The effect of state Core Self-Evaluations on task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behavior

Although the personality–performance relationship has been studied extensively, most studies focused on the relationship
between between-person differences in the Big Five personality dimensions and between-person differences in job
performance. The current paper extends this research in two ways. First, we build on core self-evaluations (CSEs): an
alternative, broad personality dimension that has proven to be a good predictor of job performance. Second, we tested
concurrent and lagged within-person relationships between CSEs and task performance, organizational citizenship behaviour
(OCB), and counterproductive work behaviour (CWB). To this end, we conducted two experience sampling studies;
the first one assessing the relationship between state CSEs and levels of momentary task performance and OCB, and a
second study in which employees reported on their level of state CSEs and momentary CWB. Results showed that there is
substantial within-person variability in CSEs and that these within-person fluctuations relate to within-person variation in
task performance, OCB, and CWB towards the organization, and CWB towards the individual. Moreover, CSEs prospectively
predicted within-person differences in task performance and CWB towards the organization, whereas the reversed
effect did not hold. These findings tentatively suggest that state CSEs predict performance, rather than the other way
around.

Publication year:2016

Keywords:state core self-evaluations, task performance, organizational citizenship behaviour, counterproductive work behaviour, within-person variability

CSS-citation score:2

Authors:International

Accessibility:Open