Performance Management Commons^™

Job Knowledge Tests, Michelle Graef

Umbrella Summaries

What are job knowledge tests?

In an employment context, job knowledge tests are hiring tools that assess candidates’ knowledge of facts, principles, concepts, and other information that is important for performance of a job (Hunter, 1983). This knowledge falls into two general categories: (a) technical information and (b) the processes and judgmental criteria required to perform correctly and efficiently on the job (Hunter, 1983). Measures of job knowledge vary in the level of specificity of the content. Some measures are intended to test a candidate’s knowledge of specific content for a specific job, whereas other measures are designed to assess …

Job Embeddedness, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is job embeddedness?

Job embeddedness refers to the extent to which employees are connected to their jobs through a social web. It includes three aspects, each of which is considered in light of the job or organization (“on-the-job embeddedness”) and the community (“off-the job embeddedness”): (a) links—the extent to which people have links to other people or activities, (b) fit—the extent to which their job and community are similar to or fit with the other aspects in their life space, and (c) sacrifice—what they would give up if they left, especially if they had to move to another city …

A Study Into The Continuation Of Work Life Balance, Hayley Fritch

Honors College Theses

Within the field of Human Resource Management, the topic of work-life balance has been of interest as a way to maintain satisfied employees by companies and reduce burnout for individuals. This study aims to develop a deeper understanding in the area of work-life balance. The current research shows gaps in the relationship between the actions of college students and the work-life balance they achieve in their future career. This study shows how a college student’s propensity to work-life balance can affect their future balance between work and home and if college students have the propensity to think about their future …

Supervising Child Welfare Professionals Virtually During A Pandemic, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

We are in the midst of a pandemic and many child welfare professionals across the country are working from home. Not only are staff having to become accustomed to this new “normal,” but are having to do so while educating their own children, caring for elderly parents, and determining how to meet the needs of the families and children they serve. During the COVID 19 crisis, supervisors must consistently engage their employees, while assessing the needs of their employees and the needs of the families served by the child welfare system. The QIC-WD wants to bring the available evidence to …

Employability Skills For 21st Century Stem Students: The Employers’ Perspective, Doreen Mcgunagle, Laura Zizka

Publications

Purpose

One of the goals of educational institutions is to prepare their graduates to be workplace-ready. The purpose of this paper is to identify the employability skills lacking in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industry from employers' perspectives to assist STEM educational institutions in creating more relevant programs inclusive of employability skills.

Design/methodology/approach

This study addresses 16 job-specific skills based on data deriving from the responses of 250 Human Resource Managers (HRMs) who represent five manufacturing industries (Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Consumer Products, Electronics and Industrial Manufacturing) located in five regions (Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, West-Mountain and Pacific) of …

The Passion Bug: How And When Do Leaders Inspire Work Passion?, Violet Ho, Marina N. Astakhova

Management Faculty Publications

Drawing from signaling theory, we propose a work passion transfer model where leaders' passion is transmitted to employees through the former's leadership style and is contingent on employees' perceived importance of performance to self-esteem (IPSE). Data from 201 supervisor–employee dyads from the health-care industry show that leaders' harmonious passion led to employees' harmonious passion through charismatic leadership, whereas contingent reward leadership accounted for the transfer of obsessive passion; IPSE did not play a moderating role for either form of passion. Results from a supplementary study further reveal that the link between leadership and employee passion operated through employees' perception of …

Emotional Intelligence Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are emotional intelligence tests?

In an employment context, emotional intelligence tests are tools that assess job candidates’ or employees’ abilities or tendencies related to recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions. Depending on the tool, they can be used to inform hiring decisions and/or for professional development. Beyond the general description above, there is variation in the definition and measurement of emotional intelligence, with the differences falling into three categories (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2005). When it was first conceived, emotional intelligence was considered to be a set of abilities or competencies, to be assessed through actual behavior (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; …

Washington Progress Update – Telework In Action, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The vast majority of the U.S. workforce (80%) says they would like to telework at least part-time, according to research by Global Workplace Analytics. Although not all jobs are conducive to telework, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is working with the QIC-WD to design, implement, and research the impacts of telework as a strategy to support and retain the child welfare workforce. Implementing telework is more complicated than giving staff a laptop and a cell phone and telling them to check in with their supervisor. This post summarizes what actions DCYF is taking to implement …

Integrity Tests, Michael Cunningham, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are integrity tests?

Employee integrity tests are attitude self-report hiring tools that measure candidates’ disposition to productively perform their work, while refraining from counterproductive actions. Counterproductive actions include behaviors such as theft; safety and procedure violations; revealing confidential information or falsifying records; arguing with customers, clients and staff; and tardiness, absenteeism and job abandonment (Gruys, as cited in Sackett, 2002). There are many commercially available integrity tests, and they are often classified as either overt or personality based (Sackett, Burris, & Callahan, 1989). Overt integrity tests (also known as clear-purpose tests) are designed to directly assess attitudes regarding dishonest …

Middle Managers & Leadership Trainings For Effective Senior Leadership Positions In Public Organizations; Applications In Emergency Management, Norah Alshayhan, Juita-Elena Wie Yusuf

College of Business (Strome) Posters

Leaders and training are vital dimensions of organizational development and effectiveness. Availing leadership programs provide continuous learning to the leaders in public sector organizations. However, leaders in senior positions in the public sector organizations have faced struggles and obstacles that inhibit their capacity to drive organizational agenda. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the training programs and the performance of the leaders in the senior positions is vital. The study will discover the struggles and obstacles experienced by the public-service leader and the impact training middle managers the leadership skills. The study hopes to propose a training program for middle managers …

Cognitive Ability Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are cognitive ability tests?

In an employment context, cognitive ability (also known as general intelligence or general mental ability) tests are hiring tools that assess candidates’ ability to learn and solve problems (Hunter & Schmidt, 1996). There are many commercially available cognitive ability tests, and they typically involve multiple-choice questions that measure abilities such as vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and verbal, numerical, and spatial reasoning. Some tests measure a combination of these abilities, whereas some focus only on specific abilities. Because the questions have right and wrong answers, the tests must often be proctored. Tests vary in terms of length, …

Ebci Progress Update- Developing An Onboarding Program, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) established their Family Safety Program (FSP) in 2015. FSP is a multi-disciplinary unit and includes behavioral health and child welfare. They are a small agency with about 35-40 child welfare employees at any given time, including front-line caseworkers, case aides, supervisors, and a manager. Minimum qualifications for the caseworker role are rigorous, requiring a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work and/or years of relevant experience. They also seek to hire enrolled members of the EBCI, enrolled members of other federally recognized tribes, or those married to, or who are children of, enrolled …

Biodata Measures, Stephanie Weddington, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are biodata measures?

Biodata measures are hiring tools that assess a variety of biographical or background data about job candidates. When they were first developed, biodata measures included objective and verifiable questions about a person’s background and history (e.g., education level, number of siblings, job history), but over time they have come to include more subjective questions similar to those found on personality tests (e.g., attitudes, interests, recreational activities, education, and work experiences and preferences) (Schmitt & Golubovich, 2013). They are typically administered using a paper-and-pencil or online-survey format (Breaugh, 2009), and the response options can be yes-no, multiple …

Work Sample Tests, Maggie Thompson, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are work sample tests?

Work sample tests are methods used to assess an individual’s ability to successfully perform a job. These tests require individuals to perform tasks that are physically and/or psychologically similar to those they would experience on the job (Schneider & Schmitt, 1986). Though much of the early use of work samples was to assess psychomotor skills for manual tasks like carpentry, electrical work, or welding (Robertson & Downs, 1989), more relevant examples include role plays, in-basket exercises, filing, and writing or typing exercises (Roth, Bobko, McFarland, & Buster, 2008). There are two primary categories of work …

Under Pressure: Decision Making In Aircraft Maintenance And The Role Of Gender, Stephanie Douglas Ph.D., Bettina M. Mrusek Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

In aircraft maintenance, leaders are under near-constant pressure to maintain airworthiness. Every minute an aircraft cannot fly due to maintenance represents financial waste. Decisions are therefore made in a relatively quick fashion. A leader evaluates the situation, identifies a course of action and then communicates this message to a team of technicians. However, gender influences regarding leaders’ decisions can influence team members’ perceptions of those decisions.

The study will measure decision making methods of leaders in aircraft maintenance and the perceptions of the technicians. It informs how gender influences decision making from both the leader and follower perspective. The expected …

Training And Experience Evaluations, Kate Stephenson, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are training and experience evaluations?

Training and experience (T&E) include previous work and volunteer experience, education or other training, and credentials (Schneider, 1994). Evaluations of T&E are often included in employee selection procedures to screen and rate applicants based on information provided on resumes, applications, or other documents. These evaluations attempt to identify future successful employees by examining and applying systematic, judgment-based ratings to this information (McDaniel, Schmidt, & Hunter, 1988). The idea behind T&E evaluations is that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior, and people with experience are more committed and motivated to perform well …

Adversity: Its Affect On The Resilience Of Female Pilots, Linda M. Pittenger D.Mgt., Stephanie Douglas Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Women are one of the solutions to alleviating the pending pilot shortage. Becoming a pilot needs to appeal to women. Resilience plays an important role in determining whether women in male-dominated career fields will pursue or abandon their careers. The pilot profession is dominated by masculine beliefs, values and perceptions creating an organizational culture adverse and challenging to women.

The study objective was to explore the influence of adversity on female pilots and its effect on resiliency. In our sample of 1,499 female pilots, we found lower resiliency levels as compared to a general U.S. sample. Additionally, statistically significant differences …

Merit, Diversity, And Performance: Does Diversity Management Moderate The Effect Of Merit Principles On Governmental Performance?, Sanghee Park, Jiaqi Liang

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

The compatibility of merit principles and diversity management is particularly intriguing in theory and practice. Although theoretical arguments for merit-based practices and diversity management are well established, the effect of their dynamics on governmental performance remains an empirical issue. This article examines the effect of merit principles, workforce diversity, and diversity management on government performance, and inquiries about whether diversity management efforts moderate the effect of merit-based practices. Analyzing a combined data set on federal agencies, this study finds that merit-based practices and diversity management have independent positive impact on organizational performance, but there is no significant relationship between workforce …

The Impact Of Changing The Size Of Aircraft Radar Displays On Visual Search In The Cockpit, Justin R. Marsh

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in sensor technology have enabled our fighter aircraft to find, fix, track, target, engage (F2T2E) at greater distances, providing the operator with more data within the battlefield. Modern aircraft are designed with larger displays while our legacy aircraft are being retrofitted with larger cockpit displays to enable display of the increased data. While this modification has been shown to enable improvements in human performance of many cockpit tasks, this effect is often not measured nor fully understood at a more generalizable level. This research outlines an approach to comparing human performance across two display sizes in future F-16 cockpits. …

Situational Judgment Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is a situational judgment test?

A situational judgment test (SJT) is a hiring tool that measures knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics by assessing test takers’ responses to various job-related situations. They are typically administered in paper-and-pencil or video format, and each item presents a scenario and various potential responses or actions to take. Instructions tend to fall into one of two categories: knowledge or behavioral tendency. Knowledge instructions require judgments about the efficacy of different options, and they ask test takers to choose, for example, the best option, the best and worst option, or the most effective option. …