Rethinking Performance: The Challenge of Identifying and Dealing with Mediocrity

Abstract

This study aims to conceptualize mediocrity, how a mediocre person survives in the organization, and how to eradicate that problem. A Plethora of research focuses on low and high performance; surprisingly, mediocrity in organizations remains largely overlooked. Despite the lack of attention from organizational scholars, mediocrity remained relevant and pinching problems. Partially this neglect is caused by a lack of clear conception of the mediocrity construct. It has been conceptualized contradictorily as poor performance, lack of commitment, lack of opportunity, and inadequacy of leadership traits. The biggest test of an organization is not poor performance —it is mediocrity and how it addresses mediocrity. Mediocrity is a multifaceted concept, having psychological, behavioral, and social facets. A Mediocre is a person who holds a survival instinct but lacks the vision to outperform and the passion for leading. These psychological traits lead to a behavioral dimension where he commands minimum skills, satisficing commitment, and satisfactory performance (not more than required). Eventually, the person earns a reputation that this is an average person who is not a top performer but does a good enough job. In an increasingly competitive business environment, organizational survival depends on identifying and dealing with mediocrity. Unless mediocrity is defined and validated, the antecedents, consequent, and vis-à-vis their solutions offer little to theory and practice for dealing with this slow killer of organizational performance (i.e., Mediocrity). The phenomenology research method is used whereby 10 participants are selected for the interview. A purposive sampling technique is used for this study, and a two-phase coding cycle is used to conduct the analysis.