The productivity measurement and enhancement system: A meta-analysis.

Meta-analytic procedures were used to examine data from 83 field studies of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES). The article expands the evidence on effectiveness of the intervention, examines where it has been successful, and explores moderators related to its success. Four research questions were explored and results indicate that (a) ProMES results in large improvements in productivity; (b) these effects last over time, in some cases years; (c) the intervention results in productivity improvements in many different types of settings (i.e., type of organization, type of work, type of worker, country); and (d) moderator variables are related to the degree of productivity improvement. These moderator variables include how closely the study followed the original ProMES methodology, the quality of feedback given, whether changes were made in the feedback system, the degree of interdependence of the work group, and centralization of the organization. Implications based on these findings are discussed for future use of this intervention, and the system is discussed as an example for evidence-based management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Complex interdependence in task-performing groups.

Proposed a model of work group performance based on the consequences of complex interdependence (CI), which is defined as the interactive effects of task, goal, and feedback combinations. The study consisted of a 4 (task interdependence: pooled, sequential, reciprocal, or team)?×?2 (goal interdependence: individual or group)?×?2 (feedback interdependence: individual or group) completely crossed factorial design using 118 3-person groups working in a laboratory setting on a performance appraisal task. The results of group-level analyses demonstrated the impact of CI on the perceived effectiveness of group task strategy. In turn, task strategy and intragroup conflict partially mediated the effects of CI on group performance quantity and quality. Design applications for group work are presented and discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Output rates among welders: Productivity and consistency following removal of a financial incentive system.

Analyzed production data for a group of welders for 48 wk. following the removal of a financial incentive system, and an accompanying loss of take-home pay. Productivity dropped immediately and then began to climb. 2 previously stated hypotheses relative to the effectiveness of incentives were examined. 1 hypothesis concerning the ratios of the ranges of intra- vs. interindividual differences was not supported. The 2nd hypothesis concerning the week-to-week consistency of productivity was supported. As productivity increased over a period of time, the consistency of productivity also increased. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of feedback, casual attributions, and self-efficacy in goal revision.

An important issue in work motivation is how, when, and why individuals revise their goals up or down over time. In the current study, the authors examine feedback, causal attributions, and self-efficacy in this process. Although self-efficacy has frequently been suggested as a key explanatory variable for goal revision, its role has yet to be directly evaluated. Additionally, although attributions have been shown to influence goal revision following failure, the extent to which attributions influence goal revision following success remains unclear. In the current study, the authors address these issues by experimentally manipulating goal progress via performance feedback and tracking the resulting changes in self-efficacy and goal revision over time. In so doing, the authors also address several interpretive ambiguities present in the existing research. Results support the hypothesized model, finding that performance feedback and attributions interactively influenced self-efficacy, which in turn influenced goal revision. These results suggest that interventions targeting attributions, and self-efficacy more directly, may have meaningful influences on goal setting and pursuit, particularly following feedback. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of assigned and participative goal setting on performance and job satisfaction.

Evaluated the job performance of 41 female typists under participative or assigned goal setting conditions over a 10-wk period. Significant productivity improvement occurred in both conditions during the 2nd 5 wks. There was no significant difference between conditions with respect to goal difficulty or frequency of goal attainment. Job satisfaction declined slightly in both conditions. Individual trait measures such as need for independence did not moderate the effects of either type of goal setting. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of job enrichment and task goals on satisfaction and productivity: Implications for job design.

A 2-phase research project investigated the effects of job enrichment and goal setting on employee productivity and satisfaction in a well-controlled, simulated job environment. In the 1st phase, 2 conditions of goal setting (assigned goals vs no goals) and 2 conditions of job enrichment (enriched vs unenriched) were established, producing 4 experimental conditions in which 42 part-time workers took part. Job enrichment had a substantial impact on job satisfaction but little effect on productivity. Goal setting, on the other hand, had a major impact on productivity and a less substantial impact on satisfaction. In the 2nd phase (after 2 days' work), Ss with unenriched jobs worked under the enrichment conditions and Ss originally without goals were assigned goals. Again, job enrichment had a positive effect on job satisfaction, while goal setting had a positive effect on performance. Results are discussed in terms of the current theoretical approaches for understanding employee motivation on the job. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subordinates' reactions to performance appraisal interviews: A test of feedback and goal-setting techniques.

Compared the effectiveness of 4 appraisal interview conditions with 60 corporate research team leaders and 203 subordinates. Three training conditions (feedback, feedback plus assigned goal setting, and assigned goal setting) and a control group were randomly structured for the team leaders. Pre- and posttraining evaluations of subordinates' reactions to appraisal interviews were obtained. The pretraining responses were factor analyzed, and 5 appraisal interview reaction factors emerged: Equity, Accuracy, Clarity, Motivational Impact, and Anxiety. MANOVA, t-tests and the Scheffé test indicated that some of the training interventions were superior to the control group with regard to Equity, Accuracy, and Clarity. Subordinate anxiety was higher in the 2 groups in which the leaders used assigned goal setting. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stages of change for reducing dietary fat intake over 18 months

OBJECTIVE: To describe the stages of change that take place over 18 months, using the criterion of fat intake < or = 30% of total energy to define effective action and to investigate the effect of a single dietary feedback report on dietary fat reduction. DESIGN: Subjects were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions and assessed at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months for fat intake and stage of change. Subjects in the experiment group received 1 feedback report at baseline; all subjects received a report at 12 months. SUBJECTS: Potential subjects (n = 614) were recruited by mail from a random sample of nonsmoking adults (32% response rate). Subjects were excluded if consuming < or = 30% of energy from fat or if pregnant or lactating (n = 145). Although 83% of subjects (n = 389) completed the 18-month study, only 296 provided complete data for all time points. The study was restricted to these 296. INTERVENTION: Dietary feedback reports plus brief educational materials were provided following the experiment design. ANALYSES: Repeated measures analysis of variance with fat intake (percent of energy from fat) as the dependent variable and baseline stage and condition as independent variables. In addition, t tests were used to compare groups at specific time points. RESULTS: There was a main effect for time (F3,286 = 39, P < .0001) and baseline stage (F3,286 = 24, P < .0001), but no effect of feedback. There was a time-by-feedback interaction (F4,286 = 4.7, P < .01). There was a short-term effect of feedback over 6 months (t = 3.8, P < .001), but this effect was not significant at other time points. About 9% to 12% of subjects in the precontemplation or contemplation stages, 24% of subjects in the preparation stage, and 40% of unclassified subjects at baseline progressed to the action stage by 18 months. Between 12 and 18 months, subjects progressing at least 1 stage reduced their fat intake to a greater extent than subjects who failed to progress (t = 5.1, P < .0001). IMPLICATIONS: Interventions targeted to stage of change have the potential for accelerating the rate of change for dietary fat reduction, but reaching the goal of fat intake < or = 30% of total energy may require more intensive interventions than a single dietary feedback report.     

Effect of propranolol and IFN-beta on the induction of MHC class II expression and cytokine production by IFN-gamma IN THP-1 human monocytic cells

Technologies for promoting quality of organizational services to the developmentally disabled have been evolving over the past several decades. Feedback reinforcement and, often, goal-setting, powerful change tools, generally are incorporated within behavioral interventions. Despite their promise, wide-scale application of these strategies often is impeded by natural and informal organizational contingencies. In an attempt to combat such impediments, a structure of interlocking contingencies was designed to train and support managers' provision of effective feedback to their subordinates, peers, and superiors. The system included formal scheduling of feedback, reinforcement and goal setting in a way that attempted to (a) minimize financial costs, time and effort; (b) empower participants by involving them in designing the specifics of the system; and (c) promote momentum by encouraging dense schedules of feedback. Within a period of less than 6 months, supervisors, managers, and professional specialists conducted brief audits and delivered nearly 9,000 written feedback reports to workers serving 129 clients, with the result that staff-client interactions and client engagement levels increased substantially. Future research should replicate these methods under more rigorous experimental conditions and formally assess some of the system's spillover into realms such as gains in clients' skill levels, and staff and public acceptance.     

A note to teacher: Improving student behavior through goal setting and feedback.

Examined the effects of goal setting and feedback applied to teacher behavior as a means of producing desired changes in students' behavior during consultation. Ss were 2 6-yr-old male students enrolled full time in a classroom for children with emotional disturbances. The classroom teacher: (1) identified up to 4 desired behaviors to increase for each student, (2) set a goal for the number of times she was to praise each student during a daily activity period, and (3) was given a feedback note each day listing the identified target behaviors as prompts and indicating whether she did or did not meet her self-imposed goal based on a classroom observation. The intervention was effective at increasing student behavior and was judged by the teacher to be acceptable. The implications of these results for incorporating teacher goal setting and feedback into consultation as a means of designing simple yet effective school-based interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interacting effects of goal setting and self- or other-referenced feedback on children's development of self-efficacy and cognitive skill within the Taiwanese classroom.

Eighty-four fourth-grade Taiwanese children were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: goal setting with self-referenced feedback, goal setting with social-referenced feedback, self-referenced feedback only, and social-referenced feedback only. Students then participated in a regular classroom unit of instruction on fractions. Children in the self-referenced groups demonstrated significantly higher fraction skill and self-efficacy than did children in the social-referenced groups; goal setting had no effect. There was a deterioration of social-referenced students' willingness to perform the task over multiple sessions, with this group setting significantly lower goals over time. In addition, a significant correlation between students' mastery and performance goal orientation scores was obtained, suggesting a cultural influence on performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A field study of the effect of feedback frequency on performance.

Assessed the effect of varying the frequency of feedback in industrial/occupational safety. The behavioral safety performance of 58 male employees in a heat exchanger manufacturing and repair plant was monitored over a 10-mo period. A variation and extension of the basic reversal (A-B-A) design was used to assess the effect of varying the frequency of feedback along with some other interventions, namely, training and goal setting. More frequent feedback (once a week) did not result in more effective performance than less frequent feedback (once every 2 wks). Practical implications concerning the application of behavioral techniques to industrial/occupational safety are discussed. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The motivational components of goal setting.

Examined the relationships among goal setting, monetary incentives, 2 indexes of motivation (i.e., effort and direction of behavior), and performance. 60 17-19 yr olds were hired to work on a 1-wk job in a simulated company. Results suggest that goal setting and monetary incentives were related independently to measures of motivation and performance. Incentives, however, had no impact on whether or not Ss set performance goals. The importance of identifying the processes surrounding the effects of stated task goals and monetary incentives on performance is discussed. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conservation of resources theory, perceived stress, and chronic fatigue syndrome: Outcomes of a consumer-driven rehabilitation program.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a consumer-driven rehabilitation program on perceptions of loss and gain of interpersonal relationships, energy, material objects, work benefits and opportunities, well-being, and experiences of mastery in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome. Study Design: Participants were randomly assigned to a program group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 24). Outcomes were assessed (a) at baseline, (b) after program participants completed an illness management group, and (c) after they completed one-on-one peer counseling. Setting: A community-based advocacy organization for individuals with disabilities. Interventions: Four months of illness management groups followed by 7 months of one-on-one peer counseling emphasizing goal setting and goal attainment. Main Outcome Measure: The Conservation of Resources Evaluation scale. Results: Significant gains were observed for program participants across all categories of resource gain--interpersonal, energy, material, work, well-being, and mastery resources. Effect sizes were moderate to large. Conclusions: Programs in which participatory action research methods are used may have a positive impact on resource acquisition for individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The POSNA pediatric musculoskeletal functional health questionnaire: report on reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change. Pediatric Outcomes Instrument Development Group. Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America

The goal of orthopaedic interventions is to improve the functional health of patients, particularly physical function. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) commissioned a work group to construct functional health outcomes scales for children and adolescents, focusing on musculoskeletal health. The work group developed scales assessing upper extremity function, transfers and mobility, physical function and sports, comfort (pain free), happiness and satisfaction, and expectations for treatment. Parent and adolescent self-report forms were developed and tested on 470 subjects aged 2-18 years. The POSNA scales demonstrated good reliability, construct validity, sensitivity to change over a 9-month period, and ability to outperform a standard instrument, the Child Health Questionnaire physical functioning scale. They were useful for a wide variety of ages and diagnoses. They appear to be ideally suited for orthopaedic surgeons to assess the functional health and efficacy of treatment of their patients at baseline and follow-up.     

Comparison of self-modeling and small cash incentives in a sheltered workshop.

Compared the effects of self-modeling with edited video replay and a reward system on the workshop productivity of 15 young adults (17–30 yrs of age) with moderate or severe physical handicaps. Ss were divided into 3 groups and randomly assigned to different conditions. The self-modeling group (Group 1) watched themselves each workday on videotapes that showed Ss engaged in assembly tasks with mistakes and excess hesitations edited out. The reward group (Group 2) received daily points, cashable weekly, for each 10% increase over the baseline in their average hourly output. Those in the attention-control group (Group 3) were seen individually each day by an experimenter who discussed their general progress. Productivity during a 2-wk intervention period was compared with baseline production rates, the resultant increases of 15, 3, and –3% (for Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively) producing significant differences between the groups. The same trends were observed in a 4-mo follow-up. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory and Goal Setting: The Response of Older and Younger Adults to Positive and Objective Feedback.

Earlier research suggested that goal setting for memory does not have the same advantages for older adults as for younger adults. Using ideal goal-setting conditions with individualized goals, the authors compared goals plus positive feedback, goals plus objective feedback, and control. Performance increased over trials and was higher for both goal conditions than for control. The positive feedback condition showed the highest goal commitment and motivation. Older adults showed strong performance gains and more motivation and goal commitment than the young. The results showed that older adults can benefit from goal setting under optimal learning and feedback conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance posting, goal setting, and activity-contingent praise as applied to a university hockey team.

Rate of legal body checking (hit rate) was targeted for change for each of two consecutive seasons for a university hockey team that had a chronic losing record. Following baseline recording (A), the interventions of publicly posted individual feedback (B), goal setting (C), and praise (D) were successively introduced "on-the-baseline" using a components-analysis research strategy. An analogous design and procedure was used the following season, with the exception that more intensive training was given to the coach on the delivery of praise. Overall, the mean hit rate increased 82% (excluding the highly talented senior players who initiated the first project application) and 141% (no exclusions), respectively, for the 2 years. Moreover, with the single exception of the praise treatment of the first year, increments in hit rate occurred with the onset and tenure of each intervention (most ps?     

Activity Counseling Trial (ACT): rationale, design, and methods. Activity Counseling Trial Research Group

The Activity Counseling Trial (ACT) is a multicenter, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity in the primary health care setting. ACT has recruited, evaluated, and randomized 874 men and women 35-75 yr of age who are patients of primary care physicians. Participants were assigned to one of three educational interventions that differ in amount of interpersonal contact and resources required: standard care control, staff-assisted intervention, or staff-counseling intervention. The study is designed to provide 90% power in both men and women to detect a 1.1 kcal.kg-1.day-1 difference in total daily energy expenditure between any two treatment groups, and over 90% power to detect a 7% increase in maximal oxygen uptake, the two primary outcomes. Primary analyses will compare study groups on mean outcome measures at 24 months post-randomization, be adjusted for the baseline value of the outcome measure and for multiple comparisons, and be conducted separately for men and women. Secondary outcomes include comparisons between interventions at 24 months of factors related to cardiovascular disease (blood lipids/lipoproteins, blood pressure, body composition, plasma insulin, fibrinogen, dietary intake, smoking, heart rate variability), psychosocial effect, and cost-effectiveness, and at 6 months for primary outcome measures. ACT is the first large-scale behavioral intervention study of physical activity counseling in a clinical setting, includes a generalizable sample of adult men and women and of clinical setting, and examines long-term (24 months) effects. ACT has the potential to make substantial contributions to the understanding of how to promote physical activity in the primary health care setting.