THE I/O PSYCHOLOGY AREA
GOFFIN LAB
Pictured (Left to right): Justin Feeney, Kevin Doyle, Dr. Richard Goffin, Kabir Daljeet, Rebecca Factor.
RESEARCH
Our research focuses on the effective management and measurement of employee work performance, and the improvement of pre-employment testing approaches.
MANAGEMENT AND MEASUREMENT OF EMPLOYEE WORK PERFORMANCE
Have you ever had your job performance evaluated and then received feedback from a supervisor or manager? If so, there is a good chance that you did not find the process to be accurate or helpful, and it may even have lowered your work motivation. Managers and supervisors who evaluate and coach employees are also generally disappointed with typical work performance management and measurement processes. One ongoing stream of our research focuses on applying psychological theories and methodologies in order to improve work performance measurement and management, with the ultimate goal of contributing to large, sustained improvements in performance, and more satisfied employees.
This is an exciting opportunity to study and improve the ways that people (a) make and communicate judgments about others’ work performance, and (b) react to feedback from co-workers and supervisors about their own work performance. In so doing, we are contributing to the advancement of knowledge on an intriguing real-world problem that has hampered productivity for decades.
Here are some examples of our recent work in this area:
Psychology, 11(4), 159–168. doi:10.1027/1866-5888/a000068
others. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 48–60. doi:10.1177/1745691610393521
relative percentile method. Human Resource Management, 48(2), 251-268. doi: 10.1002/hrm.20278
IMPROVEMENT OF PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING APPROACHES
It is well known that hiring the most promising employees contributes to huge gains in productivity as well as to the well-being of the work force. How do companies decide whom to hire from among the many people who apply? There are a multitude of ways, including letters of reference, interviews, and a wide array of testing methods. Personality tests are among the more intriguing testing methods that are commonly used by today’s organizations. An additional stream of research that we actively pursue is the use of personality testing to help make decisions about who are the most promising employees to hire.
Determining the optimal application of personality testing within hiring situations is a fascinating puzzle that we are helping to solve. How does one decide which personality traits are the most relevant to a particular job? What role should personality testing play in hiring decisions when there is also information available on applicants’ abilities, experience, and other qualifications? How can we accurately assess applicants’ levels of job-relevant personality traits when those applicants are highly motivated to simply tell you what they think you want to hear in order to be hired? These are some of the key questions that we have made important contributions toward answering.
Here are some examples of our recent work in this area:
Differences, 101, 356–359. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.06.031
and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 73, 78–83. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.026
82, 248–252. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.03.038
Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 50(3), 151-160. doi: 10.1037/a0015946
Resource Management Review, 16(2), 155-180. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2006.03.004