The construct validity of conceptual and operational definitions of contextual performance and related constructs

    Authors

    E. F. Stone-Romero; K. Alvarez;L. F. Thompson

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Hum. Resour. Manage. Rev.

    Keywords

    Contextual performance; Construct validity; Organizational citizenship; behavior; Role-taking theory; Task performance; ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR; TASK-PERFORMANCE; IMPACT; TURNOVER; Management

    Abstract

    A number of theorists and researchers have distinguished between the constructs of task performance (i.e., non-discretionary work behaviors) and contextual performance (CP), as well as the related constructs of organizational citizenship behavior, prosocial behavior, and extra-role behavior. In addition, measures of CP have been used in a large number of studies that have attempted to show both their validity and utility. However, an analysis of the conceptual and operational definitions of the CP reveals a number of serious construct validity problems. For example, items in extant CP measures index what are typically regarded as required (non-discretionary) work behaviors. Thus, we describe several CP-related construct validity problems, and illustrate their nature using data from a sample of 98 job descriptions from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and the online Occupational Information Network. The same data showed that behaviors that are generally viewed as representative of CP are frequently regarded as being exemplars of task performance. The important implications of the confounding of task performance and CP constructs are considered. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Human Resource Management Review

    Volume

    19

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2009

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    104

    Last Page

    116

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000281648900005

    ISSN

    1053-4822

    Share

    COinS