Managers' Implicit Assumptions about Personnel

Effective managers recognize both positive and negative changes in employee performance and take appropriate remedial action when required. Managers' assumptions about the rigidity or malleability of personal attributes (e.g., ability and personality) affect their performance of these critical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 219 - 223
Main Authors Heslin, Peter A., VandeWalle, Don
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA Blackwell Publishers 01.06.2008
SAGE Publications
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Attribution theory
Coaching
Human resources
Job performance
Legal entities
Malleability
Management philosophies
Personality psychology
Personality traits
Social psychology
mindset
coaching
implicit theories
assumptions
performance appraisal
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Summary:Effective managers recognize both positive and negative changes in employee performance and take appropriate remedial action when required. Managers' assumptions about the rigidity or malleability of personal attributes (e.g., ability and personality) affect their performance of these critical personnel management tasks. To the extent that managers assume that personal attributes are fixed traits that are largely stable over time, they tend to inadequately recognize actual changes in employee performance and are disinclined to coach employees regarding how to improve their performance. However, a growth-mindset intervention can lead managers to relinquish their fixed mindset and subsequently provide more accurate performance appraisals and helpful employee coaching. Implications for performance evaluation procedures and avenues for future research are outlined.
ISSN:0963-7214
1467-8721
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00578.x