Effective Employee Selection Techniques
1. Valid
a. based on job analysis (content validity)
b. Predicts work-related behavior (criterion validity)
c. Measures the construct it purports to measure
(construct validity)
2. Reliable
3. Reduce the chance
of legal challenge
4. Cost-effective
(cost to purchase, create,
administer, score)
• Poor intuitive ability (“gut
reactions”)
Problems with
• Lack of job relatedness Unstructured
• Primacy Effects (“first Interviews
impressions”)
• Contrast Effects
• Negative Information Bias
• Interviewer-Interviewee
Similarity
• Interviewee Appearance
• Non-verbal cues
2. Creating interview questions
Question Type Description
Allow interviewer to clarify information
CLARIFIER in the resume/application, fill in gaps
and other info
Must be answered in a particular way;
DISQUALIFIER
otherwise, applicant will be disqualified
SKILL/KNOWLEDGE- Tap level of expertise
LEVEL DETERMINER
Ask applicant what s/he would do in a
FUTURE-FOCUSED/
particular situation
SITUATIONAL
PAST-FOCUSED/ Focus on previous behavior
BEHAVIORAL
Tap the extent to which applicant will fit
ORGANIZATIONAL-FIT into the organizational culture/
leadership style
Evaluate Performance
• Obtaining and reviewing objective data
• Reading Critical Incident Logs
• Completing the Rating Form
Common Ratings Errors
1. Distribution Errors – involves distribution of ratings on
a rating scale
a) leniency error
b) central tendency error
c) strictness error
2. Halo Errors – rater allows either a single attribute or an
overall impression of an individual to affect the ratings on
each job dimension
Evaluate Performance
• Obtaining and reviewing objective data
• Reading Critical Incident Logs
• Completing the Rating Form
Common Ratings Errors
3. Proximity Errors – rating made on one dimension
affects the rating made on the dimension that immediately
follows it on the rating scale
4. Contrast Errors
– performance rating a person receives can be influenced
by the performance of a previously evaluated person
- may also occur between separate performance
evaluations of the same employee
- assimilation (new supervisor rates employee based on
previous appraisal)
3. Creating a scoring key
Scoring Type Description
Answer will be scored as correct or
Right/Wrong Approach
incorrect
Create a list of all possible answers
Typical-Answer
to a question, and have SMEs rate
Approach
the fovarableness of each answer
Create a list of key issues that must
be included in the perfect answer.
Key-Issues Approach For each key issue included,
participant gets a point. Key issues
can also be weighted
Determine
training needs
Types of needs analysis:
organizational task person
Evaluation Criteria
1. Content Validity
2. Employee Reactions
(Reaction Outcomes)
3. Employee Learning
(Cognitive Outcomes)
4. Application of Training
(Affective & Behavior
Outcomes)
5. Business Impact (Results
Outcome)
6. Return on Investment
Evaluation Criteria
• payoff for the company
Lvl 4: Results
• ex. increased product,
Outcome reduced turnover
Lvl 3: Affective & • attitudes & motivations
Behavior Outcomes •Improvement of behavior
in the job
•degree to which trainees are
Lvl 2: Cognitive familiar with principles,
facts, techniques,
Outcomes procedures, processes
emphasized in the program
• trainees perceptions of
Lvl 1: Reaction the program, including
Outcomes facilities, trainer &
content
Evaluation Criteria
Training Validity: Did trainees learn
anything during the training?
Transfer Validity: To what extent did the
KSAOs learned in the training lead to
improved performance on the job?
Intra-organizational Validity: Is the
performance of the trainees changed and
improved within the context of the
organizations goals.
Inter-organizational Validity: Can a
training program that works in one
organization be used successfully in
another organization?
Job Rotation
Job Enlargement
Job Satisfaction
is affected by
Job Enrichment opportunities for
challenge and
growth.
Quality Circles
Job Characteristics Theory &
Maslow’s Self-Actualization Level
NEEDS
Need for achievement
Need for affiliation
Need for power
McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory
- has a strong need to set and
accomplish challenging goals
- takes calculated risks to accomplish
their goals
- likes to receive regular feedback on
their progress and achievements
- often likes to work alone
McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory
- wants to belong to the group
- wants to be liked, and will often go along
with whatever the rest of the group wants
to do
- favors collaboration over competition
- doesn't like high risk or uncertainty
McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory
- wants to control and influence others
- likes to win arguments
- enjoys competition and winning
- enjoys status and recognition
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
Job-related elements
that may result from
but do not involve
the job itself
Job elements that
concern actual
tasks & duties
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
Hygiene Factors Motivators
Pay Responsibility
Security Challenge
Co-workers Variety
Working Conditions Control
Supervisors Interesting Work
Hygiene factors are necessary but not
sufficient for job motivation
Only the presence of both can bring
job motivation
3SELF-ESTEEM
types of
Chronic Self-Esteem
Situational Self-Esteem /
Self-Efficacy
Socially Influenced
Self-Esteem
Equity Theory
INPUTS are those personal
elements that we put into
out jobs
OUTPUTS are those
elements that we receive
from our jobs
INPUT/OUTPUT RATIO
Equity Theory
Our levels of motivation
and job satisfaction are
related to how fairly we
believe we are treated in
comparison to others
Job Characteristics Theory
Core Job Critical Psycholo-
Characteristics gical States
Skill Variety
Task Identity Meaningful Work
Task Significance
Autonomy Responsibility of
work outcomes
Feedback Knowledge of
results
Social Influence
Theory
If other employees
are motivated, there
is an increased
probability that we
will model their
behavior and be
motivated
Are other employees motivated?
extent to which values,
interests, personality,
lifestyle and skills match
those of their job,
organization, & co-workers
extent to which the
rewards, salary and benefits
received are perceived to NEEDS/
be consistent with their
efforts and performance SUPPLIES FIT
Motivational Facets to
Organizational Commitment
AFFECTIVE
COMMITMENT
CONTINUANCE
COMMITMENT
NORMATIVE
COMMITMENT
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY
• Leader typically uses one of four behavioral styles:
delegating, directing, supporting, coaching
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY
• Effective leaders first diagnose the competency
and motivation levels of employees for each
goals/series of tasks, and then adapt their
leadership style
Employee Ability Level
Unable Able
Unwilling
Directing Supporting
Employee
Willingness
Level
Willing
Coaching Delegating
TASK versus PERSON
ORIENTATION
• Based on three schools of
thought: Ohio State Studies,
Theory X, Managerial Grid
PERSON ORIENTATION
Country Club (MG) Team (MG)
Consideration (OS)
Theory Y
High
Middle-of-the-road
(MG)
Task-Oriented (MG)
Low
Initiating Structure
(OS)
Impoverished (MG) Theory X
Low High
TASK ORIENTATION
• give directives & set
goals
• make decisions without PERSON-ORIENTED
consulting subrodinates
• under pressure, become • consult subordinates
anxious, defensive and before making decisions
dominant • praise work
• ask about their families
TASK-ORIENTED • “hands-off” approach to
leadership
• under pressure, tend to
be socially withdrawn
IMPACT on the
ORGANIZATION
PERSON ORIENTATION
• Low performance • High performance
High
• Low turnover • Low turnover
• Low grievance rate • Low grievance rate
• Low performance • High performance
Low
• High turnover • High turnover
• High grievance rate • High grievance rate
Low High
TASK ORIENTATION
• person orientation is more strongly
correlated with follower satisfaction,
Satisfied follower motivation, and ratings of
employees leadership effectiveness
PERSON ORIENTATION
• Low performance • High performance
High
• Low turnover • Low turnover
• Low grievance rate • Low grievance rate
Productive
employees
• Low performance • High performance
Low
• High turnover • High turnover
• High grievance rate • High grievance rate
Low High
TASK ORIENTATION
PATH-GOAL THEORY
• Leader’s behavior will be accepted by subordinates
only to the extent to which the behavior helps the
subordinates achieve their goals
• Identified four behavioral leadership styles:
1. Instrumental
2. Supportive
3. Participative
4. Achievement-Oriented
PATH-GOAL THEORY
Instrumental (Directive): informs followers on what is
expected of them; most effective when people are
unsure about the task or environment
Supportive: makes work pleasant for the workers by
showing concern, being friendly; most effective in
situations in which tasks and relationships are physically
or psychologically challenging
Participative: consults with his followers; most effective
when subordinates are highly trained and involved in
their work
Achievement: sets challenging goals for followers
Individuals with high leadership
motivation tend to obtain leadership
experience and have confidence in
their leadership skills
Affecti
Noncal Social-
ve
culativ Norma
identit
e tive
y
MOTIVATION to LEAD has three
factors (Chan & Drasgow, 2001)
FIEDLER’S CONTINGENCY MODEL
• Any individual’s leadership style is effective only
in certain situations
• Rather than teaching people to change their
leadership styles, trainings should concentrate
on helping people understand their style and
manipulate a situation so that the two will
match
• Least-Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale
favorableness of a
based on 3 variables
Task structuredness
Leader position power
Leader-member
relations
TYPES OF
GROUP
TASKS
SOCIAL FACILITATION
SOCIAL INHIBITION
AUDIENCE
COACTION
EFFECTS
• Mere Exposure
• Comparison
• Evaluation
Apprehension
• Distracting
SOCIAL LOAFING
• Free-Rider Theory
• Sucker Effect
GROUP POLARIZATION
the exaggeration of initial tendencies in the thinking
of group members through group discussion
GROUPTHINK
decision-making style characterized by an
excessive tendency among group members
to seek concurrence
CONFLICT STYLES
Collaborating Style
Compromising Forcing Style
Style
Avoiding Style Accommodating
• withdrawal Style
• triangling
Goal-Setting Theory
• Clarity
• Challenge
• Commitment
• Feedback
• Complexity
Goal-Setting Theory
DETERMINING THE
FAIRNESS OF A TEST
• a test is fair if it can predict performance equally
well for all races, genders, and national origins
1. Adverse Impact
- occurs if the selection rate
for any group is less than
80% of the highest scoring
group
2. Single-group
Validity
- test significantly predicts
performance for one group
and not others
DETERMINING THE
FAIRNESS OF A TEST
• a test is fair if it can predict performance equally
well for all races, genders, and national origins
3. Differential Validity
- test is more valid for one
group
LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE THEORY
Theoretical Framework
• a process approach to leadership as it emphasizes the
dynamic interactions between leaders and subordinates
(Breukelen, Schyns & Le Blanc, 2006).
IN-GROUP OUT-GROUP
- entrusted with bigger - receive less attention
responsibilities, more and fewer rewards
rewards and more - are managed solely by
attention formal rules and policies
- are involved in decision-
making in their units
- there is intensive
communication and
cooperation in the
leader-member
relationship
Expectancy Theory
Motivation = E (I x V)
Expectancy (E): perceived relationship between the
amount of effort an employee puts in and the resulting
outcome
Instrumentality (I): extent to which the outcome of a
worker’s performance, if noticed, results in a particular
consequence
Valence (V): extent to which an employee values a
particular consequence
Listening Styles
Leisure
Inclusive
Stylistic
Technical
Empathetic
Nonconforming