Comparison and Contrast of Maximum Performance and Typical Response Tests

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Comparison and Contrast of Maximum Performance and Typical Response Tests

Maximum performance tests are administered to assess employees’ ability to maintain high production rates while working under optimal conditions. These tests help organizations when setting expected production levels for relatively short periods with the assumption that all factors of production would hold constant. Maximum performance is only attainable when an organization expressly directs their employees to maximize their output and take steps to enhance production supervision and these performance evaluations should be confined to short periods to enhance staff concentration on the assigned task. Typical performance tests assess employees’ ability to produce at different conditions and provide a more holistic and realistic determination of an employee’s true potential by showing the employer what they will do. These tests take place over longer periods and provide insight on an employee’s flexibility and ability to adapt to changing work conditions.

Maximum performance employs extrinsic motivation methods to enhance employees’ performance and ensure maximization of production. Maximum performance tests are more practical when applied in organizations where processes are highly standardized and there is little room for innovation and creativity on the part of the employees like in production and assembly plants. The intellectual functioning abilities of employees in these industries has a negligible effect on the performance of the organization with their attitude and ability to follow instructions and carry out assigned tasks being of more importance. Typical performance requires intrinsic motivation on the part of the employees as their operations occur under uncertain and dynamic conditions. These require employees to be flexible and have increased problem solving and critical thinking abilities to enable them to adopt their production methods to prevailing conditions to ensure continued good performance.

The differences in the operating conditions of different industries are the basis of the differences in the development of performance tests to ensure that they select the best employees. Performance tests feature questions that test an individual’s aptitude by assessing their intellectual, social and integrity capabilities. Intellect assesses an individual’s knowledge of operations and productions processes and enables them to be efficient and effective at their tasks. It also highlights their ability to adapt quickly to changes in production environment and conditions top ensure continuity and maintain output consistency. Intellect scores higher in typical performance testing since their operations occur in dynamic environments with uncertain conditions requiring flexibility and high process knowledge to adapt and maintain high output. High performance environments ensure high performance levels through standardization of processes and systems that are little affected by variations in employee intellectual abilities.

Social factors help management assess a persons ability to work well with others and help them assess their level of perseverance. This holds more importance in high performance environments where employees are exposed to longer periods that are more strenuous and have high performance expectations. Their standardized processes are also often interrelated with one sections success being dependent on its predecessor’s success, which requires high levels of interactions between employees. Typical environments also require their employees to have some level of social ability to allow them coordinate people effectively throughout their assignment to ensure consistent high levels of output. Integrity scores highly in both since it enable employers to know that their employees will uphold high levels of professionalism in the execution of their tasks to ensure that they are efficient and effective. It would also ensure that they are paid commensurate to the work they accomplish by being honest in their appraisals and logging of tasks performed and time worked. Whether operating in typical or high performance environments, all organizations have targets for their employees, which form the basis for their performance appraisals and these normally form the basis for the development of performance testing strategies.