Task Performance and Context Performance - Borman & Motowidlo - Article

Task performance is related to the activities which are a contribution to the organization’s technical core business. Contextual performance contributes to the organizational shape, social and psychological context and therefore affects the organizational effectiveness (helping others, cooperating). Contextual performances have been studied often over the last years. Several interpretations of this performance are described, where Soldier Effectiveness is the last model to identify this performance. The model shows all the factors that are relevant for unit effectiveness, but fall out the technical core business. Commitment, Allegiance (orders/regulations), Socialization, Teamwork, Morale and Determination are all influencing the soldier effectiveness.

Borman and Motowidlo have made a five-category system to categorize the contextual performance:

• Persisting with enthusiasm and extra effort as necessary to complete own task activities successfully

• Volunteering to carry out task activities that are not formally part of own job

• Helping and cooperating with others

• Following organizational rules and procedures

• Endorsing, supporting and defending organizational objectives

According to them, there are three main differences between contextual performance and task performance. The first difference is the fact that task activities vary across jobs, whereas contextual activities are almost the same across jobs in an organization. Second, task activities are more role-prescribed than contextual activities. Finally, task performance often requires more cognitive ability, whereas contextual performance is involved with more personality variables.

The article provides evidence to the assertion that overall job performance ratings are influences by contextual performance, which is important for the use of personality predicting job performance because personality does have significant links to contextual performance. Studies have found that correlations between personality scales and contextual performance are higher than the correlations between personality and task performance.

Three major conclusions:

1. Contextual performance is different than task performance and important in the effectiveness of an organization.

2. Contextual performance is part of the subordinates when making overall performance ratings and these factor weights as high as task performance.

3. When contextual performances are included as criteria by personnel selection, personality predictors are more likely to be successful correlates.