17
Chapter
Organizational
Behavior
15th Global Edition
Robbins and Judge
Human Resources
and Policies
17-1
Chapter 17 Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
1.
Define initial selection, and identify the most useful methods.
2.
Define substantive selection, and identify the most useful methods.
3.
Define contingent selection, and contrast the arguments for and against drug testing.
4.
Compare the four main types of training.
5.
Contrast formal and informal training methods.
6.
Contrast on-the-job and off-the-job training.
7.
Describe the purposes of performance evaluation and list the methods by which it can be done.
8.
Show how managers can improve performance evaluations.
9.
Describe how organizations can manage work-family conflicts.
17-2
LO 1
Define initial selection,
and identify the most useful methods
17-3
LO 1
Define initial selection,
and identify the most useful methods
17-4
LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Substantive Selection
 Written tests
 Performance simulations
 Assessment centers
 Situational judgment tests
 Interviews
17-5
LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Written Tests
 Typical written tests are tests of intelligence,
aptitude, ability, interest, and integrity.
 Intelligence tests are particularly good
predictors for jobs that require cognitive
complexity.
 The evidence is impressive that these tests
are good predictors.
17-6
LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Performance Simulation Tests
 Performance-simulation tests have higher face
validityand their popularity has increased.
 Work sampling tests
 Hands-on simulations of part or all of the job
that must be performed by applicants.
17-7
LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Assessment centers
 Assessment centers use a more elaborate set
of performance simulation tests, specifically
designed to evaluate a candidate’s managerial
potential.
 Assessment centers have consistently
demonstrated results that predict later job
performance in managerial positions.
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LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Situational Judgment Tests
 To reduce the costs of job simulations, many
organizations have started to use situational
judgment tests, which ask applicants how they
would perform in a variety of job situations and
compare their answers to those of highperforming employees.
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LO 2
Define substantive selection,
and identify the most useful methods
 Interviews
 Continues to be the most frequently used.
 It carries a great deal of weight.
 The candidate who performs poorly in the
employment interview is likely to be cut,
regardless of his/her experience, test scores,
or letters of recommendation, and vice versa.
 This is important because of the unstructured
form of most selection interviews.
17-10
LO 3
Define contingent selection, and contrast the
arguments for and against drug testing
 Common contingent method is a drug test.
 Drug testing is controversial.
 Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, firms
may not require employees to pass a medical
exam before a job offer is made.
17-11
LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Types of Training
 There are four general skill categories for
training:
 basic literacy skills,
 Technical skills,
 Interpersonal skills, and
 Problem solving skills.
 In addition, ethics training is included.
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LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Basic Literacy Skills
 High school graduates lack basic skills in
reading comprehension, writing, and math.
 As work has become more sophisticated, the
need for these basic skills has grown
significantly.
 It’s a worldwide problem—from the most
developed countries to the least.
17-13
LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Technical Skills
 Technical training is important for two
reasons—new technology and new structural
designs.
 As organizations flatten their structures,
expand their use of teams, and break down
traditional departmental barriers, employees
need mastery of a wider variety of tasks and
increased knowledge of how their organization
operates.
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LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Problem-Solving Skills
 Problem-solving training for managers and
other employees can include activities to
sharpen their logic, reasoning, and problem
defining skills as well as their abilities to
assess causation, develop and analyze
alternatives, and select solutions.
17-15
LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Interpersonal Skills
 Almost all employees belong to a work unit.
 These skills include how to be a better
listener, how to communicate ideas more
clearly, and how to be a more effective team
player.
17-16
LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Civility Training
 As human resource managers have become
increasingly aware of the effects of social
behavior in the workplace, they have paid
more attention to the problems of incivility,
bullying, and abusive supervision in
organizations.
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LO 4
Compare the four main types of training
 Ethics Training
 A large percentage of employees working in
the 1,000 largest U.S. corporations receive
ethics training.
 Critics argue that ethics are based on values,
and value systems are fixed at an early age.
 Ethics cannot be formally “taught” but must be
learned by example.
17-18
Contrast formal and informal
training methods
LO 5
 Training Methods
 Historically, training meant formal training.
 It is planned in advance and has a
structured format.
 Organizations are increasingly relying on
informal training.
 Unstructured, unplanned, and easily
adapted to situations and individuals.
17-19
LO 6
Contrast on-the-job and
off-the-job training
 Training Methods
 On-the-job training includes job rotation,
apprenticeships, understudy assignments, and
formal mentoring programs.
 Live classroom lectures.
 E-training (computer-based training) is the
fastest growing training delivery mechanism.
17-20
LO 6
Contrast on-the-job and
off-the-job training
 Training Methods Effectiveness
 The effectiveness of a training program can
refer to the level of student satisfaction, the
amount students learn, the extent to which
they transfer the material from training to their
jobs, or the financial return on investments in
training.
 An effective training program requires not just
teaching the skills but also changing the work
environment to support the trainees.
17-21
LO 7
Describe the purposes of performance
evaluation and list the methods
by which it can be done
 Purposes of Performance Evaluation
 Human resource decisions.
 Evaluations identify training and development
needs.
 Pinpoint employee skills and competencies
needing development.
 Criterion for selection and development.
 Provide feedback to employees.
17-22
LO 7
Describe the purposes of performance
evaluation and list the methods
by which it can be done
17-23
LO 7
Describe the purposes of performance
evaluation and list the methods
by which it can be done
 Methods of Performance Evaluation
 Written Essays
 Critical Incidents
 Graphic Ratings Scales
 Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales
 Forced Comparisons
17-24
LO 7
Describe the purposes of performance
evaluation and list the methods
by which it can be done
17-25
LO 8
Show how managers can
improve performance evaluations
 The performance evaluation process is a
potential minefield.
 Evaluators can unconsciously inflate
evaluations (positive leniency), understate
performance (negative leniency), or allow the
assessment of one characteristic to unduly
influence the assessment of others (the halo
error).
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LO 8
Show how managers can
improve performance evaluations
 Use Multiple Evaluators
 Evaluate Selectively
 Train Evaluators
 Provide Employees with Due Process
17-27
LO 8
Show how managers can
improve performance evaluations
 Providing Performance Feedback
 Managers are often uncomfortable
discussing weaknesses with employees.
 In fact, unless pressured by organizational
policies and controls, managers are likely to
ignore this responsibility.
 The solution to the problem is not to ignore
it but to train managers to conduct
constructive feedback sessions.
17-28
LO 9
Describe how organizations can
manage work-family conflicts
 Managing Work-Life in Organizations
 Work-life conflicts grabbed management’s
attention in the 1980s, largely as a result of
the growing number of women, with
dependent children, entering the workforce.
 Organizations quickly realized work-life
conflicts were not limited to female employees
with children.
17-29
LO 9
Describe how organizations can
manage work-family conflicts
17-30
Summary and Implications for Managers
 An organization’s human resource policies and
practices create important forces that shape
employee behavior and attitudes.
 In this chapter, we specifically discussed the
influence of selection practices, training and
development programs, and performance
evaluation systems.
17-31