Is there a relationship between burnout and objective performance? A critical review of 16 studies
verifiedrich profile · Work & Stress · 2006
Taris, Toon W.
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.
emotional exhaustion → task performance
Models this article informs
The meta-analytic priors this article contributes evidence to — its place in the broader synthesis.
emotional exhaustion predicts organizational citizenship behavior ocb
emotional exhaustion predicts task performance
In the authors’ words
The article’s own abstract.
Abstract Previous research has suggested that high levels of burnout lead to impaired functioning on the job. However, as this research has usually relied on self-reported performance, it is imperative to examine whether this association is also confirmed when using “objective” performance data (e.g., supervisor reports). This study reviewed previous research on the associations between burnout (exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) and various types of objective performance. A systematic literature search identified 16 studies dealing with the burnout–performance relationship. These studies showed the wide variety of approaches that are used to study burnout and objective performance. Using data from these 16 studies, a meta-analysis was conducted to obtain mean correlations. The meta-analytical correlations between exhaustion and in-role behaviour (based on five studies), organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB; five studies), and customer satisfaction (two studies) were −.22, −.19, and −.55, respectively, underlining the practical relevance of burnout research for organizational performance. The evidence for the relationships between depersonalization, personal accomplishment, and performance was inconclusive. Future research should focus on valid indicators of job performance, should more often employ longitudinal designs and large samples, and should consider the theoretical basis for the study expectations more extensively.
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 “Taris’ [28] meta-analysis reported a negative correlation between exhaustion as part of core burnout and performance.”
supports “It is therefore not surprising that burnout (particularly exhaustion) is positively related to employee absenteeism (Toppinen-Tanner et al., 2005), and negatively related to job performance as reported by the supervisor, colleagues, and clients (Taris, 2006).”
supports “A meta-analysis of 16 studies by Taris in 2006 showed negative correlations between exhaustion and objective measurements of work performance: in-role behavior, organizational citizenship behavior, and customer satisfaction [27].”
supports “In terms of job-related outcomes, different meta-analyses and studies show evidence for the negative relationship between burnout, especially emotional exhaustion, and job performance (Wright and Bonett 1997; Taris 2006).”
supports “In terms of job-related outcomes, different meta-analyses and studies show evidence for the negative relationship between burnout, especially emotional exhaustion, and job performance (Wright and Bonett 1997; Taris 2006).”
Ancillary research
Neighbouring works in the citation graph around this article.
- 10.3390/ijerph19138067
- 10.4018/ijthi.300282
- 10.1080/10615806.2020.1797695
- 10.1080/02678373.2012.737547
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0231906
- 10.1365/s41056-022-00060-4
- 10.24837/pru.v18i1.458
Assembled from Principia’s registry — bibliographic record, extracted effect sizes, the models they inform, and open-access citing literature.