Management Review: Chapter 10, 11, 12, 14
When is an employment test or a performance appraisal method reliable?
Any performance assessment approach should be both valid and reliable. To be valid it must measure accurately what it claims to measure—whether that is some aspect of job performance or personal behavior. To be reliable it must deliver the same results consistently—whether applied by different raters to the same person or when measuring the same person over time. Valid and reliable assessments are free from bias and as objective as possible.
Sy Smith is not doing well in his job. The problems began to appear shortly after Sy's job changed from a manual to a computer-based operation. He has tried hard but is just not doing well in learning how to use the computer to meet performance expectations. He is 45 years old and has been with the company for 18 years. Sy has been a great worker in the past and is both popular and in uential among his peers. Along with his performance problems, you have also noticed that Sy is starting to sometimes "badmouth" the firm. Questions: As Sy's manager, what options would you consider in terms of dealing with the issue of his retention in the job and in the company? What could you do by way of career development for Sy, and why?
As Sy's supervisor, you face a difficult but perhaps expected human resource management problem. Not only is Sy influential as an informal leader, but he also has considerable experience on the job and in the company. Even though he is experiencing performance problems using the new computer system, there is no indication that he doesn't want to work hard and continue to perform for the company. Although retirement is an option, Sy may also be transferred, promoted, or simply terminated. The latter response seems unjusti ed and may cause legal problems. Transferring Sy, with his agreement, to another position could be a positive move; promoting Sy to a supervisory position in which his experience and networks would be useful is another possibility. The key in this situation seems to be moving Sy out so that a computer-literate person can take over the job, while continuing to utilize Sy in a job that better fits his talents. Transfer and/or promotion should be actively considered both in his and in the company's best interests.
orientation
familiarizes new employees with jobs, co-workers, and organizational policies and services.
How does mentoring work as an on-the-job training approach?
Mentoring is when a senior and experienced individual adopts a newcomer or more junior person with the goal of helping him or her develop into a successful worker. The mentor may or may not be the individual's immediate supervisor. The mentor meets with the individual and discusses problems, shares advice, and generally supports the individual's attempts to grow and perform. Mentors are considered very useful for persons newly appointed to management positions.
Why is orientation important in the HRM process?
Orientation activities introduce a new employee to the organization and the work environment. is is a time when the individual may develop key attitudes and when performance expectations will also be established. Good orientation communicates positive attitudes and expectations and reinforces the desired organizational culture. It formally introduces the individual to important policies and procedures that everyone is expected to follow.
How do the graphic rating scale and the BARS differ as performance appraisal methods?
The graphic rating scale simply asks a supervisor to rate an employee on an established set of criteria, such as quantity of work or attitude toward work. This leaves much room for subjectivity and debate. The behaviorally anchored rating scale asks the supervisor to rate the employee on specific behaviors that had been identified as positively or negatively affecting performance in a given job. This is a more specific appraisal approach and leaves less room for debate and disagreement.
An employee with family problems that are starting to interfere with work would be pleased to learn that his employer had a(n) ____________ plan. (a) employee assistance (b) flexible benefits (c) comparable worth (d) stock options
a
Human resource management is the process of ____________, developing, and maintaining a high-quality workforce. (a) attracting (b) compensating (c) appraising (d) selecting
a
substitutes for leadership
factors in the work setting that direct work efforts without the involvement of a leader.
Socialization of newcomers occurs during the ____________ step of the staffing process. (a) orientation (b) recruiting (c) selection (d) advertising
a
The ____________ purpose of performance review is being addressed when a manager describes training options that might help an employee improve future performance. (a) development (b) evaluation (c) judgmental (d) legal
a
vision
a clear sense of the future.
consultative decision
a decision made by a leader after receiving information, advice, or opinions from group members.
group decision
a decision made by group members themselves.
authority decision
a decision made by the leader and then communicated to the group
labor contract
a formal agreement between a union and an employer about the terms of work for union members.
autocratic leader
a leader who acts in a unilateral command-and-control fashion.
charismatic leader
a leader who develops special leader-follower relationships and inspires followers in extraordinary ways.
human relations leader
a leader who emphasizes people over tasks.
democratic leader
a leader who encourages participation with an emphasis on task and people.
laissez-faire leader
a leader who is disengages, showing low task and people concerns.
emotional intelligence quotient (EQ)
a measure of a person's ability to manage emotions in leadership and social relationships.
recruitment
a set of activities designed to attract a qualified pool of job applicants.
critical-incident technique
a technique that keeps a log of someone's effective and ineffective job behaviors.
reward power
achieving influence by offering something of value.
coercive power
achieving influence by punishment.
gain sharing
allowing employees to share in cost savings or productivity gains realized by their efforts.
affirmative action
an effort to give preference in employment to women and minority group members.
labor union
an organization that deals with employers on the workers' collective behalf.
moral overconfidence
an overly positive view of one's integrity and strength of character.
mentoring
assigns early-career employees as proteges to more senior ones.
merit pay
awarding pay increases in proportion to performance contributions.
A ____________ is a criterion that organizations can legally justify for use in screening job candidates. (a) job description (b) bona fide occupational qualification (c) realistic job preview (d) BARS
b
An employment test that yields different results over time when taken by the same person lacks ____________. (a) validity (b) reliability (c) realism (d) behavioral anchors
b
multiperson comparison
compares one person's performance with that of others.
The assessment center approach to employee selection uses on ____________ to evaluate a candidate's job skills. (a) intelligence tests (b) simulations and experiential exercises (c) 360 degree feedback (d) formal one-on-one interviews
b
The selection technique known as ____________ asks a job candidate to actually perform on the job for a period of time while being observed by a recruiter. (a) mentoring (b) work sampling (c) job coaching (d) critical incident testing
b
When representatives of management and a labor union meet and negotiate the terms of a new labor contract, this process is known as ____________. (a) boycotting (b) collective bargaining (c) 360 degree feedback (d) profit sharing
b
Which of the following questions can an interviewer legally ask a job candidate during a telephone interview? (a) Are you pregnant or planning to soon start a family? (b) What skills do you have that would help you do this job really well? (c) Will you be able to work at least ten years before hitting the retirement age? (d) Do you get financial support from a spouse or companion who is also a wage earner?
b
work-life balance
balancing career demands with personal and family needs.
family-friendly benefits
benefits that help employees achieve better work-life balance.
visionary leadership
brings to the situation a clear sense of the future and an understanding of how to get there.
____________ programs are designed to ensure equal employment opportunities for groups historically underrepresented in the workforce. (a) Realistic recruiting (b) Mentoring (c) Affirmative action (d) Coaching
c
selection
choosing whom to hire from a pool of qualified job applicants.
What is one of the reasons why employers are hiring more part-time or contingency workers? (a) It's hard to get people to work full-time anymore. (b) Part-timers are known to work much harder than full-timers. (c) Full-time employees don't have up-to-date job skills. (d) It's easy to hire part-timers when you need them and let them go when you don't.
d
When a team leader must rate 10% of team members as "superior," 80% as "good," and 10% as "unacceptable," this is an example of the ____________ approach to performance appraisal. (a) graphic (b) critical-incident (c) behaviorally anchored rating scale (d) forced distribution
d
Whereas bonus plans pay employees for special accomplishments, gain-sharing plans reward them for ____________. (a) helping to recruit new workers (b) regular attendance (c) positive work attitudes (d) cost reductions that have been achieved
d
Which phrase is most consistent with a recruiter offering a job candidate a realistic job preview? (a) "There are just no downsides to this job." (b) "No organization is as good as this one." (c) "I can't think of any negatives." (d) "Here's something you might not like about thejob."
d
profit sharing
distributing to employees a proportion of net profits earned by the organization.
bona fide occupational qualifications
employment criteria justified by capacity to perform a job.
work sampling
evaluates applicants as they perform actual work tasks.
assessment center
examines how job candidates handle simulated work situations.
stock options
giving the right to purchase shares at a fixed price in the future.
integrity
honesty, credibility and consistency in putting values into action.
360 degree feedback
includes superiors, subordinates, peers, and even customers in the appraisal process.
transactional leadership
leadership that directs the efforts of others through test, rewards, and structures.
moral leadership
leadership that has integrity and appears to others as "good" or "right" by ethical standards.
transformational leadership
leadership that is inspirational and arouses extraordinary effort and performance.
interactive leadership
leadership that is strong on communicating, participation, and dealing with problems by teamwork.
strategic human resource management
mobilizes human capital to implement organizational strategies.
fringe benefits
nonmonetary forms of compensation such as health insurance and retirement plans.
two-tier wage system
paying new hires less than workers already doing the same jobs with more seniority.
pregnancy discrimination
penalizing a woman in a job to as a job application for being pregnant.
age discrimination
penalizing an employee in a job or as a job applicant for being over the age of 40.
independent contractors
people hired on temporary contracts and not part of the organization's permanent workforce.
contingency workers
people who work as needed and part-time, often on a longer-term basis.
flexible benefits
programs that allow choice to personalize benefits within a set dollar allowance.
employee assistance programs
programs that help employees cope with personal stresses and problems.
realistic job previews
providing job candidates with all pertinent information about a job and organization.
bonus pay
providing one-time payments based on performance accomplishments.
contingency leadership perspective
the perspective that suggest that what is successful as a leadership style varies according to the situation and the people involved.
servant leadership
serving others and helping them use their talents to help organizations benefit society.
socialization
systematically influences the expectations, behavior, and attitudes of new employees.
power
the ability to get someone else to do something you want done.
expert power
the ability to influence the behavior of others because of special knowledge and skills.
referent power
the ability to influence the behavior of others because they admire and want to identify positively with you.
emotional intelligence (EI)
the ability to manage our emotions in leadership and social relationships.
legitimate power
the capacity to influence through formal authority.
human capital
the economic value of people with job-relevant abilities, knowledge, energies, and commitments.
employee value proposition (EVP)
the exchange of value between what the individual and the employer offer in the employment relationship.
gender similarities hypothesis
the idea that males and females have similar psychological makeups.
person-job fit
the match of individual skills, interests, and personal characteristics with the job.
person-organization fit
the match of individual values, attitudes and behavior with the organizational culture.
human resource management (HRM)
the process of attracting, developing, and maintaining a high-quality workforce.
performance review (appraisal)
the process of formally evaluating performance and providing feedback to a jobholder.
leadership
the process of inspiring others to work hard to accomplish important tasks.
career development
the process of managing how a person grows and progresses in a career.
career planning
the process of matching career goals and individual capabilities with opportunities for their fulfillment.
collective bargaining
the process of negotiating, administering, and interpreting a labor contract.
leadership style
the recurring pattern of behaviors exhibited by a leader.
equal opportunity employment (EEO)
the right to employment and advancement without regard to race, sex, religion, color, or national origin.
employee privacy
the right to privacy on and off the job.
graphical rating scale
uses a checklist of traits or characteristics to evaluate performance.
behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)
uses specific descriptions of actual behaviors to rate various levels of performance.
job discrimination
what occurs when someone is denied a job or job assignment for non-job-relevant reasons.
reliability
when a selection device gives consistent results over repeated measures.
coaching
when an experienced person offers performance advice to a less-experienced person.
pay discrimination
when men and women are paid differently for equal work.
validity
when scores on a selection device have demonstrated links with future job performance.
reverse mentoring
younger and newly hired employees mentor senior executives, often on latest developments with digital technologies.
