The Cross-Cultural Equivalence of Job Performance Ratings

• Published in: Human performance Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 49 - 79
• Main Authors: Ployhart, Robert E., Wiechmann, Darin, Schmitt, Neal, Sacco, Joshua M., Rogg, Kirk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc 01-01-2003
• ISSN: 0895-9285; 1532-7043
• DOI: 10.1207/S15327043HUP1601_3

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the cross-cultural invariance of job performance ratings. A secondary purpose was to examine potential cross-cultural differences in correlates of performance ratings (i.e., ratee sex, age, tenure; supervisor's opportunity to observe ratee). Fast-food supervisors from Canada, South Korea, and Spain rated employees on their technical proficiency, customer service, and teamwork. Results show that these ratings demonstrate a basic level of measurement invariance, although the error variances of the ratings and pattern of construct variances and covariances were largely culture-specific. This suggests that supervisors across cultures may use and interpret the ratings similarly, but perceive differences in performance. Furthermore, age, tenure, and the supervisor's opportunity to observe the ratee were found to affect ratings differently across cultures. Overall, this study suggests that although job performance ratings are at least partially invariant across cultures, latent performance may not be, and we present some preliminary data as to why latent invariance may not exist.