Robbins & Judge Organizational Behavior 13th Edition Chapter 18: Human Resource Policies and Practices Student Study Slideshow Bob Stretch Southwestern College © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-1 Chapter Learning Objectives • After studying this chapter, you should be able to: – Define initial selection and identify the most useful methods – Define substantive selection and identify the most useful methods – Define contingent selection and contrast the arguments for and against drug testing – Compare the four main types of training – Contrast formal and informal training methods, and on-the-job and off-the-job training – Support the use of performance evaluation – Show how managers can improve performance evaluations – Explain how diversity can be managed in organizations – Show how a global context affects human resource management © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-2 The Selection Process • Initial Selection – Applicants who don’t meet basic requirements are rejected • Substantive Selection – Applicants who meet basic requirements, but are less qualified than others, are rejected • Contingent Selection – Applicants who are among best qualified, but who fail contingent selection, are rejected • Applicant receives job offer Exhibit 18-1 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-3 Stage 1: Initial Selection • Initial selection devices are used to determine if basic qualifications for the job are met • Devices include: – Application Forms • Good initial screen • Must be careful about questions asked – legal issues – Background Checks • Most employers want reference information, but few give it out – litigation worries • Letters of recommendation are of marginal worth • May use criminal record or credit report checks © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-4 Stage 2: Substantive Selection • These devices are the heart of the selection process – Written Tests • Testing applicants for: intelligence or cognitive ability, personality, integrity, and interests • Intelligence tests are the best predictor across all jobs – Performance-Simulation Tests • Based on job-related performance requirements • Work Sample Tests – Creating a miniature replica of a job to evaluate the performance abilities of job candidates • Assessment Centers – A set of performance-simulation tests designed to evaluate a candidate’s managerial potential © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-5 Another Substantive Selection Device • Interviews – Are the most frequently used selection tool – Carry a great deal of weight in the selection process – Can be biased toward those who “interview well” • Types of Interviews – Unstructured (randomly chosen questions) • Most common, least predictive, and prone to bias – Structured (standardized sets of questions) • More predictive of job success; less chance for bias – Behavioral structured (asking how specific problems were handled in the past) • Past behaviors may be good predictors of future behavior • Interviews most often used to determine organization-individual fit © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-6 Stage 3: Contingent Selection • Final checks before hiring – Drug testing • Controversial: perceived to be unfair or invasive • Supreme Court ruled that this is not an invasion of rights • Expensive but accurate • Alcohol not generally tested for © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-7 Training and Development Programs • Types of Training – Basic Literacy Skills • One half of U.S high school graduates not have the basic skills necessary for work – Technical Skills • Focus of most training, especially given the pace of technological change – Interpersonal Skills • Skills like effective listening, communication, and teamwork – Problem-solving Skills • Help sharpen logic and reasoning, and provide helpful decision-making techniques © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-8 What About Ethics Training? Argument against – Personal values and value systems are fixed at an early age © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved Argument for – Values can be learned and changed – Training helps employees recognize ethical dilemmas and issues – Training reaffirms the organization’s expectation that members will act ethically 18-9 Training Methods • Formal – Planned in advance with a structured format • Informal – Unstructured, unplanned, and easily adaptable – 70% of all current training is of this type • On-the-Job (OJT) – Includes job rotation, apprenticeships, understudy assignments, and formal mentoring programs – May be disruptive to the workplace • Off-the-Job – Classroom lectures, videotapes, seminars, self-study courses, Internetbased courses, role-plays, and case studies • E-Training (computer-based) – Flexible but expensive and not proven to work © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-10 Evaluating Training Effectiveness • Many factors determine training effectiveness: – Training method used – Individual motivation – Trainee personality: those with internal locus of control, high conscientiousness, high cognitive ability, and high self-efficacy learn best – Training climate: ability to apply the learning to the job © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-12 Performance Evaluation • Evaluation affects performance level • Purposes of Performance Evaluation – Provides input to general human resource decisions • Promotions, transfers, and terminations – Identifies skill training and development needs – Provides performance feedback to employees – Supplies the basis for reward allocation decisions • Merit pay increases and other rewards • For OB specialists: the key purposes of performance evaluation are the last two - a mechanism for feedback and reward allocation © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-13 What Do We Evaluate? • Individual Task Outcomes – These are the metrics that directly result from employee effort such as sales, turnover, or quality • Behaviors – When direct results are difficult to determine, may be evaluated on behavior and documented actions such as sales calls made, promptness in submitting reports, or non-productive activities like volunteering for charity drives • Traits – Weak because they don’t reflect productivity; often used these include attitudes, confidence, and looking busy © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-14 Who Should Do the Evaluating? • • • • • • Immediate Supervisor Peers Subordinates Customers The person being evaluated 360o feedback: all these and more Exhibit 18-2 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-15 Methods of Performance Evaluation • Written Essay – A narrative describing an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, past performances, potential, and suggestions for improvement • Critical Incidents – Evaluating the behaviors that are key in making the difference between executing a job effectively and executing it ineffectively © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-16 More Methods of Performance Evaluation • Graphic Rating Scales – An evaluation method in which the evaluator rates performance factors on an incremental scale Keeps up with current policies and regulations X Completely Unaware © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved Fully Informed 18-17 Another Performance Evaluation Method Punctuality • 1: Never late for work • 2: Late 1-2 times per month • 3: Late or more times per month © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved • Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) – Scales that combine major elements from the critical incident and graphic rating scale approaches: The appraiser rates the employees based on items along a continuum, but the points are examples of actual behavior on a given job rather than general descriptions or traits 18-18 Even More Evaluation Methods • Forced Comparisons – Evaluating one individual’s performance relative to the performance of another individual or others – Who is “better,” A or B? – Group Order Ranking • An evaluation method that places employees into a particular classification, such as quartiles • 10 % are A’s, 20 % B’s, 40 % C’s, 20 % D’s, and 10 % F’s – Individual Ranking • An evaluation method that rank-orders employees from best to worst • Mary is #1, Juan is #2, Liu is #3… Exhibit 18-3 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-19 Suggestions for Improving Evaluations • Use multiple evaluators to overcome rater biases – Halo and leniency errors • Evaluate selectively based on evaluator competence • Train evaluators to improve rater accuracy • Provide employees with due process – Individuals are provided with adequate notice of performance expectations – All relevant evidence of a violation is aired in a fair hearing, with the individual given an opportunity to respond – Final decision is based on the evidence and is free of bias © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-20 Providing Performance Feedback • Why Managers Are Reluctant to Give Feedback – They are uncomfortable discussing performance weaknesses directly with employees – Employees tend to become defensive – Employees tend to have an inflated assessment of their own performance • Solutions to Improving Feedback – Train managers how to give effective feedback – Use performance review as a counseling activity rather than as a judgment process © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-21 Managing Diversity: Work-Life Conflicts • Since the 1980s the line between work and personal life has begun to blur • Solutions include: – Flexible scheduling and benefits – On-site personal services (like dry cleaning or a gym) – Time-, information- or money-based strategies available • Stress is caused not by time constraints but the psychological incursion of work into the family domain and vice versa – Some like greater integration of work and family; others need greater separation Exhibit 18-4 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-22 Diversity Training • Used to increase awareness and to examine stereotypes • Participants learn to value individual differences, increase cross-cultural understanding, and confront stereotypes © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-23 Global Implications • Selection – Practices differ by nation: global policies need to be modified to fit within local customs – Use of educational qualifications may be universal • Performance Evaluation – Not emphasized or considered appropriate in many cultures due to differences in: • Individualism versus collectivism • A person’s relationship to the environment • Time orientation (long- or short-term) • Focus on responsibility © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-24 Summary and Managerial Implications • Selection Practices – Proper selection devices increase likelihood of hiring the right person for the position • Training and Development Programs – Can be used to improve employee skills – Increase employee self-efficacy • Performance Evaluation – A major goal is to assess an individual’s performance accurately as a basis for reward allocation decisions – Should be based on behavioral, results-oriented criteria, take a long-term view and allow employees input into the process © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-25 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher Printed in the United States of America Copyright ©2009 Pearson Education, Inc Publishing as Prentice Hall [...]... rights reserved 18-22 Diversity Training • Used to increase awareness and to examine stereotypes • Participants learn to value individual differences, increase cross-cultural understanding, and confront stereotypes © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-23 Global Implications • Selection – Practices differ by nation: global policies need to be modified to fit within local customs – Use of educational... cognitive ability, and high self-efficacy learn best – Training climate: ability to apply the learning to the job © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-12 Performance Evaluation • Evaluation affects performance level • Purposes of Performance Evaluation – Provides input to general human resource decisions • Promotions, transfers, and terminations – Identifies skill training and development needs... line between work and personal life has begun to blur • Solutions include: – Flexible scheduling and benefits – On-site personal services (like dry cleaning or a gym) – Time-, information- or money-based strategies available • Stress is caused not by time constraints but the psychological incursion of work into the family domain and vice versa – Some like greater integration of work and family; others... feedback: all these and more Exhibit 18-2 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-15 Methods of Performance Evaluation • Written Essay – A narrative describing an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, past performances, potential, and suggestions for improvement • Critical Incidents – Evaluating the behaviors that are key in making the difference between executing a job effectively and executing it... development needs – Provides performance feedback to employees – Supplies the basis for reward allocation decisions • Merit pay increases and other rewards • For OB specialists: the key purposes of performance evaluation are the last two - a mechanism for feedback and reward allocation © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-13 What Do We Evaluate? • Individual Task Outcomes – These are the...Individualized Training and Learning Styles • Learning styles differ: so should training method • Learning Styles: – Reading • Give them books and reading materials to review – Watching • Let them observe experts modeling the proper behaviors – Listening • Provide lectures or audiotapes – Participating • Let these... Time orientation (long- or short-term) • Focus on responsibility © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-24 Summary and Managerial Implications • Selection Practices – Proper selection devices increase likelihood of hiring the right person for the position • Training and Development Programs – Can be used to improve employee skills – Increase employee self-efficacy • Performance Evaluation... quartiles • 10 % are A’s, 20 % B’s, 40 % C’s, 20 % D’s, and 10 % F’s – Individual Ranking • An evaluation method that rank-orders employees from best to worst • Mary is #1, Juan is #2, Liu is #3… Exhibit 18-3 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-19 Suggestions for Improving Evaluations • Use multiple evaluators to overcome rater biases – Halo and leniency errors • Evaluate selectively based on... When direct results are difficult to determine, may be evaluated on behavior and documented actions such as sales calls made, promptness in submitting reports, or non-productive activities like volunteering for charity drives • Traits – Weak because they don’t reflect productivity; often used these include attitudes, confidence, and looking busy © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved 18-14 Who Should... reserved 18-16 More Methods of Performance Evaluation • Graphic Rating Scales – An evaluation method in which the evaluator rates performance factors on an incremental scale Keeps up with current policies and regulations 1 2 3 4 5 X Completely Unaware © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc All rights reserved Fully Informed 18-17 Another Performance Evaluation Method Punctuality • 1: Never late for work • 2: Late ... selection and contrast the arguments for and against drug testing – Compare the four main types of training – Contrast formal and informal training methods, and on-the-job and off-the-job training.. .Chapter Learning Objectives • After studying this chapter, you should be able to: – Define initial selection and identify the most useful methods – Define substantive selection and identify... miniature replica of a job to evaluate the performance abilities of job candidates • Assessment Centers – A set of performance-simulation tests designed to evaluate a candidate’s managerial potential