A Phenomenological Exploration of the Nature of Individual Performance

Individual performance can be considered as a central concept in human resource management. This research is a phenomenological exploration of this concept in order to discover and describe its nature and essence. To this end, a phenomenological method, which is aimed at discovering the nature of phenomena, is used. In this regard, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 16 employees working in 4 different organizations to find out what the concept of individual performance mean to them. Analysis of the data revealed that the concept of individual performance conveyed six different meanings and mental conformation for the interviewees. They perceived performance as result, technical action, social action, effort, mental capacity, and personality. Consideration of the fact that individual performance did not mean the same for the interviewees, and that a semantic relativity is dominant, can help human resource experts increase the effectiveness of communication. Furthermore, since several personnel decisions on individuals are affected by their perceptions of the individual’s performance, the findings of this study can help readers understand why the employees’ decisions are made. The present study can also serve as a basis for a phenomenological research program to discover the nature of important phenomena in human resource management.