**2. State of the art**

#### **2.1 A set of factors, which determine performance of employees: the qualitative view**

#### *2.1.1 General overview*

The work is a basic activity for any of us. It enables providing his/her existence, position regard and respect and a man or woman is being satisfied not only within his/her private and social life as well. At present, the work does not mean getting the principal issues for our life only, however we are expecting more, to assert ourselves, to do the work with respect to our imaginations, interests, wishes and expectations too [3]. The work capacity represents only one indicator or human resources efficiency, while that indicator value is being affected not only by organization and technical conditions closely related to the actual work, however by human corporal and mental dispositions as well [4].

The firm or company business efficiency is closely related to performance of individual employees, while a rate to deliver performance and to be satisfied plays a role of principal importance as well. A satisfaction rate related to his/her job seems to be a significant factor, which affects not only his/her working performance, however his/her decision to leave for the actual job, when his/her job balance is negative. However, the negative job balance might lead to change the worker's professional orientation as well, in the case he/she did not identify with his/her professional role [5]. Elaboration of real employee performance description and a comparing it with imagination or concept related to required performance creates an inevitable and integral part of an appropriate motivation program. Simultaneously, the factors with stimulation and motivation function should be mapped. However, there should be described effect of those factors related to motivation and labor behaviour of the firm or company employees as well, while it seems to be very *Business Process versus Human Resources Performance DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98944*

suitable to detach those facts, which have a favourable and a negative effect related to labour performance. Simultaneously, the factors, which cause dissatisfaction and discomfort, should be mapped too [6].

However, the performance of workers is affected by objective or subjective factors as well, while there might be different criteria concerned with their categorization [7]. Provaznik postulates them as technical, organization, economic and social and situational conditions together with appropriate determinants of a worker or an employee.

However, the personal determinants seem to be most significant from our intension and existing knowledge as well, while the other factors are of the same importance from employee performance point of view. The personal determinants include a great range of assumption for an appropriate work, the employee physical and intellectual assumptions, his/her qualification, personal features, interests and motivation together with employee permanent and actual state (physical and intellectual) play a role of principle importance too.

### *2.1.2 The objective and subjective nature of factors, which determine performance of workers*

The enough labour motivation is closely related to the employee performance and plays a role of principle importance [7]. However, it provides his/her content or discontent in the work as well. There are two significant factors related to the employee labor content or discontent: (a) the first one is, what the work does mean in his/her lifestyle? (b) What the work or labour does mean as a social phenomenon? The labour content as a personality component indicates a level of satisfaction related to needs interconnected to labour or work. However, the labour satisfaction depends on type of employees as well [7, 8]. Herzberg et al. [8] postulate two different level related to the above-mentioned aspect: (a) satisfiers – the factors closely related to the work content (award, satisfaction. Those factors determine the man or woman attitude to the work subject and are closely related to that what he or she is doing. They have a motivating and satisfying effect and they are needed for personal growth, while they enable psychological stimulating and self-realization [7, 9]. In the case, the satisfiers are absent, the worker is not feeling to be satisfied. If the dissatisfaction is away, the satisfiers might be oriented to the employee motivation [4].

The dissatisfies reflect the man's or woman's attitude to the work content and the situation in which the man or woman works, while they are concerned with the widest environmental aspects and awards or wages and generate dissatisfaction without effects related to creation of positive attitudes to the work. They have a protection and maintenance task and they are denoted as hygienic factors as a result of that. However, they generate a working dissatisfaction and a man or woman is feeling a need to avoid troubles as well, while they do not contribute to psychological and personal growth [7]. They do not have a primary demotivation effect; however they have a great deal with work satisfaction or dissatisfaction [4]. Jurkovský (1980<sup>1</sup> ) postulates appreciation, responsibility, significance and advance of work and a performance as a matter of principle importance. However, those aspects and their perception by employees related to their biorhythmic aspects is a subject of actual research.

<sup>1</sup> In [3].

#### *2.1.3 Relation between functional status of human organism and its performance*

The analysis of personal variables related organization efficiency, where the firm or company personal strategy plays a role of significant importance might generate getting to know the employee personality types. At the beginning of milestones concerned with development of views at individual personality, his/her labor capabilities seemed to be the most decisive factor related to his/her labor activities, while fruitfulness of worker was measured by his/her performance and content, a measure of which indicated the firm or company efficiency as well [7].

A functional status of human organism is not constant within day and several regular swinging might be observed [10]. However, the swinging is denoted as diurnal one is determined by the internal oscillator and biological clocks as well (MINORS, WATERHOUSE, 1986; In [10]). Blake a Colquhoun identified subgroups o people who indicated their activity in the morning and in the evening and their diurnal temperature model was different than the normal model indicates (BLAKE, 1971; In [11]), (COLQUHOUN, 1960; In [12]). The temperature of people active in the morning is growing, reaches a peak and decreases in the day, while the people active in the evening indicate the delayed temperature model. An existence of different models related to activity of people in the morning and in the evening is not surprising and was confirmed, when investigating individual people. An importance of pre-determined diurnal preferences in the work was the subject of the actual research.

#### **2.2 The factors, which affect the employee performance: quantitative view**

#### *2.2.1 Business processes: structure and functionality*

A set of business processes running in the firm or company is being judged and evaluated, when investigating that firm management system internal structure, while the *process control* should be respected and that term semantic meaning is explained within introduction of our contribution.

However, the management processes should be considered and respected, when considering the business process types and classes as well, while the special group employees participates at the functionality. They are denoted as - *the managers*. When considering the business process (BP) horizontal structure, the business process functions (BPFs) play a role of principal importance, while the BP horizontal structure consists of appropriate BPF sets, which seem to be significant at BPF modelling operations. There might be applied different approaches, while one of them is denoted as BP linguistic modelling approach - hereinafter known as BPLM approach [13], which is based the postulate that any BPF might be represented via logical sentence, which create basis of *text in natural language* (hereinafter known as TNL Text<sup>2</sup> ), while that sentence is defined via set denoted as the *linguistic set* [14, 15].

#### *2.2.2 Business process: external and internal metrics*

In general, the BP metrics term has a different semantic meaning than a semantic meaning of Business Metrics term, while the *Business Metrics* term indicates that any component of the firm or company business might be quantified and measured and the term *BP external and internal metrics* is concerned with horizontal structure

<sup>2</sup> The TNL text might be written in any language, English, Slovak, Czech, as for instance.

*Business Process versus Human Resources Performance DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98944*

element quantification and measurement, which creates an integral part of actually investigated BP running in the firm or company. On one hand, when considering the *Business Metrics term*, the firm or company business performance indicator values might be quantified and measured - return of investment or employee performance, as for instance. On the other hand, the term *BP external and internal metrics* might indicate a quantification and measurement such variables like technological device or technological tool performance, which create an integral part of the investigated business process, as for instance. However, both above-mentioned metrics types create an integral part of the branch denoted as Business Intelligence as well, while the main aim of any BPF and BP is to generate outputs pre-defined within the firm or company business strategy based on appropriate inputs and the *BP outputs and inputs* create an integral part **of BP external metrics** and the data and information concerned to performance of human resources, technological devices and technological tools who participate at BP functionality and performance create an integral part of the **BP internal metrics**. In order to generate the above-mentioned BP outputs based on appropriate inputs an engine denoted as **transformation engine** should exist, while *transformation operators (TOP), human resources (HR), technological devices (DEV)* and *tools (TOOL)* create an integral part of the **BP internal metrics** [16].

#### *2.2.3 Human resources as an integral part of business process metrics*

In a previous section, we have mentioned the business process internal and external metrics [2] represented by adequate linguistic sets, while the linguistic set concerned with human resources performance data {[HR\_performance (i, j)]} creates an important part of internal BP metrics too. As mentioned above, production devices, represented by {[Dev (i, j)]}linguistic set and tools represented by {[Tool (i, j)]} linguistic set create an integral part of BP internal metrics as well, while they will not be discussed within that contribution and considered to be the empty sets, {[Dev (i, j)]}=∅ and {[Tool (i, j)]} =∅.

## *2.2.4 Quantification and linguistic modelling of business process structure and functionality*

The term BP structure quantification means a mathematical description related to BP static as static aspects. However, the BP static aspect interpretation via linguistic sets is closely related to the business process to be investigated as well.

With respect to the postulate that any business process might be quantified via linguistic sets, which represent, the BP outputs, inputs and BPFs formula (1) can be postulated, while the

$$\text{BP (i)} = \prod\_{\mathbf{j}=1}^{\mathbf{m}\_1} \Pi \text{BPF (i, j)} \tag{1}$$

where

i = 1, 2, … n - index, which indicates the investigated BP serial number within superior vertical structure.

j = 1, 2, ......m1 – index, which indicates a serial number of BPF within BP to be investigated.

BPF linguistic sets contain subsets concerned with human resources [Hr (i, j")], production devices [Dev (i, j)] and production tools [Tool (i, j)] and formula (2) and (3) are postulated

$$\{ [\text{BP (i)}] \} = \{ [\text{Pe (i)}] \} \tag{2}$$

$$\{ [\text{Pe}\ (\text{i})] \} = \{ [\text{Hr}\ (\text{i}, \text{j}'')], [\text{Dev}\ (\text{i}, \text{j})], [\text{Tool}\ (\text{i}, \text{j})] \} \tag{3}$$

Further considerations related to BPF and BP structure quantification will be based on **linguistic sets**, which create basis of BPLM [1].

## *2.2.5 The PBPL Equation plays a role of basis related to quantification and linguistic modelling of BP and BPF structure and functionality*

In general, any BPF is represented by three linguistic sets; see also formulas (2), (3). Let us consider a linguistic set of pre-defined outputs {[Res1 (i, j)]} and a set of adequate inputs, {[Petx (i, j)], the **Principle Business Process Linguistic Equation –** hereinafter known as PBPL Equation **might** be introduced, while its basic form is postulated via formula (4) and will be applied for further BPF and BP quantification and linguistic modelling [17].

$$\{ [\text{Petx}\ (\mathbf{i}, \mathbf{j})] \} \otimes \{ [\text{BP } (\mathbf{i}, \mathbf{j})] \} = \{ [\text{Res1}\ (\mathbf{i}, \mathbf{j})] \} \tag{4}$$

It is known, that the PBPL Equation has an endless number of solutions, while any solution is closely related to its application at BPFs and BP linguistic models (hereinafter known as BPLM approach). However, that equation will be applied for creation of BP functionality model, which describes relationship between the BP performance and production human resources (see also Section 4).

#### **3. Research methods**

Two approaches have been selected, when investigating the modelled BP performance and a performance of employees interested in that BP functionality. The first approach is denoted as a qualitative and second is denoted as quantitative one.

When applying the qualitative approach in order to investigate the abovementioned relationship, we have postulated the aim to catch a labor motivation in the context of motivating elements and hygienic factors, which are acting at labor motivation related to works published by [8] In [7], and [3].

With respect to those works, we have postulated two hypotheses: (a) *There is a difference between early-maturing and vesper tine chronotype of workers in a subjective labor performance perception during the week related to CTQ*<sup>3</sup> *Scale* [18].

(b) *There is a difference between early-maturing and vesper tine chronotype of workers in a subjective labor performance perception during the 24 hours related to CTQ* [18].

Eighteen employees (100 %) created a research subject. As for personal structure, there were: manager, deputy of manager, five professors, four associated professors and seven assistant professors. The formulated hypothesis related to the above-mentioned research described in that contribution created a good basis for quantification of relations between business process performance and those employee performance who were interested in that business process. With respect to postulated hypothesis and research described in those results created basis for performance quantification relationships between the BP to be investigated and performance quantification of employees interested in the above-mentioned BP functionality (performance). Appropriate linguistic sets have been applied in order

<sup>3</sup> CTQ - Circadian Type Questionnaire.

*Business Process versus Human Resources Performance DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98944*

to quantify the pre-defined relation, while those sets create an integral part of the PBPL Equation basic form PBPL [15] while the modified PBPL Equation form has been derived in order to enable applying it for quantification of pre-defined relation. Subsequently, we started looking for the modified PBPL Equation solution, the results of which were linguistic sets, the content of which has been transformed to adequate semantic networks (SNWs) and reference databases (RDBs), while they created a good basis for knowledge representation concerned with the investigated relationship. Simultaneously, an adequate expert system structure has been designed [1], while the knowledge base contains SNWs and RDBs. No analytical approach might be applied, when looking for the PBPL Equations solution and the approach based on graphs and tables was applied, as a result of that. However, it enables representing the relationship between BP performance and performance of employees interested in its functionality and performance as well.
