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This study investigated the leadership perceptions of males and females from a leadership categorization (Lord, Foti, & Phillips, 1982) perspective. Subjects read vignettes of male and female student leaders which differed in terms of prototypicality of exhibited leader behaviors. Various measures were administered to assess leadership perceptions. Results showed that prototypicality of behavior accounted for general leadership impressions, while gender of the target accounted for accuracy on a recognition of behaviors measure. Subjects showed both a tendency to process information veridically and to use categorization principles. These results are discussed in terms of conditions that might emphasize gender as the basis for categorization and subsequent leadership perceptions (i.e., task complexity). It is these latter situations in which stereotypes about female leaders will be detrimental. / Master of Science

The development of adequate performance evaluation techniques for appraising foreign subsidiaries and their managers in an environment different from their domestic ones has been suggested as an area where management accounting should be extended. This study concerned the performance evaluation of foreign subsidiary managers with the following objectives: (1) to examine the relationships among environmental factors and foreign subsidiary performance, (2) to develop a multinational enterprise (MNE) environmental model to evaluate the performance of subsidiary managers on the basis of controllable factors only, and (3) to test the model in American multinational enterprises for the existence of association among environmental factors and measured performance of foreign subsidiaries. The research method employed in this study was to test for association between noncontrollable environmental factors of a particular foreign country and measured performance of the foreign subsidiary (in terms of ROI) in that particular country. Major noncontrollable factor groups used were economic, political-legal, educational, and social environmental constraints.

In the early 1990s, Robert Kaplan and David Norton introduced and developed a new performance measurement and management system called the balanced scorecard (BSC). Most studies have found that evaluators tend to ignore or are not willing to use nonfinancial measures. This study attempts to examine whether the explicit linkage between the evaluator's BSC and the subordinate's BSC makes the evaluators use nonfinancial measures in performance evaluation. This study used an experimental design where subjects were asked to evaluate two managers' performance under explicit linkage versus nonexplicit linkage conditions. The difference between performance evaluation scores of the two managers under the two linkage conditions captures the influence of explicit linkage between BSCs on performance evaluation. I used regression analyses to test my hypothesis. The results of the regression analyses support my hypothesis. This study attempts to explore one possible reason for evaluators' not using nonfinancial measures much in performance evaluation. It is the first one that studies the influence of the linkage between the BSCs on performance evaluation.

Thesis (MComm)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Understanding and measuring job performance constructs enables organisations to utilise their human resources more effectively. The job performance of workers can be conceptualised on two levels, namely on a job result or outcome level (e.g. sales figures, units produced) and on a behavioural level (e.g. planning a budget, attentiveness to customers). To the extent that the former is within the control of the worker responsible, its success is a function of the worker’s behaviour on the job. Successful performance on the job outcome level for which the job exists thus requires specific levels of performance (i.e., competence) on the behavioural competencies in that the latter complexly determines the former. The level of performance achieved on the outcome level could, however, also recursively feed back onto the level of performance reached on the behavioural competencies. A complex network of causal influences thus exist between the job outcomes for which the job exists and the latent behavioural competency variables. Although this multi-dimensional structural model between job behaviour and job outcomes are widely recognised in theory, it is not often developed or tested in practice. Such models will give credence to performance criteria used as part of performance management and will also assist organisations in selecting and evaluating job success predictors. In addition, these models can serve as diagnostic tools for organisational development. This research study develops and evaluates a performance or competency structural model for branch managers in the clothing retail industry. The results seem to suggest a reasonable good fit for the exogenous model (i.e. competency measurement model), but a poor fit for the endogenous model (i.e. job outcomes measurement model). Due to estimation problems with the endogenous model, multiple regression analysis is used instead of the more appropriate analysis in this case, structural equation modelling, for evaluating the structural model. The regression results confirm the importance of certain competencies in terms of unit performance and provide understanding of the rather complex performance domain. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verstaan en meet van posprestasie stel organisasies in staat om hul menslike hulpbronne meer effektief te bestuur. Die posprestasie van werkers kan op twee vlakke gekonseptualiseer word, naamlik op ‘n posuitkomsvlak (bv. verkoopssyfers, eenhede geproduseer) en op ‘n gedragsvlak (bv. beplanning van ‘n begroting, oplettendheid teenoor klante). Sukses op die eersgenoemde vlak, in die mate waartoe dit binne die beheer van die verantwoordelike werker is, is ‘n funksie van die werker se gedrag in die werk. Suksesvolle prestasie op die posuitkomsvlak, waarvoor die pos bestaan, vereis dus spesifieke vlakke van prestasie (dws. bevoegdheid) op die gedragsvlak deurdat die laasgenoemde die eersgenoemde op ‘n komplekse wyse bepaal. Die vlak van prestasie behaal op die uitkomsvlak sou egter ook ’n terugvoereffek kon hê op die vlak van prestasie op die gedragsbevoegdhede. ‘n Komplekse netwerk van kousale invloede bestaan dus tussen die posuitkomse waarvoor die pos bestaan en die latente gedragsbevoegdhede veranderlikes. Alhoewel hierdie multi-dimensionele strukturele model tussen werksgedrag en posuitkomste wyd erken word in die teorie, word dit nie algemeen ontwikkel of getoets in die praktyk nie. Sulke modelle sal geloofwaardigheid bied aan prestasiekriteria wat aangewend word as deel van prestasiebestuur en sal ook bydra tot organisasies se seleksie en evaluasie van voorspellers vir possukses. Hierdie modelle kan verder as diagnostiese instrumentasie dien vir organisasieontwikkeling. Hierdie navorsingstudie behels die ontwikkeling en evaluering van ‘n strukturele prestasie- of bevoegdheidsmodel vir takbestuurders in die klere-kleinhandelindustrie. Die resultate blyk ‘n redelike goeie passing aan te dui vir die eksogene (bevoegdheids-) model, maar ‘n swak passing vir die endogene (posuitkoms-) model. As gevolg van beramingsprobleme met die endogene model word meervoudige regressieontleding gebruik in plaas van strukturele vergelykingsmodellering wat ‘n meer toepaslike analise in hierdie geval sou wees. Die regressieresultate bevestig die belangrikheid van sekere bevoegdhede in terme van eenheidsprestasie en werk mee om ‘n redelike komplekse prestasiedomein meer verstaanbaar te maak.

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Navorsing toon dat beoordelingskale, gebaseer op spesifieke werksgedrag as geldige prestasiemetingsinstrumente gebruik kan word om die individuele ontwikkelingsbehoeftes van elke werknemer te bepaal. Die doel van die studie is die ontwikkeling en validering van 'n gedragsobservasieskaal vir senior bestuurders. Vir die doel is 49 senior bestuurders se prestasiemetings verkry op drie skale, naamlik 'n gedragsobservasieskaal wat ontwikkel is, die Werknemerbeoordelingskaal en 'n gedragsgeankerde skaal. 'n Pearson korrelasie van 0,74 is tussen die totaaltellings van die Gedragsobservasieskaal en die van die Gedragsgeankerde skaal verkry (p<0.01 ;N=49). Tussen die totaaltellings van die Gedragsobservasieskaal en die Werknemerbeoordelingskaal is 'n Pearson korrelasie van 0,75 gevind (p<0,01 ;N=49). Met hierdie resultate kan dus aanvaar word dat die Gedragsobservasieskaal 'n geldige meetinstrument van werksprestasie is en as prestasiemetingskaal gebruik kan word. / Research indicates that appraisal scales based on specific behaviour can be used as performance appraisal instruments to promote every employees' individual development need. The aim of this study is the development and validation of a behavioural observation scale for senior management. To achieve this aim 49 senior managers' performance scores were obtained on three scales, namely a behavioral observation scale which was developed, the Employee Rating Scale, and a behaviourally anchored rating scale. A Pearson correlation of 0,74 was obtained between the total scores of the Behavioral Observation Scale and the Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale (p<0,01 ;N=49). Between the total scores of the Behavioral Observation and the Employee Rating Scales a Pearson correlation of 0,75 was found (p<0,01 ;N=49). With these results in mind, the Behavioral Observation Scale can be accepted as a valid measurement scale of work performance and can thus be applied as a performance appraisal instrument. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Navorsing toon dat beoordelingskale, gebaseer op spesifieke werksgedrag as geldige prestasiemetingsinstrumente gebruik kan word om die individuele ontwikkelingsbehoeftes van elke werknemer te bepaal. Die doel van die studie is die ontwikkeling en validering van 'n gedragsobservasieskaal vir senior bestuurders. Vir die doel is 49 senior bestuurders se prestasiemetings verkry op drie skale, naamlik 'n gedragsobservasieskaal wat ontwikkel is, die Werknemerbeoordelingskaal en 'n gedragsgeankerde skaal. 'n Pearson korrelasie van 0,74 is tussen die totaaltellings van die Gedragsobservasieskaal en die van die Gedragsgeankerde skaal verkry (p<0.01 ;N=49). Tussen die totaaltellings van die Gedragsobservasieskaal en die Werknemerbeoordelingskaal is 'n Pearson korrelasie van 0,75 gevind (p<0,01 ;N=49). Met hierdie resultate kan dus aanvaar word dat die Gedragsobservasieskaal 'n geldige meetinstrument van werksprestasie is en as prestasiemetingskaal gebruik kan word. / Research indicates that appraisal scales based on specific behaviour can be used as performance appraisal instruments to promote every employees' individual development need. The aim of this study is the development and validation of a behavioural observation scale for senior management. To achieve this aim 49 senior managers' performance scores were obtained on three scales, namely a behavioral observation scale which was developed, the Employee Rating Scale, and a behaviourally anchored rating scale. A Pearson correlation of 0,74 was obtained between the total scores of the Behavioral Observation Scale and the Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale (p<0,01 ;N=49). Between the total scores of the Behavioral Observation and the Employee Rating Scales a Pearson correlation of 0,75 was found (p<0,01 ;N=49). With these results in mind, the Behavioral Observation Scale can be accepted as a valid measurement scale of work performance and can thus be applied as a performance appraisal instrument. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)