Psychological capital and performance of Portuguese civil servants: exploring neutralizers in the context of an appraisal system

Arménio Rego, Carla Marques, Susana Leal, Filipa Sousa, Miguel Pina e Cunha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1531-1552
JournalInternational Journal Of Human Resource Management
Volume21
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2010

Keywords

  • performance appraisal
  • rating
  • human resource

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