Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ambiguous: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Job Performance
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ambiguous: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Job Performance
Do you wish to request the book?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ambiguous: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Job Performance
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
The Good, the Bad, and the Ambiguous: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Job Performance
2024
Overview
Prior quantitative research examining the effect of perfectionism on job performance has yielded mixed findings, possibly due to the complex nature of this personality trait and how it shapes employees' performance. This qualitative study sought to gain an in-depth, person-centred understanding of how employees perceive perfectionism influences their job performance. Semistructured interviews were completed with 22 perfectionists (Mage = 36.09 years, SD = 10.57; 13 females, nine males), with 11 of these participants experiencing perfectionistic strivings and 11 individuals experiencing perfectionistic concerns. A thematic analysis yielded five novel themes in how perfectionists perceived this trait to impact their job performance. Common themes that emerged across all participants revealed shared experiences, including trouble tackling ambiguous tasks and difficulty collaborating with others. Themes also revealed several novel experiences of each dimension, with performance anxiety being more prevalent among participants with perfectionistic concerns, while participants with perfectionistic strivings reported having higher workloads. Emerging from these findings is the overarching notion that both dimensions of perfectionism have complex and nuanced effects on job performance. How the effect of perfectionism on performance may vary across career stages and professions is discussed as an important avenue for future research.
Les recherches quantitatives antérieures portant sur l'effet du perfectionnisme sur les performances au travail ont abouti à des résultats mitigés, probablement en raison de la nature complexe de ce trait de personnalité et de la manière dont il influence la performance des employés. Cette étude qualitative visait à obtenir une compréhension approfondie, centrée sur la personne, de la manière dont les employés perçoivent l'influence du perfectionnisme sur leur performance au travail. Des entretiens semi-structurés ont été menés auprès de 22 perfectionnistes (âge moyen = 36,09 ans, écart-type = 10,57, 13 femmes, 9 hommes), 11 d'entre eux ayant des aspirations perfectionnistes et 11 autres des préoccupations perfectionnistes. Une analyse thématique a permis de dégager cinq nouveaux thèmes sur la façon dont les perfectionnistes perçoivent l'impact de ce trait de caractère sur leur performance au travail. Les thèmes communs à tous les participants ont révélé des expériences partagées, notamment la difficulté à s'attaquer à des tâches ambiguës et à collaborer avec d'autres personnes. Les thèmes ont également révélé plusieurs expériences nouvelles de chaque dimension, l'anxiété de performance étant plus fréquente chez les participants ayant des préoccupations perfectionnistes, tandis que les participants ayant des aspirations perfectionnistes ont déclaré avoir une charge de travail plus importante. Il ressort de ces résultats que les deux dimensions du perfectionnisme ont des effets complexes et nuancés sur la performance au travail. La façon dont l'effet du perfectionnisme sur la performance peut varier en fonction des étapes de la carrière et des professions est discutée comme un domaine important pour la recherche future.
Public Significance Statement
In this study, 22 working adults were interviewed about how they perceive their perfectionism to influence their job performance behaviours at work. Themes that emerged from the data suggest that perfectionism can be both an asset and a hindrance for employees regarding their working style and their quality and output of work.
