi:10.1016/0149-2063(94)90001-9.
12. Bretz, R. D., Jr., Milkovich, G. T., & Read, W. (1992). The current state of performance appraisal research and practice: Concerns, directions, and implications. Journal of Management, 18, 321-352.
13. Bryk, A. S., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14. Cable, D. M., & Judge, T. A. (1994). Pay preferences and job search decisions: A person-organization fit perspective. Personnel Psychology,47, 317-348. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1994.tb01727.x.
15. Cable, D. M., & Judge, T. A. (1996). Person-organization fit, job choice decisions, and organizational entry. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,67, 294-311. doi:10.1006/obhd.1996.0081.
16. Cawley, B. D., Keeping, L. M., & Levy, P. E. (1998). Participation in the performance appraisal process and employee reactions: A meta-analytic review of field investigations. The Journal of Applied Psychology,83, 615-633. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.83.4.615.
17. Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. The Journal of Applied Psychology,86, 425-445. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425.
18. Colvin, G. (2001). We can't all be above average. Fortune,144, 3.
19. Davison, B. (2003). Management span of control: How wide is too wide? The Journal of Business Strategy,24, 22-29. doi:10.1108/02756660310494854.
20. Dodrill, C. B. (1981). An economical method for the evaluation of general intelligence in adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,4, 668-673. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.49.5.668.
21. Dodrill, C. B. (1983). Long term reliability of the Wonderlic Personnel Test. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,51, 316-317. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.51.2.316.
22. Dodrill, C. B., & Warner, M. H. (1988). Further studies of the Wonderlic Personnel Test as a brief measure of intelligence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,56, 145-147. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.56.1.145.
23. Dreher, G., & Dougherty, T. W. (2002). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
24. Duffy, K. E., & Webber, R. E. (1974). On "relative" rating systems. Personnel Psychology,27, 307-311. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1974.tb01536.x.
25. Folger, R., & Konovsky, M. A. (1989). Effects of procedural and distributive justice on reactions to pay raise decisions. Academy of Management Journal,32, 115-130. doi:10.2307/256422.
26. Gary, L. (2001). The controversial practice of forced ranking. Harvard Management Update, October, 1-2.
27. Gerhart, B., & Milkovich, G. T. (1990). Organizational differences in managerial compensation and financial performance. Academy of Management Journal,33, 663-691. doi:10.2307/256286.
28. Gerhart, B., & Milkovich, G. T. (1992). Employee compensation: Research and practice. In M. Dunnette & L. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 481-569). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
29. Gladwell, M. (2002). The talent myth. Are smart people overrated? New Yorker (New York, N.Y.), (July), 22.
30. Goffin, R. D., Gellatly, I. R., Paunonen, S. V., Jackson, D. N., & Meyer, J. P. (1996). Criterion validation of two approaches to performance appraisal: The behavioral observation scale and the relative percentile method. Journal of Business and Psychology,11, 23-34. doi:10.1007/BF02278252.
31. Grote, D. (2002). Forced ranking: Behind the scenes. Across the Board, 40-45 (Nov./Dec).
32. Grote, D. (2005). Forced ranking: Making performance management work. Boston: Harvard Business School.
33. Guralnik, O., Rozmarin, E., & So, A. (2004). Forced distribution: Is it right for you? Human Resource Development Quarterly,15, 339-345. doi:10.1002/hrdq.1107.
34. Hedge, J. W., & Teachout, M. S. (2000). Exploring the concept of acceptability as a criterion for evaluating performance measures. Group & Organization Management,25, 22-44. doi:10.1177/1059601100251003.
35. Heneman, R. L. (1986). The relationship between supervisory ratings and results-oriented measures of performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology,39, 811-826. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1986.tb00596.x.
36. Hofmann, D. A. (1997). An overview of the logic and rationale of hierarchical linear models. Journal of Management,23, 723-744. doi:10.1177/014920639702300602.
37. Huselid, M. A., Beatty, R. W., & Becker, B. E. (2005). A players or a positions? Harvard Business Review,83, 110-117.
38. Jawahar, I. M., & Williams, C. R. (1997). Where all the children are above average: The performance appraisal purpose effect. Personnel Psychology,50, 905-925. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1997.tb01487.x.
39. Judge, T. A., & Bretz, R. D. (1992). Effects of work values on job choice decisions. The Journal of Applied Psychology,77, 261-271. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.77.3.261.
40. Judge, T. A., & Ferris, G. R. (1993). Social context of performance evaluation decisions. Academy of Management Journal,36, 80-105. doi:10.2307/256513.
41. Jurgensen, C. E. (1978). Job preferences (what makes a job good or bad?). The Journal of Applied Psychology,63, 267-276. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.63.3.267.
42. Kanfer, R. (1990). Motivational theory and industrial and organizational psychology. In M. D. Dunnette & L. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 75-105). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.
43. Kanfer, R. M., & Heggestad, E. D. (1997). Motivational traits and skills: A person-centered approach to work motivation. In B. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 19, pp. 1-56). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
44. Karren, R. J., & Barringer, M. W. (2002). A review of the policy-capturing methodology in organizational research: Guidelines for research and practice. Organizational Research Methods,5, 337-361. doi:10.1177/109442802237115.
45. Keeping, L. M., & Levy, P. E. (2000). Performance appraisal reactions: Measurement, modeling, and method bias. The Journal of Applied Psychology,85, 708-723. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.85.5.708.
46. Korsgaard, M. A., & Roberson, L. (1995). Procedural justice in performance evaluation: The role of instrumental and non-instrumental voice in performance appraisal discussions. Journal of Management,21, 657-669. doi:10.1177/014920639502100404.
47. Kristof-Brown, A. L., Jansen, K. J., & Colbert, A. E. (2002). A policy capturing study of simultaneous effects of fit with jobs, groups, and organizations. The Journal of Applied Psychology,87, 985-993. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.87.5.985.
48. Kruger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. S. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin,119, 254-284. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254.
49. Landy, F. J., Barnes, J. L., & Murphy, K. R. (1978). Correlates of perceived performance and accuracy of performance evaluation. The Journal of Applied Psychology,63, 751-754. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.63.6.751.
50. Lawler, E. E. (2002). The folly of forced ranking. Strategy Business,28, 28-32.
51. Lawler, E. E. (2003). Reward practices and performance management effectiveness. Organizational Dynamics,32, 396-404. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2003.08.007.
52. Levinson, M. (2003). One tough job: How to find, fix or fire your poor performers; bad employees drain your IT organization and the company. Forced ranking can help you get tough-but at what cost? CIO,17(3), 1-4.
53. Levy, P. E., & Williams, J. R. (2004). The social context of performance appraisal: A review and framework for the future. Journal of Management,30, 881-905. doi:10.1016/j.jm.2004.06.005.
54. London, M. (2003). Job feedback. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Earlbaum.
55. McBriarty, M. A. (1988). Performance appraisal: Some unintended consequences. Public Personnel Management,17, 421-434.
56. McKelvie, S. J. (1989). The Wonderlic Personnel Test: Reliability and validity in an academic setting. Psychological Reports,65, 161-162.
57. Mellor, S., Paley, M. J., & Holzworth, R. J. (1999). Fans' judgments about the 1994-95 major league baseball players' strike. Multivariate Behavioral Research,34, 59-87. doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr3401_3.
58. Milne, J. L. (2002). Checking in: Survey shows frequence of employee performance reviews. Canadian Manager,27, 2.
59. Morrison, E. W., & Vancouver, J. B. (2000). Within-person analysis of information seeking: The effects of perceived costs and benefits. Journal of Management,26, 119-137. doi:10.1016/S0149-2063(99)00040-9.
60. Mount, M. K. (1984). Satisfaction with a performance appraisal system and appraisal discussion. Journal of Occupational Behavior,5, 271-279. doi:10.1002/job.4030050404.
61. Murphy, K. R., & Cleveland, J. (1995). Understanding performance appraisal: Social, organizational, and goal-based perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
62. Nathan, B. R., & Alexander, R. A. (1988). A comparison of criteria for test validation: A metal-analytic investigation. Personnel Psychology,41, 517-535. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1988.tb00642.x.
63. Olson C. A., & Davis G. M. (2003). Pros and cons of forced ranking and other relative performance ranking systems. Society for Human Resource Management Legal Report, March.
64. Organ, D. W. (1990). The subtle significance of job satisfaction. Clinical Laboratory Management Review,4, 94-98.
65. Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston: Harvard Business School.
66. Pfeffer, J. (2001). Fighting the war for talent is hazardous to your organization's health. Organizational Dynamics,29, 248-259. doi:10.1016/S0090-2616(01)00031-6.
67. Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review,84, 62-74.
68. Robinson, J. L., & Lipman-Blumen, J. (2003). Leadership behavior of male and female managers, 1984-2002. Journal of Education for Business,79, 28-33.
69. Roch, S. G., Sternburgh, A. M., & Caputo, P. M. (2007). Absolute vs. relative performance rating formats: Implications for fairness and organizational justice. International Journal of Selection and Assessment,15, 302-316. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2389.2007.00390.x.
70. Rousseau, D. M., & Anton, R. J. (1988). Fairness and implied contract obligations in job terminations: A policy capturing study. Human Performance,1, 273-289. doi:10.1207/s15327043hup0104_4.
71. Rynes, S. L., Brown, K. G., & Colbert, A. E. (2002). Seven common misconceptions about human resource practices: Research findings versus practitioner beliefs. Academy of Management Executive,16, 92-103.
72. Schleicher, D. J., Bull, R. A., & Green, S. G. (2009). Rater reactions to forced distribution rating systems. Journal of Management, (in press).
73. Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin,124, 262-274. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.262.
74. Schwab, D. P., Rynes, S. L., & Aldag, R. J. (1987). Theories and research on job search and choice. In K. M. Rowland & G. R. Ferris (Eds.), Research in personnel and human resource management (Vol. 5, pp. 126-166). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
75. Scullen, S. E., Bergey, P. K., & Aiman-Smith, L. (2005). Forced distribution rating systems and the improvement of workforce potential: A baseline simulation. Personnel Psychology,58, 1-32. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00361.x.
76. Shirouzu, N. (2001). Ford stops using letter rankings to rate workers. Wall Street Journal, B.1 (July 11).
77. Taylor, M. S., Masterson, S. S., Renard, M. K., & Tracy, K. B. (1998). Managers reactions to procedurally just performance management systems. Academy of Management Journal,41, 568-579. doi:10.2307/256943.
78. Tichy, N. M., & Sherman, S. (2001). Control your destiny or someone else will: Lessons in mastering change-from the principles jack welch is using to revolutionize GE. New York: HarperCollins.
79. Trank, C. Q., Rynes, S. L., & Bretz, R. D. (2002). Attracting applicants in the war for talent: differences in work preferences among high achievers. Journal of Business and Psychology,16, 331-345. doi:10.1023/A:1012887605708.
80. Wagner, S. H., & Goffin, R. D. (1997). Differences in accuracy of absolute and comparative performance appraisal methods. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,70, 95-103. doi:10.1006/obhd.1997.2698.
81. Walster, E., Walster, G. W., & Scott, W. G. (1978). Equity: Theory and research. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
82. Welch, J. F. (2001). Jack: Straight from the gut. New York: Warner Books, Inc.
83. Wonderlic Personnel Test Manual. (1983). Northfield, IL: E.F. Wonderlic & Associates.
84. Wright, R. P. (2002). Perceptual dimensions of performance management systems in the eyes of different sample categories. International Journal of Management,19, 184-193.
85. Zetlin, M. (1994). Up for review. Sales & Marketing Management,146, 82-86.