Organizations frequently rely on peer performance ratings to capture employees' unique and difficult to observe contributions at work. Though useful, peers exhibit meaningful variance in the accuracy and informational utility they offer about ratees. In this research, we develop and test theory which suggests that raters' social network positions explains this variance in systematic ways. Drawing from information processing theory, we posit that members who occupy core (peripheral) positions in the network have greater (less) access to firsthand and secondhand performance information about ratees, which is in turn associated with more (less) accurate performance ratings. To overcome difficulties in obtaining a "true" performance score in interdependent field settings, we employ an external criterion comparison method to benchmark our arguments, such that larger validity coefficients between established predictors of performance (i.e., a ratee's general mental ability [GMA] and conscientiousness) and peer performance ratings should reflect more (less) accurate ratings for core (peripheral) members. In Study 1, we use an organization-wide network in a technology startup company to examine the validity coefficient of a ratee's GMA on performance as rated by central versus peripheral members. In Study 2, we attempt to replicate and extend Study 1's conclusions in team networks using ratee conscientiousness as a benchmark indicator. Findings from both studies generally support the hypotheses that core network members provide distinct, and presumably more accurate, peer performance ratings than peripheral network members. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

---

社交网络中的信息优势：同行绩效评级的核心-外围鸿沟。

组织经常依靠同行绩效评级来捕捉员工在工作中独特且难以观察的贡献。虽然有用，但同行在他们提供的有关费率的准确性和信息效用方面表现出有意义的差异。在这项研究中，我们开发并测试了理论，该理论表明评分者的社交网络位置以系统的方式解释了这种差异。根据信息处理理论，我们假设在网络中占据核心（外围）位置的成员可以更多（更少）获得关于被评估者的第一手和二手绩效信息，这反过来又与更多（更少）准确的绩效评级相关联。为了克服在相互依赖的领域设置中获得“真实”绩效分数的困难，我们采用外部标准比较方法来衡量我们的论点，这样既定的绩效预测指标（即受评者的一般心理能力 [GMA] 和尽责性）和同行绩效评级之间较大的有效性系数应该反映更多（较少）准确的核心评级（外围）成员。在研究 1 中，我们使用一家技术初创公司的组织范围网络来检查受评人 GMA 对中央成员与外围成员评价的绩效的有效性系数。在研究 2 中，我们尝试将研究 1 的结论复制和扩展到团队网络中，使用被评估者的责任心作为基准指标。两项研究的结果普遍支持核心网络成员提供独特且可能更准确的假设 同行绩效评级高于外围网络成员。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。