Expanding the Performance Domain: Who Says Nice Guys Finish Last?

This study examines the role of personality and work experience in predicting two measures of job performance: Proficiency on the job tasks assigned to employees (task performance) and discretionary behaviors (e.g., helping) that may or may not be performed by employees (contextual performance). The two types of performance measures were shown to have different patterns of association with work experience and personality dimensions, such that personality was more predictive of contextual performance, while job experience was more predictive of task‐based performance. Noticeably, conscientiousness did not predict task‐based performance. Implications and limitations of the present study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.