QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATIONS OF AFFECT IN EXECUTIVE JUDGMENT

The purpose of this two-part research project was to investigate the role of affect in managerial perception and judgment of subordinate employees. In Project I (a quantitative investigation), 57 experienced executives participated in an in-basket decision-making exercise where a subordinate's personality and objective performance were manipulated in a 2 x 2 design. Managerial affect was found to be related to both objective employee performance and employee personality. The personality manipulation also influenced performance ratings, suggesting affect as a source of rating bias. In Project II (a qualitative study), in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with 60 executives to investigate the role of affect in actual performance appraisal settings. Analyses of the transcribed interview data revealed intense, wide-ranging affect related to all aspects of appraisal judgment, including reactions to the process itself, to subordinates, and to conduct in the appraisal interview. Overall, the paper presents extensive findings about affect in performance appraisal and suggests that affect plays a more important role in the appraisal process than traditional views might have previously indicated.