Showing papers in "Personnel Psychology in 1981"

Forced attention to specific applicant qualifications: Impact on physical attractiveness and sex of applicant biases.

Abstract: The effect of forced postponement of a hiring decision until after specific qualifications had been evaluated was examined as a procedure to reduce sex and physical attractiveness discrimination. Ninety six male and 148 female undergraduates evaluated the qualifications of an attractive, average, or unattractive male or female applicant. Ratings of specific qualifications preceded or followed an overall and hiring decision rating. Results indicated that the order variable influenced ratings of specific qualifications but not the overall or hiring decision. Sex of subject and attractiveness did affect the hiring decision with male and attractive applicants being preferred.

Shift Work Related to Job Attitudes, Social Participation and Withdrawal Behavior: A Study of Nurses and Industrial Workers.

Abstract: The present study investigates the relationship between shift schedules and mental health, job satisfaction, social participation, organizational commitment, anticipated turnover, absenteeism and tardiness among nurses (N=440) in two hospitals and among rank-and-file workers (N=383) in a manufacturing organization. Results are generally supportive of the model which projected that workers on fixed work schedules (high routine-oriented) would be better off than workers on rotating work schedules (low routine-oriented) in terms of mental health, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and social participation. In addition, workers on fixed shift schedules are found to be lower on anticipated turnover, absenteeism and tardiness than workers on rotating shift schedules. Six potential moderators: age, marital status, place of socialization, cultural background, seniority and respondent's sex, were measured and their association with these relationships analyzed. Results are discussed in the light of the previous empirical evidence.

Comparing recruiter, student, and faculty perceptions of important applicant and job characteristics

Abstract: This study investigated the extent to which corporate recruiters, students and faculty share an understanding of important job applicant characteristics and desirable job factors. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences between the three groups. The implications of these findings for recruitment, selection, and career counseling are discussed.

The effects of realistic previews: a study and discussion of the literature

Abstract: The effects of realistic job previews (RJPs) were studied with a sample of 842 candidates for telephone service representative. Two types of preview, a film and job visit, were used. Results showed no significant differences between RJP candidates and control candidates with respect to job acceptance, met expectations, job commitment and turnover. Because the findings were at variance with the conclusions of previous RJP research the data from previous studies were reexamined. Based on pooled data from eleven studies the average effect of RJPs on turnover rate was estimated as six percentage points overall. Neither the type of media used nor the length of time turnover is studied appears to interact with RJP effectiveness. RJPs appear to be more effective with more complex jobs, however. Explanations of RJP effects on turnover have not been consistently supported. Though data are limited, self-selection, met expectations and coping ability do not appear to be impacted by RJPs. There is some evidence that RJPs result in more positive job related attitudes, but the explanation for this is not clear. Difficulties in interpreting job preview research are noted, including insufficient statistical power, differences in organizational roles and the lack of a clear operational definition of realism.

Predicting the Salary Satisfaction of Exempt Employees.

Abstract: This study examined the degree to which salary satisfaction can be predicted using company-maintained information commonly available to salary administrators. Predictors included years of continuous service, educational level, annual performance rating, an estimate of career potential, monthly salary, a measure of the most recent salary increase, and employee gender. A variety of hypotheses derived from Lawler's (1971) model of pay satisfaction also were tested, focusing on the relative contribution of perceived performance, perceived job demands, certain non-monetary outcomes, and external and internal pay equity. The research utilized a sample of managerial, professional, and technical employees from a large national oil company. The results suggest that without the inclusion of a variety of employee perceptions, only a small proportion of pay satisfaction can be accounted for, with salary and sex representing the primary objective predictors. Perceived performance, perceptions regarding supervision, advancement opportunity, and the company's benefit package, and both external and internal pay equity, were related to pay satisfaction in the direction predicted by Lawler's model. The implications of not being able to estimate pay system perceptions using company-maintained sources of information are discussed along with the results supporting certain key components of Lawler's model of pay satisfaction.

A critical analysis of studies comparing behaviorally anchored rating scales (bars) and other rating formats

Abstract: All published studies comparing behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) with other rating formats were reviewed. Results indicate that BARS and other formats appear to differ relatively little (if at all) with regard to psychometric characteristics (leniency, halo, interrater agreement, ratee discriminability, validity and “accuracy”). Other variables, such as degree of rater participation in scale construction and rater preferences for different rating scale formats, also exhibited relatively little differences between BARS and other formats. A close examination of the studies, however, reveals numerous methodological problems confounding interpretations of results, making conclusions about the superiority or inferiority of BARS quite tenuous. Suggestions are made for more appropriate research directions and questions which seem more appropriate for rating scale investigations.

The Influence of Rater and Ratee Age on Two Performance Judgments.

Abstract: The influences of rater age and rater age on performance evaluations of 513 exempt managers from a large manufacturing organization were examined. Two general performance criteria and six specific performance criteria were used. Results showed small but significant age influences on two of the specific performance measures, Self-Development and Interpersonal Skills. Older workers received lower ratings than younger workers on both of these dimensions. In addition, younger raters gave significantly higher ratings than older raters on Interpersonal Skills. Small but significant age interactions were found in both Interpersonal Skills ratings and Self-Development ratings. The findings were replicated in a second sample (N=178). The influence of age on performance ratings is consistent with previous research and is compared. The extent of the influence is smaller in the present study than in previous research.

Implications of performance appraisal litigation for personnel ecisions

Abstract: Eight prescriptions for performance appraisal systems are considered in the context of case law at the Federal Supreme and Appeals Court level. Numerous cases are cited involving organizations that have violated one or more of the prescriptions. Implications for personnel decision making are discussed.

Performance appraisal, promotion and the courts: a critical review

Abstract: Twenty-three Title VII court cases were reviewed in order to determine the standards set by the courts in their assessment of performance appraisal systems when used as the basis for promotion decisions. The topics covered were adverse impact determination, the courts' adjudication strategy, and the evidence needed to justify the performance appraisal procedures. Among the major findings was the courts': (1) failure to adhere to the “applicant flow technique” of adverse impact determination, (2) interest in assessing performance appraisal systems regardless of their adverse impact, (3) ignorance regarding acceptable validation procedures, and (4) focus on objectivity in lieu of validity. The discussion offered suggestions to employers for developing a professionally sound and legally defensible appraisal system.

A reexamination of ability as a moderator of role perceptions—satisfaction relationship

Abstract: This research examines the moderating effects of employee ability on the relationship of role conflict and ambiguity to intrinsic satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of 89 middle-lower managerial personnel from a large, heavy-equipment manufacturing company in the Midwest. Moderated multiple regression was used in data analysis. Results obtained from the education and perceived ability-job fit measures of employee ability are consistent with the ability-adaptability phenomenon suggested and tested by Schuler (1977). Results obtained from the work experience measure of ability were contrary to prediction. Implications of the findings for work adjustment theory, stress management, and future research are discussed.

An empirical test of a trait-oriented job analysis technique

Abstract: A trait-oriented job analysis technique based on a checklist of 33 a priori carefully defined traits that encompass elements of the physical, mental, learned, motivational and social domains of the work world is described. The analysis identifies the relevant traits, their levels and weights, in relation to overall job performance. Results of discriminability tests were supportive of the job analysis technique and indicated that incumbents of jobs requiring a particular trait scored higher on measures (predictors) of that trait than incumbents of jobs not requiring that trait. Implications of the results for personnel selection and placement are discussed.

A comparison of global judgment vs. task oriented approaches to job classification

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which direct judgments of similarity by supervisors and incumbents could provide the same job classification results as a more elaborate job analysis procedure involving measures of task overlap among jobs. To accomplish this, 8 foreman jobs in a chemical processing plant were analyzed and compared on 237 task statements. In addition, 15 foremen incumbents and 17 supervisors evaluated the similarities among the same 8 foremen jobs in a paired comparisons rating task. The task-oriented job analysis required hundreds of man-hours to complete; the rating task took 15 minutes. Results using hierarchical cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that the global judgments and the task-oriented data led to identical conclusions. Also, it was found that incumbent ratings produced the same results as ratings from supervisors. Uses, advantages, and disadvantages of the procedure are outlined.

The relationship between job satisfaction and psychiatric health symptoms for air traffic controllers

Abstract: The workplace has been examined as a source of potential stressors, e.g., role conflict and ambiguity, and the relationship between these stressors and job satisfaction has been empirically demonstrated. The relationship between job satisfaction and health, however, has not been clearly established empirically. Data were collected from 416 experienced Air Traffic Controllers to examine the hypothesized positive relationship between job satisfaction and psychiatric symptomatology. Job satisfaction was measured with self-report instruments while psychiatric symptomatology was assessed via a standardized diagnostic interview. The results provide strong support for the existence of the hypothesized relationship. Satisfaction with the work itself for the ATCs, followed closely by coworker satisfaction, showed the most frequent relationships to the presence or absence of different psychiatric symptoms. The results are discussed in terms of their relationship to research on job related stress.

The Effects of Having Been Supervised by a Woman on Perceptions of Female Managerial Competence.

Abstract: Responses of male and female managers in state public human service organizations are analyzed to determine if perceptual differences exist concerning the competence of women as managers in these organizations depending on whether an individual has or has not been supervised by a woman. Significant differences were found in only one area: the motivation of women to manage.

A Critical Review of Female Performance, Performance Training and Organizational Initiatives Designed to Aid Women in the Work-Role Environment.

Abstract: The research dealing with female managerial performance has generally been plagued with empirically inconsistent results, anecdotal literature and an inability to develop generalizable theory. A prepositional analysis of the female performance literature is utilized in an effort to provide direction and focus. The paper concludes that methodological problems may be contributing to invalid conclusions concerning female performance, and efforts to improve performance. In addition, it is concluded that organizational initiates designed to aid women have not been significant.

Effects of rater training and participation on cognitive complexity: an exploration of schneier's cognitive reinterpretation

Abstract: Schneier (1977) proposed that rater cognitive complexity interacts with format to affect the psychometric soundness of ratings. He also speculated that cognitive complexity may be enhanced by having raters participate in training and/or scale construction programs. This study was designed to test these latter hypotheses, while also providing a partial replication of Schneier's original research. Ninety-six undergraduate students were assigned to four groups. One participated in the construction of a set of BARS and was trained in their use, a second participated in BARS construction only, a third received training only, and the fourth served as a control group. All subjects were administered a measure of cognitive complexity before and after the experimental treatments. Also, all subjects evaluated five simulated ratees using the BARS. A training × participation (2 × 2) ANOCOV indicated no change in cognitive complexity scores as a result of the experimental treatments. A training × participation × (nominalized) cognitive complexity (2 × 2 × 2) MANOVA on mean ratings for the five stimuli found no effects on leniency error. A similar MANOVA on variances of ratings provided little evidence for effects on halo error. These results, taken in conjunction with those of other investigators who have failed to replicate Schneier's findings, suggest that the cognitive reinterpretation should be accepted with caution at best.

Explaining role conflict and role ambiguity via individual and interpersonal variables in different job categories

Abstract: The relationships between experienced role conflict and ambiguity and four individual and interpersonal variables were examined within a multivariate framework. The regressions of role conflict and ambiguity on these variables were significant and were generally supported across three job categories in one organizational setting. Differences were noted across the job categories in terms of the regression equation predicting role perceptions. Hence, it appears that the underlying equations regarding the influence of individual and interpersonal variables on role perceptions do vary in different job categories. Task characteristics are offered as plausible reasons for these variations and suggested as variables for inclusion in a model of role conflict and ambiguity.

Perceptions of psychological influence: A cognitive information processing approach for explaining moderated relationships.

Abstract: A hypothesis of consistency in cognitive information processing of perceptions of psychological influence (perceived influence of decisions made by a supervisor) was proposed and tested. The hypothesis stated that if (a) having influence was of sufficient importance to a subordinate to effect selective attention to supervisor behaviors that reflected opportunities for influence, then (b) the subordinate would employ perceptions of influence in behavioral decisions (performance) and affective reactions (anxiety, satisfaction). The hypothesis received support in a study of 363 Navy enlisted aircraft maintenance personnel, where selective attentiveness to opportunities for influence was determined by assessing the fit between personal characteristics of a subordinate (e.g., achievement motivation) and the degree of overload in the work environment. Results suggested that relations between perceptions of influence and attitudes/performance should be expected only for those individuals who are attentive to opportunities for influence in the early stages of cognitive processing. Implications of these results for future scientific and professional endeavors are discussed.

Turnover analysis and prediction from a career developmental point of view

Abstract: Demographic and psychological characteristics of 479 job leavers from two plants were processed, and work stability of 110 previously tested subjects was followed up for up to eight years. The study revealed that job quitting is a career decision depending upon career type, career stage and the characteristics of the organization, from the career development point of view. These variables make it possible to predict leaving decisions by employees, and also job stability.

Vocational interests, personality and effective police performance

Abstract: Scores on vocational interest inventories are commonly thought to be unrelated to job performance. A close examination of the literature suggests, however, that vocational scales other than those describing the occupational group in question may often predict job performance. A case in point is reported here, using Holland's Self Directed Search and two groups of policemen. Scores on the Artistic and Conventional scales consistently predict effective performance as a patrolman in this Realistic and Social occupation. CONVENTIONAL wisdom in the field of vocational psychology tells us that vocational interest inventories rarely predict work performance (cf. Strong, 1943, pp. 13-16). In fact, conspicuous warnings to that effect often accompany instructions for interpreting a client's test results. Given that vocational interests are linked to personality variables such as temperament and interpersonal style (Costa, Fozard, and McCrae, 1977), and personality is related to vocational success (e.g., Harrell, 1972), it is somewhat surprising to find that interest inventories do not predict work performance. Muchinsky and Hoyt (1974) attribute this apparent paradox to the methodology of previous research. In Muchinsky and Hoyt's own study, engineers were scored on the Group I1 (science and engineering) and Group V (social service) scales of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank when they were still in school. Correlations several years later between these scales and criteria of work performance were small ,(.20 to .30) and nonsignificant except those between Group V scores and self- and peer-ratings. Muchinsky and Hoyt stress that very

A behavioral consistency approach to decision making in employment selection

Abstract: Evaluations of applicants made using an assessment process which incorporates many practices and procedures advocated in the literature but often disregarded in employment were examined. Two employment interviewers and 29 line managers independently evaluated 181 applicants for manufacturing production work in terms of 5 factors of effective performance. Average interrater reliabilities ranged from .60 to .69. Results indicated reliabilities were comparable for applicants grouped by race and sex, and that interviewers were calibrated with one another in terms of level of evaluations. The assessment model described in the present study is discussed in terms of its suitability as a vehicle for further research in employment interviewing and its practical usefulness.

Anchors away–the stability of meaning of anchors when their location is changed

Abstract: This study addresses three questions. (1) Does the meaning of the neutral anchor shift when its position is moved away from the middle of the series? The location of (psychological) zero in rating scales is crucial if they are to be used as multipliers (e.g., as weights or in functional equations). (2) Does moving the neutral anchor from a central position increase sensitivity (variance) of ratings? Such displacement has been used frequently without investigation of its effects. (3) Are any of the above effects general across types of anchors? Displacement had significant effects (N= 210) on meaning of the neutral anchor and on sensitivity. Stability of meaning of anchors, however, was greater when anchors were words rather than faces. Therefore verbal anchors should be used, with the neutral anchor located centrally, to establish zero; but displaced to increase sensitivity at one end of the scale.

The use of functional job analysis in establishing performance standards for heavy equipment operators

Abstract: Research recently completed for a large international craft union provided the opportunity for an empirical assessment of functional job analysis (FJA) as a method for developing job-related performance standards. Based on content-oriented test development procedures, work sample tests were developed to measure operator achievement of these training standards. According to the results the tests significantly differentiated between skill levels of operating engineers in which the significant criterion factor was the degree of independence and autonomy the operator could be permitted in doing the work. FJA proved to be a useful technique for defining the work of operating engineers so that the knowledges, skills and abilities required can be easily communicated to the courts and the public.

Content‐oriented personnel selection in a small business setting

Abstract: This paper illustrates a content-oriented procedure for personnel selection in a small business setting. The procedure focuses directly on criterion performance, inasmuch as it generates lists of tasks relevant to specific job objectives. Rank order correlations provide quantitative indices of agreement between members of the job analysis panel as to the relative importance of the job objectives. The importance of appropriate representation on the job analysis panel is emphasized.

Negotiating quality of worklife, productivity and traditional issues: union members’preferred roles of their union

Abstract: Recognizing the importance of the union in successfully implementing quality of worklife programs, numerous commentators have called for union-management collaborative programs. In response to these pleas, recent studies have addressed union activists’perceptions of their unions’roles in negotiating quality of worklife as well as other issues. Although important, these studies have focused on the union leadership and have generally failed to consider the rank and file union members' views. The primary objective of the present study was to examine union members’preferred roles of their union in negotiating quality of worklife, productivity, and traditional bargaining issues. A second purpose was to explore the correlates of their views concerning the union's role in dealing with these issues. Using data collected from 171 members of a railroad, union, the results showed that members’ support for union involvement tended to vary depending upon the type of issue in question. They strongly preferred collective bargaining when dealing with traditional union concerns and joint union-management efforts when quality of worklife issues were involved. In predicting preferred union-management cooperation, the importance of the individual predictors varied across the types of negotiation issues. However, attitudinal measures were generally found to be more important in explaining members’preferences than demographic or union participation measures. The results are discussed in terms of implications for implementing joint union-management programs.

Research settings in industrial and organizational psychology: facts, fallacies, and the future1,2,3

Abstract: Data were collected about research issues involving laboratory and field settings through a content analysis of the 1966, 1970, and 1974 volumes of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, and Personnel Psychology. Four general categories of data were collected: (a) affiliation of investigators, (b) topic areas investigated, (c) settings of the research, and (d) research strategies employed. Four common beliefs of either laboratory or field advocates were contradicted by the data. First, laboratory research was found fairly frequently in the industrial-organizational literature. Second, theory and hypothesis testing were not overemphasized. Third, laboratory research was as applied as field research. Lastly, studies published by researchers with nonacademic affiliations were as likely to have been conducted in laboratory settings as field settings. Recommendations were made to use the laboratory more frequently for theory and hypothesis based research and to use a variety of research strategies in both laboratory and field settings.

Event and agent: toward a structural theory of job satisfaction

Abstract: This study evaluates a theory of job satisfaction based on two facets: event and agent. These two facets were derived from a study by Schneider and Locke (1971). In the present study, event and agent were conceptualized as two domain facets of a content universe of job satisfaction. On the basis of the above definition, a radex structure was hypothesized. 104 employees from 8 different industrial organizations in Israel were interviewed. They rated (a) their job satisfaction with respect to 11 job factors, and (b) their conception of influence upon these job factors. The intercorrelation matrix of job satisfaction was treated by a Guttman Smallest Space Analysis. The empirical space was interpreted for each facet individually, and then jointly. It is apparent that when job satisfaction is defined by two domain facets, the radex structure is confirmed.

Using policy-capturing to measure attitudes in organizational diagnosis

Abstract: The need for an indirect method of attitude measurement that could be applied on an individual basis was suggested. Policy-capturing was proposed as filling all requirements. When used in 3 experiments, this method detected prejudicial attitudes toward females that were not detected using traditional, direct methods.

A critique of leader match and its implications for leadership research

Abstract: It is argued that Fiedler and Mahar's (1979a) conclusion that Leader Match is a promising method for improving leadership effectiveness is unjustified. The core assumption of Leader Match is that congruence between leaders' LPC score and their situations accounts for a major proportion of the variance in group performance. This assumption does not seem sustainable in view of what we currently know about the determinants of group performance, and furthermore it has not been demonstrated by research using the Contingency model. Contingency model research has shown only that leadership style may affect productivity when a number of other structural/situational variables are controlled for. A brief review of empirical research using Leader Match indicates that evidence for the model is unconvincing because of the serious problem of identifying appropriate criteria of leader effectiveness and the prevalence of a number of alternative explanations for the results of many of the studies. The implications of this critique for leadership research in general are then considered.

Detecting job differences: a monte carlo study

Abstract: A monte carlo computer study was conducted where the statistical power of the univariate repeated measures ANOVA design proposed by Arvey and Mossholder (1977) to detect job differences was investigated. Also investigated was the relative value and usefulness of omega-squared estimates to indicate job similarities and differences. Job profile means and covariance structures were generated by using data from six relatively similar jobs and six dissimilar jobs based on Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) data bank information. Different combinations of job differences (4 conditions), number of job raters (2 conditions), and violations of statistical assumptions (3 conditions) were generated (1000 sets for each of the 24 combinations) and each data set analyzed using the ANOVA design. Results indicate that testing for statistical significance is not as useful in determining job differences as examining the omega-squared estimates. Specifically, the omega-squared estimates for the interaction of the Jobs × Dimension effect is a relatively sensitive and stable indicator of job differences regardless of the number of raters and violations of the statistical assumptions.