The Relation of Job Knowledge, Job Performance, and Supervisory Ratings as a Function of Ratee Race

Racial bias in performance ratings may be inferred when ratings hold different meanings for different racial subgroups. Operationally, this would be indicated by differences (by ratee race) in the correlation between performance ratings and objective indices of performance. In this study, the effects of ratee race on the relations between supervisory ratings and more objective criteria of job knowledge and work performance were examined by aggregating correlations across 25 studies. The results indicated that supervisory ratings were more highly related to work-performance measures-and to a lesser extent to job-knowledge measures-for Black than for White ratees. Two theories were proposed that could account for such differences. © 1990, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved