Chapter 9: The Conceptual Versus Empirical Distinctiveness of Work Performance Constructs: The Impact of Work Performance Items

This chapter tackles two implicit assumptions in work performance measurement. The first assumption is that the long-recognized conceptual distinctions between work performance constructs are empirically demonstrable, and the second assumption is that the scales and items used to assess performance constructs measure what they are supposed to. First, we review the theoretical distinctions put forth for work performance constructs (e.g., task performance, OCB, CWB, withdrawal) and present the extant empirical evidence that contradicts these conceptual distinctions. We review the common reasons (e.g., halo error, common method variance) for the lack of empirical distinctiveness that has been observed, and then present evidence that indicts the items and scales of the performance constructs as well. Finally, we present steps that researchers and practitioners can take to determine if their items and scales overlap with unintended constructs.