An Empirical Investigation of Dispositional Antecedents and Performance-Related Outcomes of Credit Scores

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology 2012-03, Vol.97 (2), p.469-478
• Main Authors: Bernerth, Jeremy B., Taylor, Shannon G., Walker, H. Jack, Whitman, Daniel S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Agreeableness; Antisocial Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Citizenship; Conscientiousness; Correlation; Credit; Credit (Finance); Credit scoring; Data Analysis; Data Collection; Empirical research; Employee Performance Appraisal; Employees; Employment; Employment - economics; Employment - psychology; Finance; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Human performance; Human Resource Management; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Job Applicant Screening; Job Performance; Measures (Individuals); Occupational psychology; Organizational Behavior; Organizational behaviour; Organizational citizenship behaviour; Organizational Culture; Organizations (Groups); Personality; Personality - classification; Personality Assessment; Personality Traits; Personnel Selection; Personnel Selection - economics; Personnel Selection - methods; Personnel Selection - standards; Prediction; Preemployment screening; Prosocial Behavior; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Responsibility; Screening; Screening Tests; Social Behavior; Social Responsibility; Studies; Supervisors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Task Analysis; Work condition. Job performance. Stress; Work place; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/a0026055

Many organizations use credit scores as an employment screening tool, but little is known about the legitimacy of such practices. To address this important gap, the reported research conceptualized credit scores as a biographical measure of financial responsibility and investigated dispositional antecedents and performance-related outcomes. Using personality data collected from employees, objective credit scores obtained from the Fair Isaac Corporation, and performance data provided by supervisors, we found conscientiousness to be positively related and agreeableness to be negatively related to credit scores. Results also indicate significant relationships between credit scores and task performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Credit scores did not, however, predict workplace deviance. Implications for organizations currently using or planning to use credit scores as part of the screening process are discussed.