Contingent assessment methods

Part 4

Staffing Activities: Selection

Chapter 9:

External Selection II

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Staffing Policies and Programs

Staffing System and Retention Management

Support Activities

Legal compliance

Planning

Job analysis

Core Staffing Activities

Recruitment: External, internal

Selection:

Measurement, external, internal

Employment:

Decision making, final match

Staffing Organizations Model

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External Selection II Outline

Substantive Assessment Methods

Personality Tests

Ability Tests

Emotional Intelligence Tests

Performance Tests and Work Samples

Situational Judgment Tests

Integrity Tests

Interest, Values, and Preference Inventories

Structured Interview

Choice of Substantive Assessment Methods

Discretionary Assessment Methods

Contingent Assessment Methods

Drug testing

Medical exams

Legal Issues

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

Selection Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

Drug Testing

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Learning Objectives for This Chapter

Distinguish among initial, substantive, and contingent selection

Review the advantages and disadvantages of personality and cognitive ability tests

Compare and contrast work sample and situational judgment tests

Understand the advantages of structured interviews and how interviews can be structured

Review the logic behind contingent assessment methods and how they are administrated

Understand the ways in which substantive and contingent assessment methods are subject to various legal rules and restrictions

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Discussion Questions for This Chapter

Describe the similarities and differences between personality tests and integrity tests. When is each warranted in the selection process?

How would you advise an organization considering adopting a cognitive ability test for selection?

Describe the structured interview. What are the characteristics of structured interviews that improve on the shortcomings of unstructured interviews?

What are the most common discretionary and contingent assessment methods? What are the similarities and differences between the use of these two methods?

What is the best way to collect and use drug-testing data in selection decisions?

How should organizations apply the general principles of the UGESP to practical selection decisions?

Ex. 8.3 Assessment Methods by Applicant Flow Stage

Substantive assessment methods

Determining who among the minimally qualified will likely be the best performers on the job

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Overview of Personality Tests

Current role of personality tests e.g., role of Big Five

Describe behavioral, not emotional or cognitive traits

May capture up to 75% of an individual’s personality

Big Five factors (Personality Characteristics Inventory etc.)

Emotional stability-calm, optimistic, and well adjusted

Extraversion-sociable, assertive, active, upbeat, and talkative

Openness to experience-imaginative, attentive to inner feelings, have intellectual curiosity and independence of judgment

Agreeableness-altruistic, trusting, sympathetic, and cooperative

Conscientiousness-purposeful, determined, dependable, and attentive to detail

Roughly 50% of the variance in the Big Five traits appears to be inherited

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Ex. 9.1 Sample Items from the Personal Characteristics Inventory

Conscientiousness

I can always be counted on to get the job done.

I am a very persistent worker.

I almost always plan things in advance of work.

Extraversion

Meeting new people is enjoyable to me.

I like to stir up excitement if things get boring.

I am a “take-charge” type of person.

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Ex. 9.1 Sample Items from the Personal Characteristics Inventory

Agreeableness

I like to help others who are down on their luck.

I usually see the good side of people.

I forgive others easily.

Emotional Stability

I can become annoyed at people quite easily (reverse-scored).

At times I don’t care about much of anything (reverse-scored).

My feelings tend to be easily hurt (reverse-scored).

Openness to Experience

I like to work with difficult concepts and ideas.

I enjoy trying new and different things.

I tend to enjoy art, music, or literature.

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Ex. 9.2 Implications of Big Five Personality Traits at Work

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Criticisms of Personality Tests

Trivial validities

Correlations for any individual trait with job performance are typically low (around r=.23)

However, when all traits are used simultaneously, correlations are higher

Faking

Individuals answer in a dishonest way

However, tests still have some validity, and it may be that being able to “act” conscientiously may be related to real job performance

Negative applicant reactions

Applicants, in general, believe personality tests are less valid predictors of job performance

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Exhibit 9.3 The Core Self-Evaluations Scale

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Overview of Ability Tests

Definition -- Measures that assess an individual’s capacity to function in a certain way

15 to 20% of organizations use ability tests in selection

Two types

Aptitude - Assess innate capacity to function

Achievement - Assess learned capacity to function

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Overview of Ability Tests

Four classes of ability tests

Cognitive: perception, memory, reasoning, verbal, math, expression

Psychomotor: thought/body movement coordination

Physical: strength, endurance, movement quality

Sensory/perceptual: detection & recognition of stimuli

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Exhibit 9.4 Sample Cognitive Ability Test Items

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Evaluation of Cognitive Ability Tests

Validity approaches .50

Research findings

Among the most valid methods of selection

Often generalizes across organizations, job types, and types of applicants

Can produce large economic gains for organizations and provide major competitive advantage

Validity is particularly high for jobs of medium and high complexity but also exists for simple jobs

A simple explanation for validity: those with higher cognitive ability acquire and use greater knowledge

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Limitations of Cognitive Ability Tests

Concern over adverse impact and fairness of tests

Equally accurate predictors of job performance for various racial & ethnic groups

Blacks and Hispanics score lower than whites

This gap is narrowing somewhat over time

Alternative presentation formats (e.g., verbal tests) decrease differences in scores dramatically while producing nearly equivalent scores

Applicants’ perceptions

Reactions to concrete vs. abstract test items

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Other Types of Ability Tests

Psychomotor ability tests

Reaction time, arm-hand steadiness, control precision, and manual and digit dexterity

Physical abilities tests

Muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and movement quality

Sensory/perceptual abilities tests

Ability to detect and recognize environmental stimuli

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Emotional Intelligence

The ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action

Self-awareness: Good at recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions

Other awareness: Good at recognizing and understanding others’ emotions

Emotion regulation: Good at making use of or managing this awareness

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Emotional Intelligence

A review of many studies indicated that, overall, EI correlated poorly with job performance after personality traits were considered

Some critics argue that because EI is so closely related to intelligence and personality, once you control for these factors, EI has nothing unique to offer

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Performance Tests and Work Samples

Definition -- Assess actual performance (e.g., fix a car, teach a class, type a document)

Types of tests (should focus on relevant KSAOs)

Performance test vs. work sample (all or some)

Motor vs verbal work samples (action or thought)

High- vs. low-fidelity tests (level of realism)

Computer interaction performance tests vs. paper-and-pencil tests including simulations (e.g., The Manager’s Workshop)

All the above can have good validity (.50+) & acceptance

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Situational Judgment Tests

Place applicants in hypothetical, job-related situations.

Applicants are then asked to choose a course of action from several alternatives

Capture the validity of work samples and cognitive ability tests in a way that is cheaper than work samples and that has less adverse impact than cognitive ability tests

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Ex. 9.7: Example of Situational Judgment Test Item

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Integrity Tests

Two types (Exhibit 9.8)

Clear purpose / overt

Do you think most people would cheat if they thought they could get away with it?

Do you believe a person has a right to steal from an employer if he or she is unfairly treated?

Personality-based/veiled purpose

Would you rather go to a party than read a newspaper?

How often do you blush?

Scores appear to reflect conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability

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Integrity Tests

Validity can be useful

Especially good at predicting counterproductive performance, like negative work behaviors

Generally good at predicting job performance, although there is some controversy regarding this issue

Why would these tests predict general performance?

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Interest, Values, and Preference Inventories

Assess activities individuals prefer to do on & off the job; do not attempt to assess ability to do these

Not often used in selection

Can be useful for self-selection into job types

Types of tests

Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB)

Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

Evaluation

Unlikely to predict job performance directly

May help assess person-organization fit & subsequent job satisfaction, commitment & turnover

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Discussion questions

Describe the similarities and differences between personality tests and integrity tests. When is each warranted in the selection process?

How would you advise an organization considering adopting a cognitive ability test for selection?

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Typical Unstructured Interviews

Relatively unplanned and “quick and dirty”

Questions based on interviewer “hunches” or “pet questions” to assess applicants

Casual, open-ended, or subjective questions

Often contains obtuse questions

Often contains highly speculative questions

Interviewer often unprepared

More potential for discrimination and bias

Validity typically r=.20

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Structured Interviews

Questions based on job analysis

Same questions asked of each candidate

Response to each question numerically evaluated

Detailed anchored rating scales used to score each response

Detailed notes taken, focusing on interviewees’ behaviors

Validity may be r=.30 or better

Training interviews improves validity

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Structured Interviews (continued)

Situational - Assess applicant’s ability to project his / her behaviors to future situations. Assumes the person’s goals/intentions will predict future behavior

Experience-based - Assess past behaviors that are linked to prospective job. Assumes past performance will predict future performance

Research is inconclusive regarding which type is best

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Constructing a Structured Interview

Consult job requirements matrix

Develop the selection plan

Exh. 9.10: Partial Selection Plan for Job of Retail Store Sales Associate

Develop structured interview plan

Exh. 9.11: Structured Interview Questions, Benchmark Responses, Rating Scale, and Question Weights

Select and train interviewers

Evaluate effectiveness

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Discussion questions

Describe the structured interview. What are the characteristics of structured interviews that improve on the shortcomings of unstructured interviews?

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Selection for Team Environments

Types of teams

Problem-solving teams

Self-managed work teams

Cross-functional teams

Virtual teams

Establish steps for selection in team-based environments

Who should make the hiring decision?

Critical to ensure proper context is in place

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Selection for Team Environments

Interpersonal KSAs

Conflict-Resolution KSAs

Collaborative Problem-­Solving KSAs

Communication KSAs

Self-management KSAs

Goal-Setting and Performance­ Management KSAs

Planning and Task-Coordination KSAs

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Exhibit 9.14 Evaluation of Substantive Assessment Methods

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Discretionary Assessment Methods

Used to separate people who receive job offers

from list of finalists (assumes each finalist is considered fully qualified for position)

Often very subjective, relying heavily on intuition

of decision maker

Factors other than KSAOs are evaluated

Assess person/organization match

Assess motivation level

Assess people on relevant organizational

citizenship behaviors

Should involve organization’s staffing philosophy regarding EEO/AA commitments

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Contingent Assessment Methods

“We offer you this job contingent upon ….”

Contingent methods not always used

Depends on nature of job and legal mandates

Might involve confirmation of

Drug test results

Medical exam results

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Drug Testing

The average drug user

was 3.6 times more likely to be involved in an accident

received 3 times the average level of sick benefits

was 5 times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim

missed 10 times as many work days as nonusers

31% of all fatal truck accidents were due to alcohol or drugs

Drug testing has decreased in recent years because so few people test positive

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Ex. 9.16

Example of a Drug Testing Program

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Features of an effective drug testing program

Emphasize drug testing in safety-­sensitive jobs

Use only reputable testing laboratories, and ensure that strict chain of custody is maintained.

Ask applicants for their consent, and inform them of test results

Use retesting to validate positive samples from the initial screening test

Ensure that proper procedures are followed to maintain the applicant’s right to privacy

Review the program and validate the results against relevant criteria (accidents, absenteeism, turnover, job performance); conduct a cost-benefit analysis

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Medical Exams

Identify potential health risks in job candidates

Must ensure medical exams are required only when a compelling reason exists

Ensures people with disabilities unrelated to job performance are not screened out

Use is strictly regulated by ADA to ensure disabilities not job related are not screened out

Usually lack validity as procedures vary by doctor

Not always job related

Often emphasize short- rather than long-term health

New job-related medical standards are specific, job related, and valid

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Discussion questions

What are the most common discretionary and contingent assessment methods? What are the similarities and differences between the use of these two methods?

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Legal Issues: Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP)

General principles

Technical standards

Documentation of impact and

validity evidence

Definitions

Makes substantial demands of a staffing system

Ensures awareness of possibility of adverse impact

in employment decisions

If adverse impact is found, mechanisms provided

to cope with it

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Legal Issues: ADA and Drug Testing

Selection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

General principles

Access to job application process

Reasonable accommodation

to testing

Medical examinations

Drug testing

UGESP

Drug testing is permitted to detect illegal drug use and discipline/termination if found is OK

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Medical Exams

Identifies potential health risks in job candidates

Important to ensure medical exams are required

only when a compelling reason exists

Ensures people with disabilities unrelated to job performance are not screened out

Use is strictly regulated by ADA

Lack validity as procedures vary by doctor

Not always job related

Often emphasizes short- rather than long-term health

New approach -- Job-related medical standards

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Discussion questions

How should organizations apply the general principles of the UGESP to practical selection decisions?

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Ethical Issues

Issue 1

Do you think it’s ethical for employers to select applicants on the basis of questions such as, “Dislike loud music” and “Enjoy wild flights of fantasy,” even if the scales that such items measure have been shown to predict job performance? Explain.

Issue 2

Cognitive ability tests are one of the best predictors of job performance, yet they have substantial adverse impact against minorities. Do you think it’s fair to use such tests? Why or why not?