EVIDENCE THAT TASK-PERFORMANCE SHOULD BE DISTINGUISHED FROM CONTEXTUAL PERFORMANCE

This study tests the merit of the distinction made by W. C. Borman and S. J. Motowidlo (1993) between task performance and contextual perfor mance. Supervisors rated 421 U.S. Air Force mechanics on their task pe rformance, contextual performance, and overall performance. Data on le ngth of air force experience, ability, training performance, and perso nality were also available for many of these mechanics. Results showed that both task performance and contextual performance contribute inde pendently to overall performance. Experience is more highly correlated with task performance than with contextual performance, and personali ty variables are more highly correlated with contextual performance th an with task performance. These results support the distinction betwee n task performance and contextual performance and confirm that perform ance, at least as judged by supervisors, is multidimensional.