The Supreme Court ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional.
Click here for a news report on the ruling.
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Firefighters win the Ricci v. DeStefano case
Research Update
This update summarizes and provides links for the following research of interest:
- Using Integrity Tests for Employee Selection
- Does Emotional Reasoning aid Job Performance?
- What attracts Employees to Organizations?
Using Integrity Tests for Employee Selection
Integrity tests, as a part of a selection battery, have been shown to provide the greatest incremental validity over and above tests of general mental ability (Schmidt and Hunter, 1998). Building on this research, Casillas, Robbins, McKinniss, Postlewaite and Oh (2009) tested 680 job incumbents across nine organizations of different sizes spanning diverse industries to develop and validate an integrity measure called the WorkKeys Performance Assessment (WPA). This participant sample was randomly split into a development sample, which was used to select the items to be included on the test and a cross- validation sample, to identify the properties of the measure. An item pool was generated using current I/O Psychology literature, subject matter expert ratings, and readability ratings from a sample of 50 blue-collar employees. The resulting pool of 216 items was set to a 6-point Likert scale and divided into two sub-scales, GWA measuring an individual’s overall approach to their work and environment and RR, a measure of an individual’s attitude towards compliance with safety guidelines and procedures as well as accident prevention in the workplace. The measure contained both overt and covert items. Analysis of data collected from the development sample resulted in a total of 26 GWA (α=.81) and 23 RR (α=.83) items. Scores on the GWA and RR scales were correlated with both self and supervisor ratings of performance. Moreover, including RR in the analysis increased incremental validity and ability to predict safety and counter-productive work behaviours by 27.8% and 20.1% respectively. It was also observed that a composite of conscientiousness, agreeableness and emotional stability from the Big 5 was highly correlated with the WPA (range=.52-.59). Consistent with the literature, fairly low correlations were observed between demographic variables and test scores. Hence, these pre-employment tests could function as a cost-effective device to identify potentially reliable and dependable employees who may be successful on the job.
Does Emotional Reasoning aid Job Performance?
This 2-study investigation by Blickle, Momm, Kramer, Mierke, Liu and Ferris (2009) evaluated the construct and criterion related validity of a new measure of emotional reasoning called the ‘Test of Emotional Intelligence (TEMINT). This test uses a specific-ability approach to assess an important component of emotional intelligence which involves reasoning with emotions or “the ability to employ emotional knowledge to understand and analyze emotions” (Blickle et al., 2009). The measure was developed such that lower scores on the TEMINT indicate higher emotional reasoning skills. This measure was administered to 210 German employees in conjunction with another extensively validated measure of emotion perception ability called ‘DANVA’. These participants were also peer-rated by 210 assessors. Consistent with expectations, the TEMINT was significantly related to job function and job type but not age and gender. Results from Study 1 indicated that TEMINT scores were positively correlated with scores from the DANVA (r=.26, p<.05). Consistent with predictions, TEMINT scores were negatively correlated to self ratings of empathy(r=-.26, p<.05) as well as openness to experience(r=-.21, p<.05). As well, TEMINT scores were negatively correlated with all three social functioning variables including social astuteness, interpersonal influence and apparent sincerity and explained a significant proportion of the variance in these even after controlling for personality and job type but appeared to be uncorrelated with general mental ability (GMA). Study 2 revealed that the assessments of job performance by supervisors, peers and others were significantly correlated (r=-.24) with TEMINT scores. Moreover, emotional reasoning skills measured on the TEMINT explained a significant proportion of job performance even beyond those accounted for by GMA and personality. Hence, TEMINT appears to be a valid measure of emotional reasoning skills which seems to be an important predictor of job performance. Future research is required to examine the relationship of TEMINT with other relevant work outcomes as well as to design emotional competency training to develop employee emotional reasoning skills.
What attracts Employees to Organizations?
A study by Slaughter and Greguras (2009) attempted to determine whether the perceived ‘personality’ of an organization (defined as the set of human personality characteristics perceived to be associated with the organization) was a factor influencing an individual’s initial attraction to it. An organization’s “personality” can be developed through a variety of media including television/radio advertisements and other sources of information such as the internet, or from friends and family. Previous research by Slaughter et al (2004) indentified five different types of perceived organizational personality characteristics including Boy Scout (e.g. honest, helpful), Innovativeness (e.g. original), Dominance (e.g. big), Thrift (e.g. low budget) and Style (e.g. trendy). Data was collected at three time periods 2 weeks apart. Participants included 828 undergraduate psychology students at Time 1 who completed the Big 5 personality measure. At Time 2, a total of 777 participants rated a randomly assigned organization on perceptions of organizational personality characteristics and available job opportunities. At Time 3, a total of 752 participants rated organizational attractiveness.
Notable findings included the following:
Full article/abstract available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122204891/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Does Emotional Reasoning aid Job Performance?
This 2-study investigation by Blickle, Momm, Kramer, Mierke, Liu and Ferris (2009) evaluated the construct and criterion related validity of a new measure of emotional reasoning called the ‘Test of Emotional Intelligence (TEMINT). This test uses a specific-ability approach to assess an important component of emotional intelligence which involves reasoning with emotions or “the ability to employ emotional knowledge to understand and analyze emotions” (Blickle et al., 2009). The measure was developed such that lower scores on the TEMINT indicate higher emotional reasoning skills. This measure was administered to 210 German employees in conjunction with another extensively validated measure of emotion perception ability called ‘DANVA’. These participants were also peer-rated by 210 assessors. Consistent with expectations, the TEMINT was significantly related to job function and job type but not age and gender. Results from Study 1 indicated that TEMINT scores were positively correlated with scores from the DANVA (r=.26, p<.05). Consistent with predictions, TEMINT scores were negatively correlated to self ratings of empathy(r=-.26, p<.05) as well as openness to experience(r=-.21, p<.05). As well, TEMINT scores were negatively correlated with all three social functioning variables including social astuteness, interpersonal influence and apparent sincerity and explained a significant proportion of the variance in these even after controlling for personality and job type but appeared to be uncorrelated with general mental ability (GMA). Study 2 revealed that the assessments of job performance by supervisors, peers and others were significantly correlated (r=-.24) with TEMINT scores. Moreover, emotional reasoning skills measured on the TEMINT explained a significant proportion of job performance even beyond those accounted for by GMA and personality. Hence, TEMINT appears to be a valid measure of emotional reasoning skills which seems to be an important predictor of job performance. Future research is required to examine the relationship of TEMINT with other relevant work outcomes as well as to design emotional competency training to develop employee emotional reasoning skills.
Full article/abstract available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122204894/abstract
What attracts Employees to Organizations?
A study by Slaughter and Greguras (2009) attempted to determine whether the perceived ‘personality’ of an organization (defined as the set of human personality characteristics perceived to be associated with the organization) was a factor influencing an individual’s initial attraction to it. An organization’s “personality” can be developed through a variety of media including television/radio advertisements and other sources of information such as the internet, or from friends and family. Previous research by Slaughter et al (2004) indentified five different types of perceived organizational personality characteristics including Boy Scout (e.g. honest, helpful), Innovativeness (e.g. original), Dominance (e.g. big), Thrift (e.g. low budget) and Style (e.g. trendy). Data was collected at three time periods 2 weeks apart. Participants included 828 undergraduate psychology students at Time 1 who completed the Big 5 personality measure. At Time 2, a total of 777 participants rated a randomly assigned organization on perceptions of organizational personality characteristics and available job opportunities. At Time 3, a total of 752 participants rated organizational attractiveness.
Notable findings included the following:
- The organization’s “personality” explained a significant proportion of the variance in attraction to the organization but not the likelihood of accepting a job offer.
- There was less attraction to organizations that appeared thrifty. As a result, the authors recommended that companies emphasize other qualities (e.g., portray an image of being more innovative, helpful and reliable).
- More dominant organizations seem less attractive to applicants.
- Conscientiousness moderated the relationship between attraction to the organization and a number of perceived organizational personality characteristics (Thrift, Innovativeness and Boy Scout) such that more conscientious individuals who are also more ambitious will prefer to not be associated with organizations that have a negative image.
- Results did not reveal a stronger attraction to an organization as a result of a stronger Person-Organization fit but did find a weaker attraction due to a weaker fit, especially in the cases where individuals were high on a personality dimension that the organization was perceived low on.
Full article/abstract available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122204898/abstract
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Research Update
This update summarizes and provides links for the following research of interest:
- Can Faking be Reduced by Using Multiple Predictors?
- Job Engagement and the “Disconnect” Between Scientist & Practitioner
- Evidence for a New Factor of Cognitive Ability
- Should you Hire or Nurture Optimism?
Can Faking be Reduced by Using Multiple Predictors?
Converse, Peterson and Griffith (2009) compared faking on non-cognitive selection measures used in isolation with those administered in conjunction with other selection measures. Simulated selection data including 2000 data points was generated and selected in different combinations of variable scores, on conscientiousness and two other predictors as well as on faking and job performance. The outcomes of criterion-related validity, mean performance and selection decision consistency were then examined. Results indicated that faking did affect the criterion-related validity to a considerable extent and hence remains a practical concern for selection research and practice. In addition, the authors observed that faking affected all other outcomes to a lesser degree when multiple selection measures (either cognitive or non-cognitive) are used together as opposed to when the personality measure was administered in isolation. Based on the findings of their research, the authors suggest that it is advisable to use caution and attempt to reduce faking by adding additional predictors if a narrow trait is being used to predict a specific attribute of performance. Future research in the areas of faking and multiple predictors as well as the faking-performance correlation is also warranted based on its considerable practical relevance.
Full article at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122204896/abstract
Job Engagement and the “Disconnect” Between Scientist & Practitioner
Wefald and Downey (2009) discuss the obvious discrepancy between organizations and academia in their approach to job engagement. Job engagement is a popular concept with organizations and HR consulting firms. There exist a number of measures, such as the Gallup Q12 approach, which defines job engagement as ‘an individual’s involvement, satisfaction and enthusiasm for work and being connected to others at work’ (Harter, Schmidt and Hayes, 2002). Limited external academic validation of popular engagement measures has been carried out due to their proprietary nature. It is apparent, however, that the industry focus remains on outcomes such as retention and performance. On the other hand, academia considers engagement from a psychological state standpoint, defined as ‘a persistent and affective-motivational state of fulfillment in employees’ (Schaufeli, 2002). There is limited research on the consequences of job engagement as defined by academia and the generalizability of existing research in the area is questionable. Future research comparing or relating the academic concept with the industry approach would go a long way in bridging the gap between these spheres.
Full article at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121413732/abstract
Evidence for a New Factor of Cognitive Ability
The single factor ‘g’ (Spearman, 1927) has long been associated with cognitive ability and intelligence. However, recent evidence suggests the existence of another additional factor termed ‘process analytic’ by Zysberg (2009). The first study conducted by Zysberg (2009) included 6010 applicants for professional positions that ranged between 18-56 years of age. The participants underwent a battery of classic intelligence tests including a formal series test, a numeric sequence test, an arithmetic knowledge test, a verbal analogies test and a verbal logical test. They also completed two process analytic tests including flowcharts and process tests which showed high reliability coefficients. Factor analysis indicated the presence of three factors accounting for 93% of the total variance underlying the intelligence construct including a quantitative reasoning factor, a verbal logical test and a third factor including the flowcharts and the process tests termed the ‘process analytic’ factor. This factor is defined as ‘one’s ability to perceive and interpret processes, to be able to represent realities in terms of processes and decision making junctions, and identify and rectify errors and flaws in the processes to make it flow most efficiently’ (Zysberg, 2009). The results of this study were replicated in a second study with 1832 job applicants for technical positions. Again, a stable three factor structure which accounted for 81% of the total variance and included the new ‘process analytic’ factor. However, it may be possible that the emergence of this new factor is the result of the novel mode of testing used to tap the process analytic factor rather than a new facet of intelligence.
Full article at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122204890/abstract
Should you Hire or Nurture Optimism?
Kluemper, Little and DeGroot (2009) carried out two studies to test the effects of state and trait optimism on various organizational outcomes such as psychological distress symptoms, burnout, affective commitment, job satisfaction, task performance and contextual performance. Trait optimism refers to a stable internal level of optimism whereas state optimism refers to changes in optimism due to situational factors. Kluemper et al (2009) hypothesized that if trait optimism is more predictive of job outcomes, it could be selected for at the time of recruitment whereas if state optimism is a better predictor, individuals could be trained to increase their levels of optimism, as demonstrated by previous research (Seligman, 1998). The first study was conducted on 772 undergraduate students and the second on 106 employees at a treatment facility. In both studies, state optimism significantly predicted additional variance in all outcomes both after controlling for both trait optimism as well as for affect. As well, confirmatory factor analysis in the first study indicated that state optimism was independent from both trait optimism and affect. However, trait optimism did not significantly add to this variance after controlling for state optimism or affect. Hence, the results from both these studies suggest that to encourage positive job outcomes, managers must create a work environment that encourages optimism to rather than hiring optimistic individuals.
Full article at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121669145/abstract
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Information on Ricci, et al. v. DeStefano, et al. case
Interested in accessing Briefs and Documents related to the Ricci, et al. v. DeStefano, et al case? You can find them here.
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NAS workshops to improve O*NET
NAS is hosting two workshops in March 2009 to review uses and possible improvements to O*NET.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49013 is where you can find an overview of the project, committee membership, and information on the open meeting dates which are 3.26.09 and 4.17.09 in Washington, DC
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Be sure to attend the ATP meeting at SIOP on Friday, April 3rd from 5:00pm to 6:00pm
The I/O Division of ATP will be holding its annual reception at SIOP on Friday, April 3rd from 5:00pm – 6:00pm in the Crescent Board Room (4th Floor of the Sheraton). Please join us for an update and refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there.
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ATP Presentation on the Management of Assessment Data
Access the PowerPoint Presentation
Access a Word document listing ethical codes and guidelines relevant to the management of assessment data
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Interesting posts from popular HR blogs
Summarizes posts from a variety HR blogs. The diverse set of topics include everything from discrimination when using videos for interviews/resumes, to the benefits and drawback to twitter chatter on the job, to best practices in succession planning.Discrimination and the use of video (interviews, resumes)
Examines whether the newest technology tool of video will help or hurt our collective quest to treat every job applicant equally.
http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/02/11/discrimination-and-the-use-of-video/The Positives of Gen Y
I’m young. I’m inexperienced. I’m a slacker. I’m entitled. I have a short attention span. I can’t hold down a job. At least that’s how my elders see me.
http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/02/17/jc-positives-of-gen-y/Job Seekers Vend their Skills on E-Bay
A Colorado woman who was terminated from her job at a call center decides to sell her skills on EBay
http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/02/17/ved-job-seekers-vend-their-skills-on-ebay/Indeed launches Industry Trends
Indeed.com has released a unique view of job postings and job seeker trends in 12 major industries called Industry Trends.
http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/02/17/ved-indeed-launches-industry-trends/Top 100 Companies Hiring this Quarter
Yahoo! HotJobs has refreshed their quarterly list of the top 100 companies that are hiring this quarter. The list is based on the quantity of job postings each company has published on the job site.
http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/02/16/ved-top-100-companies-hiring-this-quarter/Get in the Game – An engaging interactive experience + RJP + employment test in one package
Explores how video game technology (VGT) is influencing employment testing and the potential benefits of this union
http://hrtests.blogspot.com/2009/02/get-in-game.htmlTraining and Experience Questionnaires – Mitigating their risks
Offers pointers on mitigating the challenges associated with T&E Questionnaires
http://hrtests.blogspot.com/2009/01/living-with-t.htmlWhy Automate Succession Planning When you do it like the Mob?
A call for a more thoughtful, proactive approach to succession planning
http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2009/02/why-automate-succession-planning-when-you-do-it-like-the-mob.htmlSuccession Planning – Preparedness for the Future
Contains a link to a concise Forbes.com article that includes some fundamental best practices
http://sailajachadaram.blogspot.com/2007/11/successon-planning-preparedness-for.htmlLilly Ledbetter Law
BLR founder and CEO Bob Brady reports on responses to his recent survey on the impact of the new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Majority view? “I’m OK-- you’re a mess.”
http://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/archive/2009/02/20/Epinions_Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_Survey_Wage_Hour_Lawsuits_Compensation.aspxTwitter Chatter
Perspectives on the benefits and distractions that come with tweeting on the job, along with useful Twitter tools for teams and businesses.
http://www.hrwebcafe.com/2009/02/twitter_productivity_helper_or.htmliCims and the Future of Human Resources
About the leading edge iCims talent platform and its participation in the 2nd Annual Future of Human Resources in Oil, Gas, & Energy Conference.
http://www.hrmarketer.com/~blog/2009/02/icims-to-participate-in-2nd-annual.htmlVideo Surveillance in the Workplace - when is it a good idea?
Includes a top 10 “things to consider” list and Q&A section from the British Columbia Privacy Commissioner for employers contemplating video surveillance at work
http://www.hr-esources.com/01/09/guidelines-for-using-video-surveillance-in-the-private-sector/Smart People Making Bad Decisions
Find out what 4 things can derail even the most intelligent leaders and view a podcast by Sydney Finkelstein, the author of Why Smart Executives Fail.
http://hrblog.typepad.com/perfect_labor_storm/2009/02/hindsight-is-always-2020-but-lately-it-seems-that-a-lot-of-really-smart-people-are-making-really-bad-decisions-i-just-liste.htmlWhat’s your “Social Score?”
Explores the idea of creating a “social index” for organizations to encourage and foster social collaboration and networking.
http://humancapitalist.com/?p=675
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Research Update
I hope you're ready, because this is a big one! It has been a while since we summarized recent stduies of relevance to test publishers. In this post, we clear the backlog by summarizing articles (from various journals) on the following topics:
- Validity of police-selection measures and differences between ethnic groups
- Reducing faking on situational judgment tests
- Consequences of frequent applicants in adverse impact analyses
- The influence of organizational culture on work-related personality requirement ratings: A multilevel analysis
- The relationship between financial history and counterproductive work behavior
- Measuring compensation satisfaction
- Does age of transformational leaders matter?
- Applicant–employee similarity and attraction to an employer
- Do you think KSAOs can be improved?
- Can coaching improve performance on structured interviews?
- Work values: Some demographic and cultural correlates
- How organizational climate affects discrimination claims
Criterion-related validity of Dutch police-selection measures and differences between ethnic groups
Meijer, Born, Terlouw, & van der Molen (2008) compared the validity of cognitive ability and non-cognitive ability measures (e.g., Big-5 personality, assessment center, structured interview) in predicting police training performance. Validities differed depending on Ethnic group. Participants were 2365 majority applicants and 682 minority applicants (minority applicants were primarily Antillean, Moroccan, Surinamese, or Turkish) training to become Dutch police officers. The authors cite recent evidence that general mental ability may be less predictive in police officer jobs than in most other occupations (r = .24; Salgado et al., 2003). In accordance with – though more extreme than – that evidence, the authors concluded that generally mental ability had low validity in predicting training performance for police officers, especially for the ethnic majority group (r = .14 for ethnic minority group; r = .04 for ethnic majority group). No big 5 personality dimension predicted performance for either ethnic group. Assessment centers and employment interviews were more predictive for the ethnic majority group. The authors discuss the potential impact of (1) bias in ratings by raters who were all members of the majority-group, (2) small variance in the training performance criterion, (3) degree to which training performance is likely to agree with subsequent on-the-job performance.Full link to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00438.x
On the consequences of frequent applicants in adverse impact analyses: A demonstration study
Automated application processes make applying to jobs easier, allowing candidates to apply to multiple positions within an organization or the same position multiple times. These repeat candidates can influence adverse impact analyses. Dunleavy et al. (2008) demonstrate the effects using simulations. The authors show how a single applicant applying multiple times can cause the appearance of adverse impact when none exists. Conversely, in cases where there is adverse impact, repeat applicants can hide the adverse impact. These effects are demonstrated in various selection scenarios using simulations. The authors then discuss methods of identifying repeat applicants and present options for handling data from them.
Full link to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00439.x
The influence of organizational culture on work-related personality requirement ratings: A multilevel analysis
If organizational culture affects selection, the same job in different organizations should have slightly different requirements. Li et al. (2008) found just that: personality importance ratings differed between organizations. These importance ratings were related to organizational culture. Participants were 270 Chinese customer service representatives working for 37 mobile phone service companies owned by the same parent company. Participants rated their organizations culture and subsequently used a translated version of O*Net’s Work Styles instrument to rate the importance of several personality traits for their job. There was agreement within organizations and differences between organizations on two work-related personality requirements: achievement-orientation and conscientiousness. Participants were more likely to rate achievement-orientation as important when their organizational culture was highly achievement-oriented. Conscientiousness was rated as important in integrity-oriented cultures. Ratings of achievement and conscientiousness were particularly influenced by (higher in) team-oriented organizational cultures. The authors discuss implications for the transportability of results from job analyses.
Full link to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00442.x
The relationship between financial history and counterproductive work behavior
Oppler et al. (2008) found that an employee’s financial history predicted their likelihood of being caught engaging in counterproductive work behaviors. Participants were 2519 employees of US government agency. Employees completed a financial history questionnaire upon applying for the job, and every 5 years after hire. The financial history questionnaire asked two questions: (1) “In the last 7 years, have you, or a company over which you exercised some control, filed for bankruptcy, been declared bankrupt, been subject to a tax lien, or had legal judgment rendered against you for a debt?” and (2) “Are you now over 180 days delinquent on any loan or financial obligation?” Counterproductive workplace behaviors were incidents identified and recorded by the organization (e.g., theft, accepting anything prohibited by law). The authors found that employees with some previous financial difficulty were significantly more likely than those without a record of financial difficulty to be identified in an incident of counterproductive workplace behavior (31.3% and 18.1% respectively). The effect size (phi = .13) was similar to those found in meta-analyses (e.g., Ones et al., 1993) investigating overt integrity measures with objective theft criterions. The authors suggest that future research should investigate the incremental validity of financial history over other integrity measures, and that future studies should examine the adverse impact of using financial history.
Full link to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00445.x
Measuring compensation satisfaction
Noting how existing measures are deficient, Williams et al. (2008) describe the development of a model and measure for compensation satisfaction. They authors capture two forms of compensation: pay versus benefits. For each form of compensation, the authors look at two areas of reaction: outcomes versus procedures. The resulting model consists of four dimensions for pay satisfaction (level, structure, raises, and variable pay procedures satisfaction) and three dimensions for benefits (level, determination, and administration satisfaction). The corresponding measure consists of 29 items and is supported by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as evidence that the scale relates to other variables (e.g., affective commitment) as predicted.
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00004
Age differences between leader and followers as a moderator of the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance
According to Kearney (2008), transformational leadership behaviors may only be effective when leaders are older than their subordinates. The study involved 289 people in 49 research and development teams employed at a pharmaceutical company. When the leader’s age was older than the average age of the team members, transformational leadership behaviors (measured by the MLQ-5x Short) positively related to team performance (supervisor ratings of efficiency, quality of innovations, productivity, mission fulfillment, and overall performance). However, when the leader was the same age as or younger than the average team member, transformational leadership behaviors were unrelated to team performance. The authors suggest the reason for the difference is that age is often resource allocation (e.g., leadership responsibilities typically fall on the older members of the group). When a leader lacks this justification, the team may attempt to alleviate any inequality in resources by curtailing the leader’s influence on the team (e.g., not adopting the leader’s values).
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00011
Applicant–employee similarity and attraction to an employer
Labelled “person-to-person fit,” Devendorf & Highhouse (2008) found that people are attracted to an organization in part based on their similarity (perceived or prototypical) to employees who currently work at the organization. The authors categorized retail clothing stores as either conservative/conventional, sporty, or unconventional using multidimensional scaling. Grad students categorized numerous adjectives into those same categories based on their prototypes for typical retail employees at each store. Finally, 296 participants (1) rated how similar they were to employees at each organization (perceived similarity), (2) rated themselves on the adjectives categorized by graduate students (used to calculate similarity to the organizational prototypes), and (3) indicated each store’s attractiveness as an employer. Results were that both perceived similarity and similarity to the organization’s prototype predicted perceptions of organizational attractiveness. Perceived similarity was the stronger predictor, but prototype match showed promise in discriminating who would find which employers attractive.
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00002
Do you think KSAOs can be improved?
Your answer to the question likely depends on your occupation. Compared to people with Ph.D.s in applied psychology, Maurer & Lippstreu (2008) found that people in the general workforce were more likely to believe that someone can apply effort to improve their score on most knowledge, skills, abilities and other job requirements (KSAOs).
In 524 working adults, belief in the improvability of KSAOs was also related to positive views of selection tests and performance appraisal, degree to which KSAOs were needed at job entry, and learning goal orientation. Experts with Ph.D.s were more likely to differentiate on which KSAOs could be improved upon, and gave lower improvability ratings in general. The authors suggest that views on KSAO improvability are in interesting addition to understanding aspects of organizational psychology.
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00012
Can coaching improve performance on structured interviews?
The short answer is yes. Tross and Maurer (2008) found that the level of coaching a person received affected his/her scores on a structured interview. 144 undergraduate students received one of three levels of training: low (introduction-only training), medium (introduction plus awareness training), and high (introduction plus awareness plus skill training). Those given higher levels of training did better on a subsequent structured interview. The authors also investigated mediators of this effect. Knowledge was a partial mediator, but interview efficacy and anxiety were not, suggesting that the reason that training worked was due to the increased knowledge of highly-trained participants.
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00001
Work values: Some demographic and cultural correlates
In 33 European countries, Warr (2008) explored relationships between demographic variables (sex, age, employment status, education level, culture) with various work values (e.g., importance of high pay, pleasant coworkers, job security, flexible hours). The authors replicate and extend several important findings, such as that women tend to place greater emphasis than men do on flexible working hours, pleasant coworkers, and opportunities to meet people, adding that these gender differences are particularly pronounced among part-time workers; young adults just starting to earn their wealth tend to place more importance on high pay than did older adults; people with higher levels of education placed greater emphasis on self-actualizing job content, whereas less educated respondents highlighted extrinsic features such as pay and conditions; people in communist countries placed more emphasis on extrinsic features compared to people in traditionally protestant countries, who more highly valued intrinsic job features.
Full link to article: http://bpsoc.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/joop/2008/00000081/00000004/art00009
How organizational climate affects discrimination claims
One might think that organizations with climates with poor diversity records would be more susceptible to discrimination claims. In actuality, the situation is slightly more complex. In both field and lab settings, Leslie and Gelfand (2008) found that the likelihood of internal discrimination claims (the kind that can be dealt with within the organization rather than legally) depended both on a person’s gender identity and the organizational diversity climate. People who don’t strongly identify with their gender are more likely to file internal discrimination claims when the diversity climate is bad than when it is good. However, women who strongly identify with their gender show the opposite: they are more likely to file claims when the diversity climate is good rather than bad. The authors propose that poor diversity climates constrain the behavior of women with strong gender identifications because those women are more susceptible to fearing retaliation or stigmatization.
Full link to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2008.02.004
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IPAC (Formerly IPMAAC) Call for Papers
There are a couple of updates on the organization formerly known as IPMAAC. Due to a change in its relationship with IPMA-HR, IPMAAC has changed its name its name to IPAC--the International Personnel Assessment Council. IPAC has also posted a call for proposals for its 33rd Annual Conference to be held September 12-16, 2009 in Nashville, TN (proposal due date: January 30, 2009).
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Supreme Court to Hear Ricci v. DeStefano
In what has been described as a reverse discrimination case, the Supreme Court has has agreed to hear what may be a potential landmark case that looks at the role of race in public sector hiring. The case involves firefighters in New Haven, CT who took a promotional exams. While 17 white and 1 Latino firefighter passed the exam, none of the African American candidates did. As a result, the city threw out the results because of adverse impact.
The firefighters subsequently filed suit. One of the core issues to be decided is whether test results can be disregarded solely on the basis of the race of the top scorers without violating the Equal Protection Clause and the prohibition against the use of race-based cut scores. (New Haven has apparently conceded that the exam itself was well-constructed and its validity is not in question.) Tom Sharf's article in the January 2009 SIOP TIP provides a good overview and interesting analysis of the case.
Here is the case before the Supreme Court and one of the earlier rulings.
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Cheating on Pre-Employment Assessments
While cheating is a concern to all in the testing industry, it is most often seen as a concern to those working in certification and education. However, a recent Wall Street Journal article describes how the current economic climate may be fostering an increase in cheating on pre-employment selection tests.
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ATP Conference Program and Registration
The program for the upcoming ATP Conference is posted on the conference website. Registration continues and be sure to make your room reservations prior to January 26, 2009 to obtain the negotiated room rate.
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I-O Division Leadership for 2009
January marks the annual change in leadership within the ATP Divisions. As a result, Ryan Ross becomes Chair for 2009. He will be ably assisted by John Weiner (Vice Chair) and Julie Carswell (Secretary).
This also marks the end of my term as a I-O Division chair. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for having had the opportunity to serve the division as well as ATP as whole. I am also grateful to those who shared their valuable time and efforts in supporting the goals of ATP.
Reid Klion
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