mgmt 441-01 staffing prof. howard miller. staffing function among several human resource functions ...
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Mgmt 441-01 Staffing
Prof. Howard Miller
Staffing Function
Among several human resource functions
Benefits Compensation Safety Labor Relations Training
Staffing . . .
Involves getting people in, or out, of a company
We’ll concentrate on the “getting people in” part
Staffing has 2 main purposes
“Get the best talent” for the firm at the price we can offer
Conform to national, state and local regulations concerning staffing practice, or in short “keep it legal”
How to Staff?
Derive “demand for labor” Update job requirement information Identify knowledge, skills and
abilities required for success on job Develop measures of job-related
KSA’s Recruit from relevant labor markets Screen using “valid” tests Make offer, provide orientation to
accepts
Staffing Project Steps
Choose job to study Find real setting to perform job analysis Perform job analysis Develop job description, job specification Find/develop tests to measure job
specifications Identify “Relevant” labor markets Define recruiting methods Spell out hiring process to client in full
detail
What do you mean “valid test”?* Note importance of Supreme Court
case Watson v. Ft Worth Bank and Trust
(1988) Supreme court states (paraphrasing): “A test is any hurdle you have to clear
to get a job” - especially important for interviewing, which was at core of case
* A “valid test” is a hurdle that allows better talent to get over, while lesser talent is screened out
How do we establish if a test is “valid” Note importance of “The Uniform
Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures” (1978) Uniform Guidelines link
Three methods recognized by courts – “Content validation”
“Criterion-related validation” “Construct validation”
The logic of hiring validity illustrated Consider classic payoff matrix, which we’ll
label “selection decision matrix” in our setting.
Good decisions result when applicants who will succeed are hired (“true positive”), and applicants who will not succeed are rejected (“true negative”)
Bad decisions involve rejecting people who will work out (“false negative), and accepting those who don’t work out (“false positive”)
Selection Decision Matrix
Content validation …
A logical analysis by subject matter experts (SME’s) of the overlap between the content of screening tests and the content of job requirements
Note the deceptive simplicity of the requirements for a typist at the university
Criterion-related validation The main way it’s done 2 types: Predictive Validation and
Concurrent Validation
Predictive uses test data from applicants, and job performance data from those hired
Concurrent uses both test and performance data from current employees
Construct Validation . . .
More complex than the other two
One has to show that measures of applicant traits and job performance really measure those things (Classic construct validation)
AND then show trait measures correlate with job performance measures
the vast majority of the time
we’ll be referring to “concurrent, criterion-related validity evidence” because of it’s overwhelming use
Valid tests mean lower error rates in hiring decisions More true positives and negatives Fewer false positives and negatives Lower exposure to successful
litigation Higher “utility” of the staffing
function
Research on validity tells us what works!
Find tests that are shown to be valid
How is this done?
Within the “concurrent, criterion-related validation” approach, it means showing a significant correlation between test scores and job performance scores – the essence of a concurrent validity study.
What would such validation data look like?
See “Ma and Pa Consumer Electronics Store” data set illustration
Ma and Pa Consumer Electronics Data Set 1.xls
Valid Hiring Tests
A hiring test – anything you must get through to get the job
A “Valid” hiring test – one where applicants who score better on the test do a better job if hired
In criterion-related empirical test validation, it is one where there is a “significant correlation between hiring test scores and job performance scores”
Empirical validation
Obtain a representative sample of people Have them take the hiring test(s), and
measure their job performance Compute the statistical correlation of hiring
test scores and job performance scores Compute the “statistical significance” of the
sample correlation If “significant”, cross-validate in new
sample If correlation remains significant, put test(s)
into use
Some key statistical concepts “Mean” the average score for a
group of people “Standard Deviation” the average
variability around the average score for a group of people
“Correlation” a number that reveals the degree of linear association between hiring test scores and job performance scores
Correlation properties
Correlation is notated with lower case “r” It can range in value from -1.00 to +1.00 r=0 means “zero” correlation, no linear
association between the test (x) and job performance (y) – that’s not happy
r=+1.00 (or r= -1.00) means there is a perfect association of hiring test and job performance - doesn’t happen in reality, tho’ we’d love it if it did!
Correlations from real samples RARELY exceed values of r=.50
More on correlation
Correlation can be used to “summarize” the pattern in a 2-variable scatterplot, like the hiring test (x axis) versus job performance (y axis) scatterplot
In this application, correlation is a special case of linear regression – using a straight line to summarize what’s happening in a data set
Plot interview score against job performance in the Ma and Pa data set
Statistical analysis of interviews in relation to
monthly sales
Compute the correlation of hiring test scores with job performance scores
Compute the regression of job performance scores (Y) on hiring test scores (X)
Things to do
Review material covered, so you ace the quiz next week
Read the “legal” chapter in GFB Read the “Uniform Guidelines”
Find a company/organization where you can perform job analysis on real job