ABSTRACT
This chapter describes that employee performance is an important objective of organizations and examines what employee performance means. It indicates that employee performance has many dimensions to it and outlines the different dimensions of employee performance. While employee performance is usually viewed as task performance, this chapter argues that employee performance includes other important components beyond the component of task performance. Specifically, it shows that one component of employee performance – contextual performance or employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors – is an important component of employee performance. The chapter outlines some of the empirical evidence that suggests that the contextual performance component of employee performance is crucial. Two pre-chapter exercises are provided before the main chapter contents. Doing the pre-chapter exercises will help in understanding the chapter contents in a concrete manner. At the end of the chapter, an exercise is provided to facilitate the application of chapter contents to the actual workplace.
