ELEC 2 HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN AN ORGANIZATION

HANDOUT #11
Human Resource and Policies

Introduction:
This handout is about change. We describe environmental forces that require managers to
implement comprehensive change programs. We also consider why people and organizations
often resist change and how this resistance can be overcome. We review various processes for
managing organizational change. We also discuss contemporary work stress issues for today’s
managers.

Date and Time Allotment:

Week 16 (3 hours)

Objectives:
At the end of the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. Know initial selection and understand the most useful methods.
2. Understand substantive selection.
3. Know contingent selection and understand the arguments for and against drug testing.
4. Understand the four main types of training.
5. Understand the purposes of performance evaluation and methods by which it can be
done.
6. Know how managers can improve performance evaluations.

Lecture:
How does the selection process work?

 After the applicant applies for a job, he/she then goes to the initial
selection to decide whether an applicant meets the basic qualifications
using application forms and background checks. If not, applicant is
rejected.

In the initial selection, applicants submit their first information devices

used for preliminary rough cuts to decide whether the applicant meets the
basic qualifications for a job. Initial selection devices include application forms
(including letters of recommendation). Background checks, although can be
considered a contingent selection device, some HR prefer to look into an
applicant’s background right away. About 80% of employers conduct
background checks on their applicants at some point in the hiring process
because they want to know how an applicant did in past jobs and whether
former employers would recommend hiring the person. About 2/3 of employers
only give general reference information on applicants because they are afraid
of being sued for saying something bad about a former employee.
Application forms, although not a very good predictor of performance
might be a good initial screen. For example, applicants who are not registered
nurse for a registered nurse position has no sense spending time for an
interview because he/she doesn’t have a proper credentials. Questions about
race, gender and nationality is not allowed and might put the company and
manager in jeopardy.
Letters of recommendation are also a form of background check but
most of them tends to be favorable and biased to the applicants’ side so the
employer would either ignore them or “read between the lines” to extract the
hidden meaning in them. Some employers would also check the applicants’
credit histories and criminal records because not checking can carry a legal
cost.

 Applicant that meets the basic qualifications will proceed to the

substantive selection where the HR determines the most qualified
from those who passed the basic qualification using written tests,
performance tests and interviews. Applicants who are less qualified
than others are rejected.

Substantive selection is the heart of the selection process where

applicant that passes the initial screen advances. It includes written tests,
performance- simulation tests and interviews. Written tests called “paper-
and-pencil” tests have been fluctuating in the past several decades. Typical
written tests include: (1) intelligence or cognitive ability tests (2) personality test
(3) Integrity tests (4) interest inventories. Intelligence tests have proven to be
particularly good predictors for jobs that include cognitively complex tasks.
Personality tests are inexpensive and simple to administer.
Performance- Simulation tests have higher face validity which
measures whether applicants perceive the measures to be accurate. Two best
known examples are the work sample tests and assessment centers.

- Work sample tests are hands-on simulations of part or all of the work
that applicants for routine jobs must perform. Each work sample
element is matched with a job-performance element of measure
applicants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities with more validity than
written aptitude and personality tests. Work sample test is usually done
in hiring welders, machinists, carpenters, and electricians.

- Assessment centers are specifically designed to evaluate a

candidate’s managerial potential. This is done by line executives,
supervisors, and trained psychologists. To reduce the cost of job
simulations, many organizations have started to use situational
judgement tests, which ask applicants how they would perform in a
variety of job situations and compare their answers to those of high-
performing employees.

Interviews are the most common method of substantive selection. To

reduce bias and improve the validity of interviews, managers should adopt a
standardized set of questions, a uniform method of recording information, and
standardized ratings of applicants’ qualifications. Interview effectiveness also
improves when employers use behavioral structured interviews.

 Applicants who is among the best qualified will advance to the

contingent selection where the HR will make a final check before
making offer to applicants like drug tests and background check. Those
who fail contingent selection will be rejected.
 If applicants pass the substantive selection methods, they are ready to
be hired, contingent on a final check. One common contingent method is a
drug test.

Drug testing is controversial. Some think that testing without

reasonable suspicion is invasive or unfair and say they should be tested on
job-performance factors, not lifestyle choices that may not be relevant.
Employers may require applicants to have medical exams to
determine whether an applicant is physically fit and mentally stable to do the
job or sometimes employers use medical exams to find out whether and how
they can accommodate employees with disabilities. Some jobs that require
medical exams because of exposure to heavy physical or psychological
demands are traffic controllers and firefighters.
Types of Training

1. Basic Literacy skills

-Statistics showed that 40% of US labor force and 50% of high school graduates
don’t possess the basic work skills needed in workplace.

2. Technical skills
-Reasons to improve technical skills:
New technology
 New structural designs in the organization.

3. Interpersonal skills
-Others require training to improve listening, communicating and team-building skills.

4. Problem- Solving skills

-To sharpen their logic, reasoning, and problem-defining skills as well as their abilities to
assess causation, develop and analyze alternatives, and select solutions.

Ethics training
To recognize ethical dilemmas and become aware of the ethical issues underlying their actions.

Formal Training vs. Informal Training

Historically, training is deemed to be formal, planned in advance and having a structured formal.
However, recent study suggests that about 70% of workplace takes informal training –
unstructured, unplanned, and easily adapted to situations and individuals – for teaching skills and
keeping employees current. In reality, informal training is helping fellow employee out. They share
information and solve work-related problems together.

On-the-Job Training vs. Off-the-Job Training

On-the-job training methods include job rotation, apprenticeships, understudy assignments, and
formal monitoring programs. But because they often disrupt the workplace, organizations invest
in off-the-job training. Off-the-job training includes live classroom lectures, videotapes, public
seminars, self-study programs, internet courses, satellite-beamed television classes, and group
activities that use role-plays and case studies.
The fastest-growing training medium is probably computer-based training or e-training.
Computer-based training let learners actively participate in exercises and quizzes was more
effective than a traditional classroom instruction. E-training increases flexibility because
organizations can deliver materials anywhere, anytime. Fast and efficient. But it is expensive to
design self-paced online materials. Employees miss the social interaction of a classroom, online
learners are more susceptible to distractions, and “clicking through” training without actually
engaging in practice activities provides no assurance employees have actually learned anything.

Individualizing Formal Training to Fit the Employee’s Learning Style

Some people absorb information better when they read about it. Some people learn by
observation. Some heavily rely on their auditory senses. And some people prefer a participating
style learn by doing. We can translate these learning styles into teaching methods that maximize
learning. Good teachers recognize that students learn differently and use multiple teaching
methods: they assign readings before class; give lectures; use visual aids to illustrate concepts;
and have students participate in group projects, case analysis, role-plays, and experiential
learning exercises.

Not all training methods are equally effective. The success of training also depends on the
individual. Personality is important: those with an internal locus of control, high conscientiousness,
 high cognitive ability, and high self-efficacy learn more. Climate is also important: when trainees
believe there are opportunities and resources to let them apply their newly learned skills, they are
more motivated and do better in training programs.

Performance Evaluation

Three major types of behavior that constitutes performance at work.

 Task performance is performing the duties and responsibilities that contribute to the
production of a good or service or to administrative tasks.

 Citizenship are actions that contribute to the psychological environment of the

organization, such as helping others when not required, supporting organizational
objectives, treating co-workers with respect, making constructive suggestions, and saying
positive things about the workplace.

 Counter-productivity are actions that actively damage the organization such as stealing,
damaging company property, behaving aggressively toward co-workers, and avoidable
absences.

Most managers believe good performance means doing well on the first two dimensions
and avoiding the third.

Purposes of Performance Evaluation

 To help management make general human resource decisions about promotions,

transfers, and terminations.

 To identify training and development needs.

 To provide feedback to employees for the basis for reward allocations including merit pay
increases.

What do we evaluate?

Management should evaluate an employee’s task on outcomes such as quantity

produced, scrap generated, and cost per unit of production for a plant manager or on overall sales
volume in the territory, dollar increase in sales, and number of new accounts established for a
salesperson.

Organizational citizenship behavior, helping others, making suggestions for

improvements, and volunteering for extra duties make work groups and organizations more
effective and often are incorporated into evaluations of employee performance.

Having good attitude, showing confidence, being dependable, looking busy, or possessing
a wealth of experience may or may not be highly correlated with positive task outcomes, but it’s
naïve to ignore the reality that organizations still use such traits to assess job performance.

Who should do the evaluating?

 Top
management
Manager (Internal Suppliers
(Internal customer) (External
customer) customer)

Subordinates Clients
(Internal (External
customer) customer)

Co-workers or Other
team department
members Employee representativ
(Internal es (Internal
customer) customer)

It’s advisable to use multiple sources of ratings. The latest approach to performance
evaluation provides performance feedback from the employee’s full circle of daily contacts, from
mailroom workers to customers to bosses to peers. By relying on feedback from co-workers,
customers, and subordinates, these organizations are hoping to give everyone a sense of
participation in the review process and gain more accurate readings on employee performance.

Methods of Performance Evaluation

 Written essays is the simplest method to evaluate performance by writing a narrative

describing an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, past performance, potential, and
suggestions for improvement.
 Critical incidents is way of evaluating the behaviors that are key in making the difference
between executing a job effectively and executing it ineffectively. The appraiser describes
what the employee did in a situation that was especially effective or ineffective.
 Graphic rating scales is an evaluation method in which the evaluator rates performance
factors such as quantity and quality of work, depth of knowledge, cooperation, attendance,
and initiative and rates each on an incremental scale.
 BARS (Behaviorally anchored rating scales) are scales that combine major elements
from the critical incident and graphic rating scale approaches. The appraiser rates the
employees based on items along a continuum, but the points are examples of actual
behavior on the given job rather than general descriptions or traits.
  Forced comparison is a method of performance evaluation where
an employee’s performance is made in explicit comparison to
others (e.g., an employee may rank third out of 10 employees in her
work unit.) Two most popular comparisons are group order ranking
and individual ranking. Group order ranking is an evaluation method
that places employees into a particular classification, such as
quartiles. Individual ranking is an evaluation method that tank-
orders employees from best to worst

The following suggestions can make the process more objective and fairer:
• As the number of evaluators increases, the probability of attaining
more accurate information increases.
• To increase agreement among them, appraisers should evaluate
only where they have some expertise.
• Training evaluators can produce more accurate raters. Most rater
training courses emphasize changing the rater’s frame of reference
by teaching them what to look for, so everyone in the organization
defines good performance in the same way.
• The concept of due process can be applied to appraisals to
increase the perception that employees are being treated fairly. 3
features characterize due process systems:
1. Individuals are provided with adequate notice of what is expected to them
2. All evidence relevant to a proposed violation is aired in
a fair hearing so the individuals affected can respond
3. The final decision is based on the evidence and free of bias.

Providing Performance Feedback

Managers are likely to ignore this responsibility:

1. Fear of confrontation when presenting negative feedback
2. Employees become defensive when weaknesses are pointed out
3. Employees have inflated assessment of their own performance

Managing work-life conflicts in organizations

1. Work-life conflicts grabbed management’s attention in the 1980s.
2. Most major organizations made their workplaces family friendly.
3. Modifying with scheduling options and benefits to
accommodate the varied needs of a diverse workforce

Activity:
Discussion on the Process of Initial Selection, Definition of Substantive Selection, Contingent
Selection, Four types of training, Performance Evaluation, Methods of Performance
Evaluation, Main Approaches of Negotiation, and Ways of Improving Performance Evaluation

Assessment:
The students will take a 15-point multiple-choice quiz to gauge their understanding of human
resource and policies

References:
 J Attitude. BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from
BusinessDictionary.com website:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/attitude.html
 Bathena, Z. (2018), Why Job satisfaction is an Important Phenomenon of the Vicious
Circle?. Entrepreneur India. retrieved from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/310608
 Cauton, Peter Paul. “Flexible Benefits: The Soluziona Experience.” In the Way We
Work, edited by Ma. Regina M. Hechanova and Edna P. Franco. Quezon City,
Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
 Corpuz, Crispina. 2000. Personnel and Human Resource Management. Quezon City,
Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.
 Eisenberger, R., Fasolo, P., & Davis-LaMastro, V. (1990). Perceived organizational
support and employee diligence, commitment, and innovation. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 75, 5159.
 Forsyth, Donelson R. (2010) Group Dynamics Fifth edition., Wadsworth, Cengage
Learning.
 Franco, Edna. 2008. “Framing the meanings of work for Fillipinos.” In Leading
Philippine Organizations in a Changing World, edited by Ms. Regina M. Hechanova
and Edna P. Franco, 3-15. Quezon City, Philippines: University of the Philippines
Press.
 Hechanova et. al. 2014. Understanding the Filipino Worker and Organization. 2nd Ed.
Ateneo de Manila University Press
 Ilagan, Jonathan Robert, Ma. Regina Hechanova, Trixia Anne Co, and Vincent Pleyto.
2014.
 “Bakit ka Kumakayod? Developing A Filipino Needs Theory of Motivation.” Philippine
Journal of Psychology 47(1): 117-143.
 Hogg, M., & Vaughan, G. (2005). Social Psychology (4th edition). London: Prentice-
Hall.
 Jocano, F. Landa. 2001. Ethnography of Local Knowledge. Quezon City, Philippines:
Punlad Research House, Inc.
 Kan M.P.H., Fabrigar L.R. (2017) Theory of Planned Behavior. In: Zeigler-Hill V.,
Shackelford T. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham
 Kwanghyun Kim, Soyeon Lee (2016) Psychological Empowerment. DOI:
10.1093/obo/9780199846740-0090 retrieved from
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-
9780199846740/obo9780199846740-0090.xml
 Llego, J. H., & Maramba, R. O. (2018). A Correlational Approach on the Influence of
Stress Level on the Job Performance of Employees in a Private Hospital. International
Journal of Research Foundation of Hospital and Healthcare Administration, 6(2), 68–
73. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10035-1094
 Lussier, R. N. (2017) HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS: APPLICATIONS
AND SKILL BUILDING (10th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
 Macey, William & Schneider, Benjamin. (2008). The Meaning of Employee
Engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 1. 3-30. 10.1111/j.1754-
9434.2007.0002.
 McLeod, S. A. (2018, May 21). Attitudes and behavior. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/attitudes.html
 McLeod, S. A. (2014). Techniques of compliance. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/compliance.html
 M., Shaju & Durai, Subhashini. (2017). A study on the impact of Job Satisfaction on
Job Performance of Employees working in Automobile Industry, Punjab, India. Journal
of Management Research. 9. 117. 10.5296/jmr. v9i1.10420.
 Medina Roberto G., (2011) Human Behavior in Organization., Rex Book Store, Inc.
ISBN 978- 971-23-5912-5
 Philippine Statistics Office. 2013. “Labor Force Survey.” Manila, Philippines: Philippine
Statistics Office.
  R. van dern Werf, (2020) 3 Key Types of Organizational Commitment. Retrieved from
https://www.effectory.com/knowledge/3-key-types-of-organisational-committment
 Robbins, Stephen P.; Judge, Timothy A. (2011) ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, 14th
Edition, published by Pearson Education Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall, Copyright
2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
 Watson Wyatt. 2009. Watson Wyatt Worldwide, “Employee Benefits Trends: Asia
Pacific Benefits Trends Survey Report.” Retrieved from
www.watsonwyatt.com/asiapacific

Prepared by:
Ryan O. Maramba, CHRA, CHRP, COMS, CSPE, LPT, DBA