Identifying and Validating a Model of Interpersonal Performance Dimensions

Current models of job performance recognize its multidimensional nature but do not provide a comprehensive picture of the interpersonal requirements of jobs. As a first step toward developing a more cogent and comprehensive understanding of interpersonal performance, a taxonomy of the interpersonal requirements of jobs was developed and validated. An extensive literature review of interpersonal performance behaviors was conducted to develop a proposed taxonomy of interpersonal performance. Two studies were then completed to validate the proposed taxonomy. In the first study empirical evidence for the taxonomy was gathered using a content analysis of critical incidents taken from a job analysis. In the second study, confirmatory factor analysis was used to recreate the model based on ratings of the importance of and time spent on each interpersonal performance behavior identified in the model. Raters represented a variety of Army jobs and ranks. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the proposed taxonomy. Results also indicated that the criticality of several dimensions of interpersonal performance increased with increasing enlisted ranks. The importance of the results toward the identification of predictors of interpersonal performance is discussed. Prepared in collaboration with George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.