MGMT3140: Module 4 - Selection and Performance

Job Performance

Individual work behaviors that contribute positively or negatively to an organization's goals.

Three Components of Job Performance

Task Performance, Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Counterproductive Work Behaviors.

Task Performance

Behaviors that contribute directly to the transformation of

organizational resources into goods and services.

Routine Performance

Responding to normal, routine work

demands.

Adaptive Performance

Responding to novel, unusual, or

unpredictable demands.

Creative Performance

Involves the creation of something new or

useful.

What task performance is a teacher who creates lesson plans?

Routine.

What task performance is a teacher who is revising lesson plans in

response to inclement weather (eg, shifting online)?

Adaptive.

What task performance is a teacher who is creating a new figure to help students understand a concept?

Creative.

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCB)

Voluntary behaviors outside of one's job description that contribute to an organization's goals, typically by improving the work context.

Examples of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Civic Virtue, Sportsmanship, Altruism, Courtesy.

Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWB)

Intentional behaviors that hinder organizational

goals.

Examples of Counterproductive Work Behaviors

Production deviance, Political deviance, Property deviance, Personal Agression.

Personnel Selection

Process of using instruments (tests) to select (hire) people for a work role based on the ability of those instruments to predict job performance.

Validity

The extent to which a selection tool accurately predicts an applicant's future job performance.

Reliability

The extent to which a selection tool produces consistent and dependable results over time.

Utility

The overall value of a selection tool is determined by whether its benefits outweigh its costs.

Fairness

The extent to which a selection tool is fair and does not discriminate based on characteristics like race, gender, or age.

Cognitive Ability Tests

Tests that measure general mental ability (intelligence) to predict job performance.

Integrity Tests

Tests that assess honesty and likelihood of counterproductive work behavior through overt or personality-based (covert) questions.

Interviews

Common selection method to evaluate applicants: structured interviews are more reliable than unstructured interviews.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Asks about past job-related behaviors to predict future performance.

Informational Interview Questions

Asks about an applicant's experience, knowledge, or qualifications.

Situational Interview Questions

Questions that present job-related scenarios and ask how the candidate would respond.

Work Simulations

Assess applicants' performance at job-related tasks.

Work Samples

Evaluating performance on a sample of work.

Situational Judgment Test (SJT)

Test with items assessing applicants' judgment in job-related situations.

Assessment Center

A series of structured exercises evaluated by

human observers (eg, inbox exercise, role-play, presentations).

Reference Letters

Primarily used to verify information or avoid applicants with "red flags".

Physical Ability Tests

Measure physical abilities such as strength, stamina, flexibility, and coordination.

Selection Battery

A combined set of predictor methods (tests) used to select candidates for a job.

Complementary Validity

Using multiple selection methods together to improve the prediction of job performance because each measures different qualities.

Overall Battery Structure

Multiple Hurdle, Multiple Cutoff, Compensatory Approach.

Multiple Hurdle

Candidates must achieve a certain score to progress through each round of tests.

Multiple Cutoff

Must pass all selection tests by meeting the required score on each.

Compensatory Approach

High scores can offset low scores on other tests.

Job Analysis

Systematic process for determining the core elements of a work role, such as tasks, responsibilities, and necessary attributes (KSAO's).

Tasks

The basic elements of a job.

Knowledge

Information people can learn (eg, human anatomy).

Skills

Something people can learn how to do (e.g., presenting).

Ability

Something innate that people bring to the job (eg, physical

ability).

Other Characteristic

Something other than knowledge, skill, or ability (eg, personality traits).

Job Analysis Steps

1. Collect job info 2. Draft tasks 3. Identify KSAOs 4. Refine (SMEs) 5. Link tasks & KSAOs 6. Finalize job analysis

Performance Appraisal

Subjective evaluation of employee work performance based on pre-established criteria.

Targets of Appraisal

Abilities and traits, knowledge and skills, behaviors, and outcomes.

Abilities and Traits

Should be generally avoided.

Knowledge and Skills

Use with caution unless evaluating for

promotion, effects of training, etc.

Behaviors

Preferred because these are specific and observable (typically rated using a scale).

Outcomes

It can be acceptable if based on mutually agreed-upon goals vs. metrics alone.

Rater Bias

A personal preference or perception that unfairly influences an employee's rating.

Rater Error

A mistake in evaluating performance that leads to inaccurate ratings.

Leniency Error

Giving all workers high ratings.

Strictness (severity) Error

Giving all workers low ratings.

Central Tendency Error

Giving all workers "average" ratings.

Contrast Effect

When ratings are affected by comparing to others.

Halo/horn Effect

When overall impressions of a person affect their ratings on specific performance dimensions.

Similarity Effect

When workers who are more similar to the rater receive higher ratings.

Recency Error

When recent events have an outsized influence on performance ratings.

Minimize Rating Errors By

Use better rating tools, train raters, hold calibration meetings, keep performance records, hold raters accountable, and use multiple raters to improve accuracy and reduce bias.

What is Absolute Performance Appraisal?

A method that evaluates an employee against pre-established performance standards.

What tools are used in Absolute Performance Appraisal?

Graphical rating scales and behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS).

What is Relative Performance Appraisal?

Evaluates an employee by comparing their performance to other employees.

What tools are used in Relative Performance Appraisal?

Forced ranking and forced distribution.

360 Degree Feedback

Uses multiple raters (self, peers, and supervisor) to evaluate performance; most effective for employee development and often paired with job coaching