On the role of positive and negative affectivity in job performance: A meta-analytic investigation.
verifiedrich profile · Journal of Applied Psychology · 2009
Kaplan, Seth; Bradley, Jill C.; Luchman, Joseph N.; Haynes, Douglas
How this was studied
A meta-analytic synthesis — it pools many primary studies rather than running a single design, so there is no single-study diagram.
What this article reports
The findings we extracted from this work, normalized into Principia’s relationship form (X → Y). Each feeds the synthesized models below.
negative affect → task performance
positive affect → task performance
negative affect → counterproductive work behaviours
positive affect → organizational citizenship behavior ocb
negative affect → organizational citizenship behavior ocb
Models this article informs
The meta-analytic priors this article contributes evidence to — its place in the broader synthesis.
negative affect predicts counterproductive work behaviours
negative affect predicts organizational citizenship behavior ocb
negative affect predicts task performance
positive affect predicts organizational citizenship behavior ocb
positive affect predicts task performance
In the authors’ words
The article’s own abstract.
Although interest regarding the role of dispositional affect in job behaviors has surged in recent years, the true magnitude of affectivity's influence remains unknown. To address this issue, the authors conducted a qualitative and quantitative review of the relationships between positive and negative affectivity (PA and NA, respectively) and various performance dimensions. A series of meta-analyses based on 57 primary studies indicated that PA and NA predicted task performance in the hypothesized directions and that the relationships were strongest for subjectively rated versus objectively rated performance. In addition, PA was related to organizational citizenship behaviors but not withdrawal behaviors, and NA was related to organizational citizenship behaviors, withdrawal behaviors, counterproductive work behaviors, and occupational injury. Mediational analyses revealed that affect operated through different mechanisms in influencing the various performance dimensions. Regression analyses documented that PA and NA uniquely predicted task performance but that extraversion and neuroticism did not, when the four were considered simultaneously. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).
What the literature says about it
Attributed, open-access quotes from other works that cite this article, plus the citation-graph verdict tally. Corroborations and disputes, in one place — the honest-broker view.
supports “Negative affect, encompassing a range of adverse emotions (e.g., sadness, fear) experienced by individuals (Diener et al., 2020), serves as a pivotal mechanism linking situational factors to work-related outcomes, including performance (Kaplan et al., 2009).”
supports “In addition, positive emotions were also related to OCB (Kaplan et al., 2009) and deviance behaviors relevant to organizational change (Avey, Wernsing & Luthans, 2008).”
supports “Moreover, negative affect has serious influence on job performance because it increases the likelihood of worker withdrawal and job-related injuries while reducing the likelihood of modeling organizational citizenship behavior [25].”
supports “On the other hand, there is empirical evidence showing that, when confronted with stressors, employees who are both proactive and mindful experience the lowest levels of negative affect (Polk et al., 2020 ) that is a negative precursor of job performance (Kaplan et al., 2009 ).”
supports “Positive affect directs entrepreneurs to focus their attention on aspects of the situation that are congruent with their mood (Baron, 2008), improved performance (Kaplan et al., 2009), and subjective wellbeing (Lyubomirsky et al.”
supports “Moreover, negative affect has serious influence on job performance because it increases the likelihood of worker withdrawal and job-related injuries while reducing the likelihood of modeling organizational citizenship behavior [25].”
supports “In contrast, negative affectivity may lead to detrimental consequences for organizations, such as an impaired task performance, recurrent counterproductive and withdrawal work behaviors, and an increased rate of occupational injuries [82].”
disputes “In contrast to PA, empirical results show that both trait NA (Kaplan et al., 2009) and state NA (Kaplan et al., 2009; Shockley et al., 2012) have negative implications for performance, as they are positively linked to counterproductive work behaviors (i.e., CWBs).”
supports “Nonetheless, an adverse link between negative affect and adaptive performance has been empirically substantiated, particularly mediated by motivational processes such as (dis)satisfaction or occupational distress (Kaplan et al., 2009).”
supports “In contrast to PA, empirical results show that both trait NA (Kaplan et al., 2009) and state NA (Kaplan et al., 2009; Shockley et al., 2012) have negative implications for performance, as they are positively linked to counterproductive work behaviors (i.e., CWBs).”
supports “, 2005; Lyubomirsky and Layous, 2013) and improved performance (Kaplan et al., 2009), we show positive affect diminishes the effects of stress on the level of entrepreneurial success.”
Ancillary research
Neighbouring works in the citation graph around this article.
- 10.1177/23409444231202809
- 10.5093/tr2010v26n3a7
- 10.3390/ijerph20031764
- 10.1007/s12144-024-06336-3
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.970797
- 10.3390/ijerph13060567
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00310
- 10.1037/pag0000305
Assembled from Principia’s registry — bibliographic record, extracted effect sizes, the models they inform, and open-access citing literature.