TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological capital and performance of Portuguese civil servants
T2 - Exploring neutralizers in the context of an appraisal system
AU - Rego, Arménio
AU - Marques, Carla
AU - Leal, Susana
AU - Sousa, Filipa
AU - Pina e Cunha, Miguel
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to Fred Luthans, Carolin Youssef and Bruce Avolio for their permission to use the PsyCap questionnaire, and to Carlos Alves Marques for his helpful comments. M.P.C. gratefully acknowledges support from Nova Forum.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - The literature suggests that psychological capital (PsyCap: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, resilience) predicts work performance. Our case study, carried out in the context of a performance appraisal system (SIADAP) recently implemented in the Portuguese Public Administration, does not corroborate this prediction. In the research 278 civil servants self-reported their performance and PsyCap and their supervisor-rated performance scores according to the SIADAP procedures. The main findings are: (a) no PsyCap dimension predicts supervisor-rated performance; (b) PsyCap predicts 39% of the variance of self-reported performance; and (c) there is no significant relationship between self- and supervisor-rated performance. The findings call attention to SIADAP features that may neutralize the impact of PsyCap on individual performance, or even make it irrelevant. Alternatively, it is suggested that PsyCap influences performance, but the supervisor-rated performance scores do not reflect real worker performance, which means that the SIADAP may actually reward the 'wrong' workers.
AB - The literature suggests that psychological capital (PsyCap: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, resilience) predicts work performance. Our case study, carried out in the context of a performance appraisal system (SIADAP) recently implemented in the Portuguese Public Administration, does not corroborate this prediction. In the research 278 civil servants self-reported their performance and PsyCap and their supervisor-rated performance scores according to the SIADAP procedures. The main findings are: (a) no PsyCap dimension predicts supervisor-rated performance; (b) PsyCap predicts 39% of the variance of self-reported performance; and (c) there is no significant relationship between self- and supervisor-rated performance. The findings call attention to SIADAP features that may neutralize the impact of PsyCap on individual performance, or even make it irrelevant. Alternatively, it is suggested that PsyCap influences performance, but the supervisor-rated performance scores do not reflect real worker performance, which means that the SIADAP may actually reward the 'wrong' workers.
KW - Civil servants
KW - Performance appraisal
KW - Portuguese Public Administration
KW - Psychological capital
KW - Self-reported performance
KW - Supervisor-rated performance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954418956&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09585192.2010.488459
DO - 10.1080/09585192.2010.488459
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954418956
SN - 0958-5192
VL - 21
SP - 1531
EP - 1552
JO - International Journal of Human Resource Management
JF - International Journal of Human Resource Management
IS - 9
ER -