Coworkers are watching: Performance implications of peer monitoring.

摘要

Agency theory suggests that peer monitoring is an effective agency mechanism that will increase agent and firm performance. Peer monitoring mechanisms are widely used, yet there has been little empirical research about peer monitoring. Peer monitoring occurs when employees notice and respond to their coworkers' behavior or performance results. In this dissertation, I examine peer monitoring that reinforces better performance. I examine three research questions. The first is "What is peer monitoring?" The second is "Is peer monitoring associated with higher work-unit performance?" The final question is "What factors are associated with higher levels of peer monitoring?" I conducted the research using a field study of 67 work-units at a U.S. theme park.; I found two general types of peer monitoring. The first is constructive peer monitoring, in which employees notice their coworkers' behavior or performance results, praise coworkers who do good work, correct coworkers who make mistakes, report dishonest coworkers, and discuss how everyone performs. The second is indirect reproach, in which employees gossip about coworkers and avoid poorly performing coworkers.; I tested the effects of both types of peer monitoring on two types of performance indicators. The first is overall unit performance, which includes quantity and quality of work and value of the services provided by the unit. The second is problem-free performance, which measures the degree to which the work unit is free of employee behavior problems such as absenteeism, mistakes and accidents. I found that constructive peer monitoring was associated with higher problem-free performance. High levels of supervisory monitoring weakened the relationship, whereas high task interdependence strengthened it. When supervisory monitoring levels or unit cohesiveness were high, indirect reproach was associated with lower problem-free performance. Overall unit performance was also lower when both supervisory monitoring and indirect reproach were high.; The results also suggest that different factors predict constructive peer monitoring and indirect reproach. Higher levels of supervisory monitoring, supervisory support for peer monitoring, cohesiveness, and organizational commitment were associated with higher levels of constructive peer monitoring. Better leader-member relations reduced levels of indirect reproach.