Realistic Job Previews and Performance

Numerous studies have indicated that realistic job previews (RJPs) lead to decreased turnover among new employees. Results examining the relationship between RJPs and performance, however, have been mixed at best, leaving researchers with many unanswered questions. It is possible that the answers to these questions may lie in the application of goal setting theory. The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of RJPs on performance goals. The results revealed that the negative information included in realistic job previews led to lowered employee expectations about the job. These lowered expectations about the job then resulted in participants setting lower performance goals for themselves. Correlation analysis, analysis of variance, and regression analysis partially supported the hypotheses contending that expectations/expectancies influence the goals that individuals set for themselves. Specifically, individuals that reported higher task self-efficacy expectancies set higher speed and accuracy goals for the job task that was described to them. The influences of three individual difference variables (i.e., general self-efficacy, need for achievement, and self-esteem) were also explored.