Personnel Selection and Assessment

by Schuler, Heinz; Farr, James L.; Smith, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780805810349
• ISBN10: 080581034X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-06-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

The impetus for this volume came from the editors' belief that most current research and thinking about personnel selection and assessment in organizations considered only the perspective of the employer. The job applicant seeking to join the organization or the employee being considered for promotion or reassignment was typically given little attention from the designers of employment or assessment systems. They believed that this imbalance had several negative implications: 1. Organizational selection and assessment appeared to be the principal area within work and organizational psychology that had forgotten a basic tenet of the profession of psychology, namely, that the welfare of the individual is paramount. 2. A lack of concern for the individuals who were being assessed could result in additional criticisms of psychological assessment in employment settings. 3. The acceptability of selection and assessment devices and systems may impact in (largely) unknown ways on the decisions of individuals to apply for jobs or transfers, thus affecting the selection ratio and potential utility of such systems. 4. Individual reactions to the characteristics of assessment and selection devices could affect the accuracy of the information obtained about those individuals, adversely affecting the reliability and validity of resulting personnel decisions. Informally discussing these concerns with their professional colleagues, the editors found that others were similarly troubled. Their next response was to organize a three day conference bringing together a number of researchers in applied psychology to present papers and participate in discussions related to balancing individual and organizational needs in selection and assessment. Revisions of the papers presented at this conference form the core of this volume.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
List of Contributors	p. xiii
The Individual and Organizational Sides of Personnel Selection and Assessment	p. 1
Individual Perceptions of Personnel Procedures: Introductory Comments	p. 7
Social Validity of Selection Situations: A Concept and Some Empirical Results	p. 11
When Recruitment Fails to Attract: Individual Expectations Meet Organizational Realities in Recruitment	p. 27
References	p. 38
Acknowledgements	p. 38
Perceived Practicality of Unstructured, Patterned, and Situational Interviews	p. 41
References	p. 54
The Effect of Selection Practices on Applicants Perceptions of Organizational Characteristics	p. 57
Individual Reactions to Personnel Procedures: Introductory Comments	p. 71
Job Analysis and Job Evaluation: The Respondent's Perspective	p. 75
References	p. 89
Acknowledgment	p. 89
Personnel Selection, Questionnaires, and Motivational Distortion: An Intelligent Attitude of Adaptation	p. 91
References	p. 107
Effects of Assessment Center Participation on Self-Esteem and on Evaluation of the Selection Situation	p. 109
Newcomer Orientation Programs That Facilitate Organizational Entry	p. 125
Attitudes About Performance Appraisal	p. 141
Informal Performance Feedback: Seeking and Giving	p. 163
Influence of the Social Context on Selection and Assessment: Introductory Comments	p. 181
Employment Testing and Public Policy: The Case of the General Aptitude Test Battery	p. 183
References	p. 203
Fairness in Selection and Assessment: A European Perspective	p. 205
The Team Perspective in Selection and Assessment	p. 221
References	p. 232
Performance-Appraisal Accuracy: An Illusive or Sometimes Misguided Goal?	p. 235
References	p. 251
The Prediction Paradigm	p. 253
Contemporary Approaches to Selection and Assessment--Some Examples: Introductory Comments	p. 263
Emerging Trends in Computer-Assisted Assessment	p. 267
References	p. 286
Complex Problem Solving as a Diagnostic Tool	p. 289
Acknowledgment	p. 300
References	p. 300
Predictive Validity of Cognitive and Noncognitive Variables With Respect to Choice of Occupation and Job Success	p. 303
Group Composition, Gender, and Race Effects on Assessment Center Ratings	p. 315
Individual and Organizational Perspectives on Personnel Procedures: Conclusions and Horizons for Future Research	p. 333
Author Index	p. 353
Subject Index	p. 363
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