Date of Completion

7-26-2018

Embargo Period

7-23-2028

Keywords

Emotions, Performance Appraisals, Human Resources, Affect, Anger

Major Advisor

Greg Reilly

Associate Advisor

Bruce Barry

Associate Advisor

Lucy Gilson

Associate Advisor

Travis Grosser

Field of Study

Business Administration

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Open Access

Campus Access

Abstract

In this dissertation, I propose a theoretical model – the Emotion in Performance Appraisal Model (EPAM) – to understand the role of emotion in performance appraisal. Performance appraisal is perhaps the most important human resource process in organizations, and emotions are pervasive in this process. In this model, I propose that current emotions – emotions that raters experience in the performance appraisal process – influence the performance appraisal process and performance ratings. Current emotions include integral emotions – emotions triggered by the performance appraisal process – and incidental emotions – emotions triggered by an entirely unrelated situation. I also propose that expected emotions influence the performance appraisal process and performance ratings. Expected emotions include expected rater emotions – the emotions that raters expect to experience in response to the performance appraisal – and expected ratee emotions – the emotions that raters expect their ratees to experience in response to the performance appraisal. In a series of empirical studies, I explore the influence of incidental emotions on performance ratings. In these studies, I predict that incidental anger decreases performance ratings and that incidental anxiety increases performance ratings. I also predict that punitive attributions, risk perceptions, and self-confidence mediate the effects of specific incidental emotions on performance ratings and that emotional intelligence and emotion-specific rater training moderate these effects. Finally, I predict that raters underestimate the influence of their incidental emotions and that raters predict that incidental emotions are less likely to influence their performance rating decisions than the performance rating decisions of other raters. In these studies, I find some support for my predictions. In particular, I find that incidental anger decreases performance ratings. I also find that raters underestimate the influence of their incidental emotions and make asymmetric and self-serving predictions. In all, this dissertation expands our understanding of the performance appraisal process in organizations and provides a theoretical foundation for empirical research on emotions and performance appraisal. In this process, it introduces an entirely new direction for theory and research on performance appraisal.

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Available for download on Sunday, July 23, 2028

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