Human Resource Management Test 2 - Quinn Texas State

Development-Related Changes

-The Glass Ceiling -Succession Planning -Dysfunctional Managers

A successful selection method

-provides reliable information. -provides valid information. -can be generalized to apply to candidates. -offers high utility. -uses legal selection criteria.

Applying HR Planning to Affirmative Action

Many organizations have a human resource strategy that includes affirmative action to manage diversity or meet government requirements. Meeting affirmative-action goals requires that employers carry out an additional level of human resource planning aimed at those goals. In other words, besides looking at its overall workforce and needs, the organization looks at the representation of subgroups in its labor force—for example, the proportion of women and minorities.

On-the-job training

Methods such as apprenticeships and internships give trainees firsthand experiences.

leading indicators

Objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand.

validity

The extent to which performance on a measure (such as a test score) is related to what the measure is designed to assess (such as job performance).

utility

The extent to which something provides economic value greater than its cost.

Forecasting

The first step in human resource planning: attempts to determine the supply of and demand for various types of human resources to predict areas within the organization where there will be labor shortages or surpluses.

Learning management system (LMS)

-A computer application that automates the administration, development, and delivery of training programs. -Used to carry out instructional design process more efficiently and effectively.

Training

-An organization's planned efforts to help employees acquire job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors, with the goal of applying these on the job -Can benefit the organization when it is linked to organizational needs and motivates employees.

The Glass Ceiling

-Caused by lack of access to training programs, developmental job experiences, and developmental relationships -Developmental systems help

Career Management System Steps

-Data gathering -Feedback -Goal setting -Action planning and follow-up

External Sources

-Direct applicants and referrals -Electronic recruiting -Advertisements in newspapers and magazines -Private employment agencies -Colleges and universities

Data gathering

-Focus on competencies needed for career success. -Include a variety of measures. Self-Assessment: Use of information by employees to determine career interests, values, aptitudes, behavioral tendencies, and development needs. -MBTI -Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory -Self-Directed Search

Approaches to Employee Development

-Formal Education -Assessment -Job experiences -Job Assignments -Interpersonal relationships

Action planning and follow-up

-Involves management and coaches/mentors. -Measures success and adjust plans as needed. -Verify that pace of development is realistic. Employees prepare an action plan for how they will achieve their short- and long-term career goals. Any one or a combination of development methods may be used, depending on development need and career objectives.

Goal setting

-Involves management and coaches/mentors. -Specify competencies and knowledge to be developed. -Specify developmental methods. Based on information from self-assessment and reality check, employee sets short- and long-term career objectives: -Desired positions -Level of skill to apply -Work setting -Skill acquisition

Instructional Design Process

-It begins with an assessment of the needs for training—what the organization requires that its people learn. -Next, the organization ensures that employees are ready for training in terms of their attitudes, motivation, basic skills, and work environment. -The third step is to plan the training program, including the program's objectives, instructors, and methods. The organization then implements the program. -Finally, evaluating the results of the training provides feedback for planning future training programs.

Advantages of Using Internal Sources

-It generates applicants who are well known to the organization. -These applicants are relatively knowledgeable about the organization's vacancies, which minimizes the possibility of unrealistic job expectations. -Filling vacancies through internal recruiting is generally cheaper and faster than looking outside the organization.

Job Assignments

-Job enlargement -Job rotation -Transfers -Promotions -Downward moves -Temporary assignments with other organizations -Sabbatical

Feedback

-Maintain confidentiality. -Focus on specific success factors, strengths, and improvement areas. Information employers give employees about their skills and knowledge and where these assets fit into the organization's plans.

Methods of Assessment

-Psychological profiles -Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) -DiSC -Assessment centers -Leaderless group discussions -Performance Appraisals and 360-Degree Feed

Enhancing the Recruiter's Impact

-Recruiters should provide timely feedback and avoid offensive behavior. -They should avoid behaving in ways that might convey the wrong impression about the organization. -Organization can recruit with teams rather than individual recruiters.

Steps in the Selection Process

-Screening Applications & Resumes -Testing and Reviewing Work Samples -Interviewing Candidates -Checking References & Background -Making a Selection

transitional matrix

A chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period.

Readiness for training

A combination of employee characteristics and positive work environment that permit training. Necessary employee characteristics: -Ability to learn subject matter -Favorable attitudes toward training -Motivation to learn A positive work environment encourages learning and avoids interfering with training, characterized by situational constraints and social support.

workforce utilization review

A comparison of the proportion of employees in protected groups with the proportion that each group represents in the relevant labor market.

Dysfunctional Managers

A manager who is otherwise competent may engage in some behaviors that make him or her ineffective or even "toxic" - someone who stifles ideas and drives away employees. Six behaviors include: -insensitivity to others -inability to be a team player -arrogance -poor conflict management skills -inability to meet business objectives -inability to adapt to change

core competency

A set of knowledges and skills that make the organization superior to competitors and create value for customers.

assessment center

A wide variety of specific selection programs that use multiple selection methods to rate applicants or job incumbents on their management potential.

Temporary Workers

According to estimates by the federal government, organizations are using almost 3 million temporary workers. Temporary employment is popular with employers because it gives them flexibility they need to operate efficiently when demand for their products changes rapidly. If an employer believes a higher level of demand will persist, it often can hire the temps as permanent workers. Thus, employment levels for temporary employees tend to fall ahead of a recession and rise ahead of a recovery as companies make these quick adjustments to falling and rising demand.

downsizing

According to surveys, they do this by meeting four objectives: 1)Reducing costs—Labor is a large part of a company's total costs, and is an attractive place to start cutting costs. 2)Replacing labor with technology—Closing outdated factories, automating, or introducing other technological changes reduces the need for labor. Often, the labor savings outweigh the cost of the new technology. 3)Mergers and acquisitions—When organizations combine, they often need less bureaucratic overhead, so they lay off managers and some professional staff members. 4)Moving to more economical locations—Some organizations move from one area of the United States to another, especially from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and the mountain regions of the West.

Image advertising

Advertising designed to create a generally favorable impression of the organization. This is particularly important for organizations in highly competitive labor markets that perceive themselves as having a bad image. Research suggests that the image of an organization's brand—for example, innovative, dynamic, or fun—influences the degree to which a person feels attracted to the organization. This attraction is especially true if the person's own traits seem to match those of the organization.

Legal Standards for Selection

All selection methods must conform to existing laws and legal precedents. Three acts have formed the basis for a majority of suits filed by job applicants: -Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991 -Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 -Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991

leaderless group discussion

An assessment center exercise in which a team of five to seven employees is assigned a problem and must work together to solve it within a certain time period.

personnel policies

An organization's decisions about how it will carry out human resource management, including how it will fill job vacancies. These policies influence the nature of the positions that are vacant. According to the research on recruitment, it is clear that characteristics of the vacancy are more important than recruiters or recruiting sources for predicting job choice.

recruiting

Any activity carried on by the organization with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees. It thus creates a buffer between planning and the actual selection of new employees (the topic of the next chapter). The goals of recruiting (encouraging qualified people to apply for jobs) and selection (deciding which candidates would be the best fit) are different enough that they are most effective when performed separately, rather than combined as in a job interview that also involves "selling" candidates on the company.

Assessment

Collecting information and providing feedback to employees about their behavior, communication style, or skills. May come from the employees, their peers, managers, and customers

recruiting cont.

Because companies differ in their strategies, they may assign different degrees of importance to recruiting. In general, however, all companies have to make decisions in three areas of recruiting: personnel policies, recruitment sources, and the characteristics and behavior of the recruiter

DiSC

Brand of assessment tool that identifies individuals' behavioral patterns in terms of dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.

Internal versus external recruiting

Decisions about this affect the nature of jobs, recruitment sources, and the nature of applicants.

Determining Labor Supply

Calls for a detailed analysis of how many people are currently in various job categories or have specific skills within the organization. The planner then modifies this analysis to reflect changes expected in the near future as a result of retirements, promotions, transfers, voluntary turnover, and terminations.

Job experiences

Combination of tasks, relationships, problems, demands and other features of an employee's jobs. Most employee development occurs through this Key example events include: -Job assignments -Interpersonal relationships -Types of transitions Through these, managers learn how to handle common challenges, and prove themselves.

trend analysis

Constructing and applying statistical models that predict labor demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the previous year.

Interpersonal relationships

Employees can also develop skills and increase their knowledge about the organization and its customers by interacting with a more experienced member: Mentoring Coaching

Employment-at-will policies

Employment principle that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time, regardless of cause. An organization's lawyers may advise the company to ensure that all recruitment documents state this to protect the company from lawsuits about wrongful charge. Management must decide how to weigh any legal advantages against the impact on recruitment

Five Major Personality Dimensions Measured by Personality Inventories

Extroversion- Sociable, gregarious, assertive, talkative, expressive Adjustment- Emotionally stable, non-depressed, secure, content Agreeableness- Courteous, trusting, good-natured, tolerant, cooperative, forgiving Conscientiousness- Dependable, organized, persevering, thorough, achievement-oriented Inquisitiveness- Curious, imaginative, artistically sensitive, broad-minded, playful

Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)

Federal law requiring employers to verify and maintain records on applicant's legal rights to work in U.S. Applicants fill out Form I-9 and present documents showing their identity and eligibility to work. Law prohibits employer from discriminating against the person on basis of national origin or citizenship status. To use the system E-Verify, employers go online (www.everify.com) to submit information on the applicant's I-9.

Implementing and Evaluating the HR Plan

For whatever HR strategies are selected, the final stage of human resource planning involves implementing the strategies and evaluating the outcomes. This stage is represented by the bottom part of Figure 5.1. When implementing the HR strategy, the organization must hold some individual accountable for achieving the goals. That person also must have the authority and resources needed to accomplish those goals. It is also important that this person issue regular progress reports, so the organization can be sure that all activities occur on schedule and that the early results are as expected.

Reducing Hours

Given the limitations of downsizing, many organizations are more carefully considering other avenues for eliminating a labor surplus. Among the alternatives listed in Table 5.2, one that is seen as a way to spread the burden more fairly is cutting work hours, generally with a corresponding reduction in pay. Companies will choose this not only because this is considered a more equitable way to weather a slump in demand, but also because it is less costly than layoffs requiring severance pay and it is easier to restore the work hours than to hire new employees after a downsizing effort.

Implementing and Evaluating the HR Plan Cont.

HR managers should also measure the efficiency of the processes. Sometimes the best way to improve results is to cut costs or shorten time lines. For example, Jared Olsen said his company, Xima Software, studied the time required to hire—from advertising a job to making an offer and waiting for the employee to start. The average time was 54 days, and management decided that was slowing the company down. They revised the process to focus on developing leads before positions actually became available, which shortened the hiring time to just 12 days

Reliability

The extent to which a measurement is free from random error.

Transfer of training

On-the-job use of knowledge, skills, and behaviors learned in training. Can be measured by asking employees three questions about specific training tasks: -Do you perform the task? -How many times do you perform the task? -To what extent do you perform difficult and challenging learned tasks? Communities of practice

Lead-the-market pay strategies

Pay is an important job characteristic for almost all applicants. Organizations have a recruiting advantage if their policy is to take a ____ approach to pay—that is, pay more than the current market wages for a job. Higher pay can also make up for a job's less desirable features, such as working on a night shift or in dangerous conditions. Organizations that compete for applicants based on pay may use bonuses, stock options, and other forms of pay besides wages and salaries.

Referrals

People who apply because someone in the organization prompted them to do so.

Direct applicants

People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from the organization.

due-process policies

Policies that formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal the employer's decision to terminate that employee. Job applicants are more attracted to organizations with this policy, which imply greater job security and concern for protecting employees, than to organizations with employment-at-will policies.

Organization analysis

Process for determining appropriateness of training by evaluating characteristics of the organization. It looks at training needs in light of: the organization's strategy, resources available for training, and Management's support for training activities.

Person analysis

Process of determining individuals' needs and readiness for training by answering three questions: Do performance deficiencies result from a lack of knowledge, skill, or ability? Who needs training? Are these employees ready for training?

Needs assessment

Process of evaluating the organization, individual employees, and employees' tasks to determine what kinds of training, if any, are necessary. Answers three questions: Organization - What is the context in which training will occur? Person - Who needs training? Task - What subjects should training cover?

Task analysis

Process of identifying and analyzing tasks to be trained. To carry out, the conditions to be considered include: -Job's equipment and environment -Time constraints -Safety considerations -Performance standards

Development for Careers

Protean career - a career that frequently changes based on changes in the person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment. To remain marketable, employees must continually develop new skills.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Psychological inventory that identifies individuals' preferences for source of energy, means of information gathering, way of decision making, and lifestyle, providing information for team building and leadership development.

Training methods

Should be related to the objectives and content of the training program. May include presentation methods, hands-on methods, or group-building methods. A wide variety of methods is available for conducting training.

nondirective interview

The interviewer has great discretion in choosing questions. The candidate's reply to one question may suggest other questions to ask. Typically includes open-ended questions about the candidate's strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and work experience. Because these interviews give the interviewer wide latitude, their reliability is not great, and some interviewers ask questions that are not valid or even legal.

downsizing

The planned elimination of large numbers of personnel with the goal of enhancing the organization's competitiveness.

Development targeted at correcting areas of Dysfunctional Managers

The process includes collecting information about the manager's personality, skills, and interests; providing feedback, training, and counseling; and ensuring that the manager can apply new, functional behaviors on the job.

job posting

The process of communicating information about a job vacancy on company bulletin boards, in employee publications, on corporate intranets, and anywhere else the organization communicates with employees.

Succession Planning

The process of identifying and tracking high-potential employees who will be able to fill key positions when they become vacant Benefits -Senior management regularly reviews the company's leadership talent -Ensures that critical talent is available -Provides development experiences that managers must complete -Helps attract and retain managerial employees

Personnel Selection

The process through which organizations make decisions about who will or will not be invited to join the organization.

Goal Setting and Strategic Planning

The second step in human resource planning: The purpose of setting specific numerical goals is to focus attention on the problem and provide a basis for measuring the organization's success in addressing labor shortages and surpluses. The goals should come directly from the analysis of labor supply and demand. They should include a specific figure indicating what should happen with the job category or skill area and a specific timetable for when the results should be achieved.

Formal Education

This may include: -Workshops -Short courses -Lectures -Simulations -Business games -Experiential programs -Meetings with customers Many companies operate training and development centers.

Goal Setting and Strategic Planning cont.

This planning stage is critical. The options differ widely in their expense, speed, and effectiveness. Options for reducing a labor surplus cause differing amounts of human suffering. The options for avoiding a labor shortage differ in terms of how easily the organization can undo the change if it no longer faces a labor shortage

Planning the Training Program

Training objectives include a statement of: -Expectations -Quality or level of acceptable performance -Conditions under which the employee is to apply what he or she learned -Measurable performance standards -Resources needed to carry out desired performance or outcome

Forecasting the Demand for Labor

Usually an organization forecasts demand for specific job categories or skill areas. After identifying the relevant job categories or skills, the planner investigates the likely demand for each. The planner must forecast whether the need for people with the necessary skills and experience will increase or decrease. There are several ways of making such forecasts.

generalizable

Valid in other contexts beyond the context in which the selection method was developed.

Coaching

a peer or manager who works with an employee to motivate the employee, help him or her develop skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback. May play one or more of three roles: 1. Working one-on-one with an employee, as when giving feedback. 2. Helping employees learn for themselves—for example, helping them find experts and teaching them to obtain feedback from others. 3. Providing resources such as mentors, courses, or job experiences.

A behavior description interview (BDI)

a situational interview in which the interviewer asks the candidate to describe how he or she handled a type of situation in the past. These tend to be the most valid

A situational interview

a structured interview in which the interviewer describes a situation likely to arise on the job and asks the candidate what he or she would do in that situation. This type of interview may have high validity in predicting job performance.

Mentoring

an experienced, productive senior employee who helps develop a less experienced employee, called the protégé. Most of these relationships develop informally as a result of interests or values shared by this and the protégé. These relationships also can develop as part of the organization's planned effort to bring together successful senior employees with less-experienced employees.

Situational constraints

are the limits on training's effectiveness that arise from the situation or the conditions within the organization. Examples can include a lack of money for training, lack of time for training or practicing, and failure to provide proper tools and materials for learning or applying the lessons of training.

A structured interview

establishes a set of questions for the interviewer to ask. Ideally, the questions are related to job requirements and cover relevant knowledge, skills, and experiences. The interviewer is supposed to avoid asking questions that are not on the list. Although interviewers may object to being restricted, the results may be more valid and reliable than with a nondirective interview.

Team training

focuses a team on achievement of a common goal.

Behavior modeling

gives trainees a chance to observe desired behaviors, so this technique can be effective for teaching interpersonal skills.

Classroom instruction

most widely used and is one of the least expensive and least time-consuming ways to present information on a specific topic to many trainees. It also allows for group interaction and may include hands-on practice.

Audiovisual and computer-based training (often called e-learning)

need not require that trainees attend a class, so organizations can reduce time and money spent on training. Computer-based training may be interactive and may provide for group interaction.

Action learning

offers relevance, because the training focuses on an actual work-related problem

performance appraisal

or formal process for measuring employee performance, is a major component of performance management

Business games and case studies

other methods for practicing decision-making skills. Participants need to come together in one location or collaborate online.

360-degree feedback

performance measurement by the employee's supervisor, peers, employees, and customers. Often the feedback involves rating the individual in terms of work-related behaviors.

Experiential and adventure learning programs

provide an opportunity for group members to interact in challenging circumstances but may exclude members with disabilities.

Social support

refers to the ways the organization's people encourage training, including giving trainees praise and encouraging words, sharing information about participating in training programs, and expressing positive attitudes toward the organization's training programs.

A simulation

represents a real-life situation, enabling trainees to see the effects of their decisions without dangerous or expensive consequences.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

requires employers to obtain a candidate's consent before using a third party to check candidate's credit history or references. If the employer decides not to hire based on the report, employer must give applicant a copy of the report and summary of applicant's rights before taking action.