The Use of Performance Information under Conflict: A Large-N Study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
The effect of organizational conflict on the use of performance information is enigmatic and understudied. A study of the use of workplace assessments (WPAs) in 1669 Danish agencies shows that conflict operates in two ways. On the one hand, conflict is associated with lower levels of factors conventionally known to enhance use, including stakeholder participation, management support, and perceived reliability of the information. On the other hand, conflict is associated with an increase in the documentary function of WPAs (meaning the formal provision of documentation of knowledge already existing in the organization). This function may be central for the use of WPAs in formal organizational decision-making and helps explain how performance information can be consequential in contemporary organizations, even when people disagree about whether it provides a reliable picture of reality. The findings suggest that both theorists and practitioners should pay more attention to how different pathways to use of performance information hinge on variations in the level of conflict.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Public Performance and Management Review |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 6 |
Pages (from-to) | 1299-1317 |
Number of pages | 19 |
ISSN | 1530-9576 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
- evaluative information, organizational conflict, pathways to use, performance information, workplace assessments
Research areas
ID: 277116758