robbins & judge organizational behavior 13th edition chapter 18: human resource policies and...

Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior13th Edition

Chapter 18: Human Resource Policies and Practices

Student Study Slideshow

Bob StretchSouthwestern College

18-1© 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

18-2© 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

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


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


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


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


Training and Development Programs

• Types of Training– Basic Literacy Skills

• One half of U.S. high school graduates do 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


What About Ethics Training?

Argument against– Personal values and value

systems are fixed at an early age

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


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, Internet-

based courses, role-plays, and case studies.• E-Training (computer-based)

– Flexible but expensive and not proven to work


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 learners try out the new skills in a safe experimental

environment• The styles are not mutually exclusive – employees can

learn from multiple styles


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


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


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


Who Should Do the Evaluating?

• Immediate Supervisor• Peers• Subordinates• Customers• The person being evaluated• 360o feedback: all these and more

Exhibit 18-2


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


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 currentpolicies and regulations.

11 22 33 44 55

CompletelyUnaware

FullyInformed

XX

Another Performance Evaluation Method

• 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.


Punctuality• 1: Never late for work• 2: Late 1-2 times per

month• 3: Late 3 or more times

per month

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


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


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


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


Diversity Training

• Used to increase awareness and to examine stereotypes

• Participants learn to value individual differences, increase cross-cultural understanding, and confront stereotypes


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


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


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

robbins & judge organizational behavior 13th edition chapter 18: human resource policies and...

Documents

used selection tool

job training

set of performance

performance evaluations

job offer

sample tests

predictive of job success

basic requirements