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  • 1.  Managerial discomfort with administering performance pay

    Posted 03-16-2017 16:40
    Hi everyone, 

    I'd greatly appreciate any citations having to do with managerial discomfort with performance pay.  I'm interested in why managers may be personally uncomfortable with (and possibly unwilling to participate in) systems in which they are responsible for distributing performance rewards to employees.  Managers may feel bad about having to deny an employee a bonus, for instance, and not like the feelings of social awkwardness that doing so entails.  They may also find it uncomfortable to have to justify differences in bonus size to employees.  

    Thanks very much for your help!

    John Marvel
    Schar School of Policy and Government
    George Mason University


  • 2.  Managerial discomfort with administering performance pay

    Posted 03-19-2017 17:27
    Hi John,
    You might find some help in our book, Performance Management (TM). It is a manager friendly book, but we cite the work that we use.


    We write about the entire process, and I believe that the process is the reason people don't like to give evaluations -- or get them. They simply are not done correctly. Everyone wants short-cuts, and there aren't any!

    Regards,
    Karen


    Karen Moustafa Leonard, Ph.D., Professor of Management 
    University of Arkansas Little Rock | College of Business |  RBUS 228
    Little Rock, AR 72204
    O: 501-569-8852 | C: 260-417-8692 | kxleonard@ualr.edu 

    Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International http://www.aacsb.edu/), the College of Business serves as a catalyst to advance education and economic development in the State of Arkansas. 

    The College Human Resource Management program and the UALR Human Resource Society are approved by the Society of Human Resource Management. http://www.shrm.org


    On Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 3:39 PM, John Marvel <jdmarvel@gmail.com> wrote:
    Hi everyone, 

    I'd greatly appreciate any citations having to do with managerial discomfort with performance pay.  I'm interested in why managers may be personally uncomfortable with (and possibly unwilling to participate in) systems in which they are responsible for distributing performance rewards to employees.  Managers may feel bad about having to deny an employee a bonus, for instance, and not like the feelings of social awkwardness that doing so entails.  They may also find it uncomfortable to have to justify differences in bonus size to employees.  

    Thanks very much for your help!

    John Marvel
    Schar School of Policy and Government
    George Mason University



  • 3.  Managerial discomfort with administering performance pay

    Posted 03-20-2017 15:30

    Hello John,

     

    The following article may be of your interest. The study suggests the interdependence between managers and subordinates, and the following "dependency threat," influences managerial pay allocation decisions. The study also cites many other good studies, such as Fossum & Fitch (1985) and Freedman (1978), and so you may want to look into them as well.

     

    Bartol, K. M., & Martin, D. C. 1989. Effects of dependence, dependency threats, and pay secrecy on managerial pay allocations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(1): 105-113.

     

    Hope it helps,

    Tae-Youn Park

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.AOM.ORG] On Behalf Of John Marvel
    Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2017 3:40 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.AOM.ORG
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Managerial discomfort with administering performance pay

     

    Hi everyone, 

     

    I'd greatly appreciate any citations having to do with managerial discomfort with performance pay.  I'm interested in why managers may be personally uncomfortable with (and possibly unwilling to participate in) systems in which they are responsible for distributing performance rewards to employees.  Managers may feel bad about having to deny an employee a bonus, for instance, and not like the feelings of social awkwardness that doing so entails.  They may also find it uncomfortable to have to justify differences in bonus size to employees.  

     

    Thanks very much for your help!

     

    John Marvel

    Schar School of Policy and Government

    George Mason University