Chapter 6 Selecting Employees Who Fit How Can Strategic Employee Selection Improve an Organization Employee Selection The process of testing and gathering information to decide whom to hire o A strategic approach to selecting employees can help an organization obtain and keep the talent necessary to produce goods and services that exceed the expectations of customers LO1 How is Employee Selection Strategic Short Term Generalist Workers hired to produce general labor inputs for a relatively short period of time o Bargain Labor HR Strategy Fast food worker o Not concerned with Job or Organization Based Fit o Potential Long Term Generalist Workers hired to perform a variety of different jobs over a relatively long period of time o Loyal Soldier HR Strategy o Utility Workers government agencies package delivery companies Employees to produce low cost goods services but with a strong commitment o Organization Based Fit o Potential Hiring should focus on ability motivation willingness to work various jobs Short Term Specialist Workers hired to provide specific labor inputs for a relatively short period of time o Free Agent HR Strategy o Investment bankers and advertising executives o Staffing aimed at hiring people who will bring new skills and produce innovative goods Long Term Specialist Workers hired to develop specific expertise and establish a lengthy and top quality service o Job Based Fit o Achievement career within an organization o Committed Expert HR Strategy o Pharmaceutical reps accountant with large firm that sells goods o Organization Based Fit o Potential Making Strategic Selection Decisions 1 Balancing Job Fit Organization Fit Job Based Fit Matching an employee s knowledge and skills to the tasks associated with a specific job High ability in math financial analyst or accountant Organization Based Fit Matching an employee s characteristics to the general culture of the organization Conservative person might fit well in company culture of caution and tradition Higher job satisfaction 2 Balancing Achievement and Potential Achievement A selection approach emphasizing existing skills and past accomplishments Potential A selection approach emphasizing broad characteristics that foreshadow capability to develop future knowledge and skills LO2 What Makes a Selection Method Good Reliability An assessment of the degree to which a selection method yields consistent results Test Retest Method A process of estimating reliability that compares scores on a single selection assessment obtained at different times Alternate Forms Method A process of estimating reliability that compares scores on different versions of a selection assessment Split Halves Method A process of estimating reliability that compares scores on two parts of a selection assessment Inter Rater Method A process of estimating reliability that compares assessment scores provided by different raters Correlation Coefficient A statistical measure that describes the strength of the relationship between two measures o Range from a low of 0 to a high of 1 which indicates a perfect relationship Validity The quality of being justifiable To be valid a method of selecting employees must accurately predict who will perform the job well o Generalizability The extent to which the validity of an assessment method in one context can be used as evidence of validity in another context Situational Specificity The condition in which evidence of validity in one setting does not support validity in other settings Validity Generalization The condition in which evidence of validity in one setting can be seen as evidence of validity in other settings Content Validation Strategy A process of estimating validity that uses expert raters to determine if a test assesses skills needed to perform a certain job Criterion Related Validation Strategy A process of estimating validity that uses a correlation coefficient to determine whether scores on tests predict job performance Predictive Validation Strategy A form of criterion related validity estimation in which selection assessments are obtained from applicants before they are hired Concurrent Validation Strategy A form of criterion related validity estimation in which selection assessments are obtained from people who are already employees Utility A characteristic of selection methods that reflects their cost effectiveness o Factors Influencing Utility Validity Number of people selected into a position Length of time people stay employed Performance Variability Ratio of applicants to hires for a particular position Cost Legality and Fairness o Validity plays an important role in the legality of a selection method Fairness A characteristic of selection methods that reflects individuals perceptions concerning potential bias and discrimination in the selection method Acceptability A characteristic of selection methods that reflects applicants beliefs about the appropriateness of the selection methods LO3 What Selection Methods are Commonly Selected 1 Testing Cognitive Ability Testing Assessment of a person s capability to learn and solve problems o Very good at predicting validity generalization o Useful in determining who to hire o Racial Groups usually score differently o Managers often see CAT s as the most important predictors of work performance Personality Testing Assessment of traits that show consistency in behavior o Agreeableness o Conscientiousness o Emotional Stability o Extraversion o Openness to Experience Situational Judgment Test Assessment that asks job applicants what they would do or should do in a hypothetical situation Physical Ability Testing Assessment of muscular strength cardiovascular endurance and coordination Integrity Testing Assessment of the likelihood that an individual will be dishonest o Overt Ask questions about attitudes toward theft and other illegal activities o Covert More personality based and seek to predict dishonesty by assessing attitudes and tendencies towards antisocial behaviors such as violence and substance abuse Drug Testing Work Sample Testing Assessment of performance on tasks that represent specific job actions o Typing computer programming driving simulator electronics repair Assessment Center A complex selection method that includes multiple measures obtained from multiple applicants across multiple days 2 Gathering Information Application Forms and Resumes Biographical Data Assessment focusing on previous events and experiences in an applicant