Criterion Theory

A core interest of personnel psychology is whether some intervention in selection, training, or motivation relates to a desired criterion. A criterion is an outcome variable that describes important aspects of the job and that serves as an evaluative standard or yardstick for measuring employees’ success or failure on the job. In many instances, the criterion of interest will be job performance, but a criterion could also be a particular attitude, ability, or motivation that reflects an operational statement of the organization’s goals or desired outcomes. Implicit in this definition is that the criterion is a social construct defined by organization leaders who are responsible for formulating and translating valued organizational outcomes.