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Weatherhead Doctor of Management Programs
Show moreThis paper describes research to establish and test a model that proposes relationships between Learning Experiences and Job Performance. Service Competence—a construct that integrates technical, cognitive, and social/emotional competencies—was adapted from social learning, emotional intelligence, and emotional labor theories and was proposed as mediating the relationship between learning experiences and job performance. Individual values were proposed to moderate the relationship between Learning Experiences and Service Competence. Alignment of an individual’s dominant value with the organization’s dominant value was proposed to moderate the relationship between Service Competence and Job Performance. Technical help desk employees at a major US retailer participated in this study. Participants completed a survey that included elements of a modified Bar-On EQi instrument and the Schwartz Value Survey. Additionally, managers evaluated the technical competence, productivity and quality for each participant. The research yielded several findings. Service Competence was shown to include Technical Competence, Cognitive Competence, and Social/Emotional Competence. When controlling for age, however, Technical Competence and Social/Emotional Competence were shown to mediate the relationship between Learning Experiences and Job Performance while Cognitive Competence had a direct effect on Job Performance. Years of Education was shown to be positively correlated with Flexibility. Training was shown to be positively correlated with Technical Competence, but negatively correlated with Flexibility. Apprenticeship was not shown to have an effect on Job Performance after controlling for Age. The experience of a Mentor Relationship was shown to have a positive correlation with Flexibility but a negative correlation with Technical Competency. Individual Values did not moderate any relationship between Learning Experiences and Service Competence. Technical Competence was positively correlated to Productivity and Quality. Problem Solving Competency was positively correlated with Productivity. Flexibility was positively correlated with Productivity. Inter-Personal Relationship competency was negatively correlated with Quality. Alignment with Organizational Values did have a strong moderating effect on the relationship between Technical Competency and Productivity. The findings validate, to some level, key aspects of theory behind the model. Specifically, the construct of Service Competence has clear relevance to Job Performance. Additionally, values have a strong moderating effect on Job Performance.
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