CONSCIENTIOUSNESS AND TASK PERFORMANCE AMONG PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR EXECUTIVES

Abstract

Employee behaviors that are explicitly implicated in the transformation of organizational assets into the commodities or amenities that the company generates are referred to as task performance. Workplace, be it private sector or public sector, plays important role in person’s life and task performance is one of the most fundamental organizational behavior as it involves core duties and accountabilities of an employee. Conscientiousness, on the other hand, is one of the Big Five factors, a cardinal personality trait that is cognized with propensity of being meticulous, organized, reliable, purposeful, and adhering to instructions and norms.  The study intended to assess the disparities between public and private sector executives on conscientiousness and task performance and to gauge the direction and strength of relationship between conscientiousness and task performance. Prediction extent of task performance was also examined with the help of conscientiousness. The study consisted total 400 participants, 200 private sector executives (100 male and 100 female), and 200 public sector executives (100 male and 100 female). Purposive sampling technique was employed. Conscientiousness was measured by using NEO Five-Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and task performance was assessed by using Task Performance Scale (Motowidlo&Scotter, 1994). Results indicated that public sector executives exhibit higher conscientiousness compared to private sector executives, whereas these groups do not differ significantly on task performance. Conscientiousness and task performance are positively correlated and the former predicts later.