Chapter 8
Organizing People
Objectives
• Outline the human resource planning process• Define job analysis, job description, job
specification, and skills inventory• Distinguish between different types of
employment interviews• Explain the difference between formal and
informal work groups• Define and Recognize groupthink• Discuss the concept of team building
Management Skills
• If you were publishing a list of the 10 best companies to work for in your town, what things would you take into consideration?
• Make a List! (Groups)Make a List! (Groups)
Meeting Personnel Needs
What kind of experiences have you had applying for
jobs?
Why is this important?
A “successful” manager must develop effective processes to
select, train, and maintain employees…
How Companies Select Employees
Human Resources (HR)• A department that
recruits employees, manages training and compensation, and plans for future personnel
Staffing
• All organizations run on the skills and efforts of people– Staffing involves securing and
developing people• To perform jobs created by
organization• Goals:
– Obtain the best available people– Develop the skills and abilities of those
people
Job Analysis
• Job Analysis is the process of determining, through observation and study, the pertinent information relating to the nature of a specific job– Leading to:
• Job Descriptions• Job Specifications
How Companies Select Employees
Job Description– Written statement
identifying the tasks, duties, activities, and performance results required for specific job
– Used to develop fair and comprehensive compensation and reward systems
– Used to help recruiters to attract candidates
How Companies Select Employees
Job Specification– Written statement
identifying the abilities, skills, traits, or attributes necessary for successful performance for specific job
– Used to identify the qualifications of an individual who could perform the job
How Companies Select Employees
• Skills Inventory– Contains basic information
about each employee– Gives a comprehensive
picture of the individual
Skills Inventory
• Six categories may be included– Skills
• Education, job experience, and training– Special Qualifications
• Memberships in professional groups, achievements– Salary and job history
• Present salary, past salary, dates of raises, jobs held– Company data
• Benefit plan, retirement information, & seniority– Capacity of person
• Scores on test and health information– Special preferences
• Location or job preferences
How Companies Select EmployeesTHINGS LISTED ON A
JOB DESCRIPTION:1) Essential job functions2) Knowledge and critical
skills3) Physical demands4) Environmental factors5) Any information that
may be necessary to clarify job duties or responsibilities
SAMPLE:Title: ReceptionistDuties and responsibilities:Receives and directs phone calls, greetsvisitors, receives and sorts mail andpackages, orders office and kitchen supplies, key documents when requiredQualifications: High school graduate. Needs good communication skills and ability to get along with people. Keying speed of 45 wordsper minute. Experience desirable but not necessary.Salary: $20,000- $25,000, depending on experience
Human Resource Planning
• Involves getting the right number of qualified people into the right job at the right time– Two Questions Addressed
•Where are we now?– Applying Job Analysis & Skills Inventories
•Where do we want to go?– FORECASTING- Attempts to answer this
question with regard to the organization’s HR needs.
» The process that attempts to determine future needs in light of objectives
Human Resource Planning
• FORECASTING- The process that attempts to determine future needs in light of objectives– Many Variables:
• Sales projections• Skills required• Composition of current workforce• Technology changes• Economic conditions
– Largely intuition: experience/judgment
Human Resource Planning
• TRANSITION- The final step of human resource planning– How the organization determines how it
can obtain the quantity and quality of employees its needs to meet objectives
– Several activities in transition• Recruiting and selecting• Training and developing• Promoting or transferring• Laying off or discharging
Recruiting
• Recruiting: involves seeking and attracting a supply of people from which qualified candidates for job vacancies can be selected– Effective recruiting is one of
the best resources in a company• Promotion from within is popular
in growing and expanding companies
Alternatives to Adding Alternatives to Adding StaffStaff
Freelancers*
Interns*
Temporary Workers
*Employee Leasing
FreelancersFreelancers
• Provide by hourly basis or by the job
• Used when full time employment is not needed– Examples: Bookkeepers,
accountants, lawyers, graphic designers, window display artists, advertising copywriters, and photographers
InternsInterns
• Often students, who will work for little or no pay in order to gain experience in a particular field
• Found in local colleges, and high schools– Paid Internships are possible!
Temporary WorkersTemporary Workers
• Can be used for long periods of time – Alternative to full time hiring
• Paid a workers salary plus a fee to the agency who supplies the worker– Ex: Seasonal, substitute for injured or sick
workers on leave
• Fastest growing areas of recruitment– Biggest problem: Lack of
commitment
Employee LeasingEmployee Leasing
• Employee Leasing Companies and Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)– Provide permanent staff at client companies
• Issue paychecks• Take care of personnel matters• Ensure compliance with regulations• Provide benefits
– Supply highly trained employees under contracts with company, not client
How Companies Recruit Employees
Get the readers attention Stimulate the reader’s interest Present a solid specific fact End ad with a call to action
Find employees for businesses and other institutionsTry to match people with jobs their looking for to the right businessCharge a fee when they are successful
Most college and universities have them and persons specifically to do itCollect info on career and employment opportunitiesMake them available to students or graduates for internshipsNo fee is chargedAsk colleges for a list of partnerships
How Companies Recruit Employees
Often businesses except referrals from reliable sources on a good applicant for a job their offering
On the world wide web mostly all companies use their business web sites to post job availability and have online applications
Also businesses can mention their location for people to apply
Online Job Search Databases
Post Classified Ads and Resumes
www.monster.com
www.careerpath.com
www.careerbuilder.com
Web Quest: Research and Find
• Find a Placement Center for the College or University of your choice– Printout the main webpage
with contact information– Printout their services and the
requirements for using their services•Printout: Any other opportunities
available from the center?
The Selection Process
Four Major Steps:
– 1. Preliminary Screening
– 2. Testing
– 3. Employment Interview
– 4. Personal Judgment
The Selection ProcessStandard Selection Procedures
1. Preliminary screening• HR Department will sort out hundreds of letters and
resumes in response to one classified ad
• I.E. – Southwest Airlines receives 129,000 resumes and hires approximately 3,411 people every two years
• Applicant pool is narrowed and input from team members is given (Undergraduate and Graduate GPA, Experience)
• Check applicant’s references and credentials
• Call for an interview
The Selection Process
2. TestingUsed to differentiate applicants with similar credentials
Provides a uniform evaluation of the qualifications of a prospective employee
The Selection ProcessPredictive Index (PI)
• 10-minute personality test is used for effectively hiring and working with employees
• Identifies an individual’s strengths and weaknesses
• Over 3,000 companies use it (IKEA, Budget Rent-A-Car, colleges, professional sports teams)
Validity and Reliability of Test
• Factors relevant to the job
• Group of people taking test under similar circumstances get similar results
• Remove the element of chance
The Selection ProcessCommon Employment Tests
Aptitude TestMeasures capacity to learn a particular subject or skill
Psychomotor TestMeasures strength, dexterity, and coordination
Job Knowledge TestMeasures knowledge related to a particular job
Proficiency TestMeasures performance on a sample of the work required in the job
Interest TestCategorizes applicant’s interests relative to the job
Psychological TestAttempts to define personality traits
Polygraph TestRecords changes in physical response as a person responds to questions to determine whether responses are truthful
The Selection Process Validity and Reliability of
Test
• Refers to the consistency or reproducibility of the result of a test
• Three major methods commonly used to test reliability of testing
1. Test-Retest
a) Testing degree of similarity in scores
2. Parallel forms
a) Giving two versions of the same test and looking at how scores coincide
The Selection Process
What affects it??•Civil Rights Act- Title VII
Title VII prohibits intentional discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VII prohibits both “disparate treatment” and “disparate impact”
discrimination.
•The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Use employment tests that screen out or tend to screen out an individual
with a disability or a class of individuals with disabilities unless the test, as used by the employer, is shown to be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
•The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)• The ADEA prohibits disparate treatment discrimination, i.e., intentional
discrimination based on age. For example, the ADEA forbids an employer from giving a physical agility test only to applicants over age 50, based on a belief that they are less physically able to perform a particular job, but not testing younger applicants.
Background/Reference Checks
• Background and Reference Checks– Fall into 3 categories:
• Personal• Academic• Past-employment
– Contacting personal and academic is generally of limited value
• Few people will list someone who will give a bad reference
– Best is past employers• Beware!! Limited information will be divulged
The Selection Process
Standard Selection Procedures
3. Employment interview Allow the employer to learn more
about the applicant than can be conveyed in a resume or cover letter
Preparing for an Interview• Setting aside space - Privacy
• Putting the applicant at ease – Small talk, Refreshment, Interviewer should be outgoing trained in interviewing skills
• Taking control over the interview – take notes to record important points, encourage applicant to talk, but control the direction of discussion
The Selection ProcessStandard Selection Procedures
3. Employment interview Structured Interview
Prepare a list of questions when interviewing many applications for one position
Provides uniform information for each applicant
Remind the applicant to cover each question
• Where do you want to be in five years?
• What are your strengths in working with others?
The Selection ProcessStandard Selection Procedures
3. Employment interview Unstructured Interview
A conversation between employer and applicant in a relaxed environment
Ask open-ended questions Why did you leave your previous job?
Tell me about yourself
Applicant has the opportunity to ask questions about the organization
Not always reliable interviews
Pertinent questions may not be covered and bias is a possibility
The Selection ProcessStandard Selection Procedures
3. Employment interview First Impressions on personal
attributes can be taken into consideration
Halo Effect Single characteristic dominates the
interviewer’s impression of the applicant
(I.E.) - Pleasant Personality dominates the perception of the applicant and other concerns are overlooked
Doesn’t indicate if the candidate is qualified
Applicant with a pleasant personality in an interview is common
The Selection Process
Standard Selection Procedures
4. Personal judgment Choosing which individual gets the
job
Employer must make a value judgment as to which applicant would be most successful
Follow the selection procedures for effective decision
What if no applicants are qualified? Offer a higher salary or better benefits to
attract more applicants
Re-advertise in a different newspaper or Web site
Legal Considerations in Selection
The Wrong Questions Due to federal law, certain questions cannot be asked
of job candidates.
Questions to avoid when interviewing candidates include:
1. Age (may ask if they are older than a certain age if it is a requirement to of the job [i.e.-school bus driver, forklift operator]
2. Date of birth
3. Religion or church affiliation
4. Father's surname or mother's maiden name
5. Marital status
Legal Considerations in Selection
The Wrong Questions Questions to avoid when interviewing
candidates include: 6. What languages they speak (unless it is a job
requirement)
7. How many children they have, their children's ages and who will care for the children while applicant is working
8. Financial information not related to compensation
9. If they served in the military of any foreign
country 10. If they have ever been arrested? (may ask if
they have been convicted of a felony/misdemeanor)
Web Quest: Legal Cases
• Research Online the following cases:– Summarize your findings– Use the handout
Griggs v. Duke Power Companyand
Albemarle Paper Company v. Moody
Legal Considerations in Selection
Griggs v. Duke Power Company African American employees at a power-generating
plan objected to the requirement of a high-school diploma or passing an intelligence test as conditions of employment in or transfer to jobs at the plant
Court decided if a test negatively impacts female or minority group applicants, then company must prove validity and prevalence to job requirements
Even if a company does not mean to discriminate, if may unintentionally select an unfair test
Findlaw.com source: GRIGGS v. DUKE POWER CO., 401 U.S. 424 (1971)
Legal Considerations in Selection
Albemarle Paper Company v. Moody North Carolina paper mill was seeking the reversal of a Court of
Appeals decision that eliminated its testing program and awarded back pay to a group of African American employees
Managers argued that in addition to creating diversity programs, they had statistical proof that their testing was job-related
Lower court noted that they had made efforts to deal with segregation
Supreme Court agreed with Court of Appeals that the intentions of the company were not the main issue
It held that it was not enough to show that the best workers did well on the tests, or that a testing program improved the overall quality of the work force.
Any tests had to be specifically related to performing the job in question.
Findlaw.com source: ALBEMARLE PAPER CO. v. MOODY, 422 U.S. 405 (1975)
Interview Questions: Groups
• Write out 15 questions to ask a potential employee.
• The Job:– Entry Level College
graduate position in a large corporation
as a ManagerManager
Transfers, Promotions, and Separations
HR Department must account for employees leaving positions, as well as new employees being hired
Transfers Moves an employee into another
position within the company Generally maintains the same
level of responsibility and pay Employee can learn different
functions within organization
Transfers, Promotions, and Separations
Promotions Moving to a position of greater responsibility with
higher status and pay Merit-based and encourage performance
Considerations: Merit, seniority, or length of service Performance in current job How they will adapt to new job (aptitudes and interest)
Peter Principle – possible for employees to be promoted until they reach a level at which they can no longer perform Employee has “risen to her level of incompetence” Will gain a mediocre employee and lose a competent one
through inappropriate promotion
Transfers, Promotions, and SeparationsSeparations - Final way in which an employee leaves a position
Voluntary – employee resignso Exit Interview – pinpoints reasons why an employee is
leaving Involuntary – employee is laid-off or terminated
o Layoffs – there is not enough work for all employeeso Result of downsizing to increase efficiencyo Employee can be called back
o Termination – employee is asked to leave because of poor performance or failure to follow company rules
o Failures from previous actions of training, counseling, and/or disciplinary action
o Last resulto Possible reassignment to a less stressful job will eliminate
the waste of company resources and time invested in hiring and training that individual
UNDERSTAND WORKS GROUPS AND TEAMS
Mr. Sherpinsky
How Groups Behave
• Brainwrite/Brainstorm:– What are the pros and cons of group work?– What kinds of group work have you
experienced?
Why is this important?
“To supervise groups effectively, managers must understand the dynamics of group
behavior”
Groups Within Organizations
• What is a group?– Two or more people who interact to meet
a shared goal– A shared sense of purpose sets a group
apart from just a gathering of people
Types of Groups
1. Formal Work Groups Exist for short or long period of
time Task Force
A single goal to resolve a problem or design a new product
Functional Group (Command) Consists of manager and all the
employees he or she supervises in an ongoing manner
Types of Groups
2. Informal Work Groups Formed voluntarily by members of an organization Develop from personal contact and interactions
among people Groups can form around something like lunch
Interest Groups Share a purpose or concern Women executives form a group to share ideas about
issues facing women in management
The workplace is where socialization takes place and friendships emerge
Affects of Informal Work Groups Productivity Morale Success of Managers Sense of Loyalty Work for or against organizational goals
Group Norms Informal rules a group adopts to regulate the
behavior of group members Expectations of group members to improve:
Productivity levels Operating procedures Other work-related activities
Group norms can be written, spoken, or acted out by group members to show new members how to behave
Group Behavior
Group Cohesiveness– Degree of attraction among group members, or who tightly knit a group
is
– More Cohesiveness = Greater likelihood that Group Norms will be followed
Factors affecting cohesiveness of informal work groupSize Small work groups
Success High Success
Status High Status
Outside PressuresConflicts with management increase group cohesiveness (Us Against Them)
Stability of Membership
Long-Standing Members
Communication Easy lines of communication in social Areas
Physical IsolationForces workers into close contact with each other and strengthens bonds
Group Behavior• Group Conformity
– Degree to which group members accept and follow group norms
– Group seeks to control members’ behavior for two reasons:
• Independent behavior can cause disagreements that threaten a group’s survival
• Consistent behavior creates an atmosphere of trust that allows members to work together and socialize comfortably
– Individuals conform to group norms when they are:
• Similar to personal attitudes, beliefs, and behavior
• Do not agree with the group’s norms but feel pressure to accept them
Group Behavior
Group Pressure and Conformity
• Group pressure can break-down a group when one member goes above and beyond the rest of the group
– (Case Study) A textile employee began to produce more than the group norm of 50 units per day. After two weeks, the group started to pressure this worker to produce less, and she quickly dropped to the group’s level. After three weeks, all the members of the group were moved to other jobs except for this worker. Once again, her production quickly climbed to double the group norm.
– Why would the other workers try to slow their co-worker down?
– Was it fair for other workers to try to slow her down?
Group Behavior• Groupthink
– When group members lose their ability to think as individuals and conform at the expense of their good judgment
• Members become unwilling to say anything against the group or any member
• Groupthink members will justify any action, stereotype outsiders as enemies of the group, and pressure unwilling members to conform
– Groupthink is disruptive because it affects employees’ ability to make logical decisions
– Imagine that you are the new manager of a department that has succumbed to groupthink. What steps would you take to encourage individual thinking?
The Importance of Teams
• Important part in helping an organization meet its goals
• Groups have more knowledge and information than individuals
• Ease the process of communicating and solving problems
• Creates more efficiency and effective company
Influencing Work Groups
Hawthorne Effect – giving special attention to a group of employees changes the employees’ behavior
• Job factor variance– Employee pay– Supervision– Lighting– Length of rest periods– Number of hours worked
Building Effective Teams“Managers are responsible for
developing shared values and group loyalty in formal work groups”
• Linchpin Concept
– Since managers are members of overlapping groups, they link formal work groups to the total organization
– Managers improve communication and ensure that organizational and group goals are met
– Managers themselves are the “linchpins”
• Usually when members are assigned a team, instead of volunteering, they don’t have the same loyalty
Building Effective Teams
Team Building
– Process of establishing a cohesive group that works together to achieve its goals
• Managers can encourage teamwork by:
– Selecting group members carefully
– Creating a positive work environment
– Building Trust
– Increasing Group Cohesiveness
Building Effective Teams
Creating Groups• Identify qualified people• Make the group attractive to these
individuals– Increase of pay– Job Satisfaction– Benefits that are provided just like an
informal work group
• Consider office layout and physical factors affecting group’s ability to work together successfully
Building Effective Teams“You’ve got to pick a few people and really trust them.”
- Bill Gates, Microsoft
Building Trust •Sharing responsibility and making decisions together•Trust enables members to stick to the group norms•Managers must:
– Have faith in employees– Recognize the interests of the organization, the group,
and the employees– Become personally involved, take a real interest in group
members, share information, and exhibit honesty
What kinds of managerial problems might arise if employees lose confidence or trust in a manager?
Building Effective Teams
Influencing Group Cohesiveness and Conformity
• Managers can affect formal group performance levels to those individuals who are highly competitive and eager to succeed by:– Keeping groups small– Selecting group members carefully– Finding a good personality fit between new and old
employees– Developing an office layout that improves communication– Creating clear goals– Inspiring group competition– Rewarding groups rather than individuals– Isolating groups from each other
Building Effective Teams
Phases in the life of Teams:
• Four Basic Phases– Forming
• Occurs when they first come together• Uncertainty and anxiety are common• Focused on getting to know each other
– Storming• Often involves a period of disagreement and intense discussion as
members attempt to impose their views on the rest of the group
– Norming• Team develops the informal rules that enable regulation of
behavior
– Performing• Team becomes an effective and high-performing group
Quality Circles• Type of formal work group• Defined: A group of employees
from a single work unit (such as a department) who share ideas on how to improve quality– Goals:
• Involve employees in decision making• Membership is usually voluntary• Members share a common bond –
performing similar tasks• Encourages communication and trust
among members and managers
Self-Directed Work Teams• Another type of formal work group• Self-directed work team (SDWT)• Defined: A group of employees
empowered to control the work they do without formal supervision.– Process:
• Self-selected leadership from group• Control their own schedule• Make operational and personnel decisions• Solve problems• Set priorities
Virtual Work Teams• Another type of formal work
group• Newer development• Defined: A group of employees
working through technology, living in different locations– Group responsible for making
decisions– Mainly using technology-supported
communications
• Growing use of this concept
Groups and Leaders
• Informal groups select a leader most capable of satisfying the group’s needs
• This gives leader authority• Can be taken away anytime• Imagine a shipwreck!!!
– 1st Goal: Find food, water, and shelter
– Best individual for this task becomes the leader
– As group’s goals change so can leadership
Groups and Leaders
Gaining Acceptance• Managers assigned to formal
work groups must work to gain acceptance as leaders
• What makes a good teacher, makes a good manager?– Know their subject well– Communicate information
effectively– Treat students with respect– Make fair judgments
Groups and Leaders
Encouraging Participation• Managers encourage
participation and shared responsibility, acting more like a coach than a manager
• How does one encourage team spirit?– Provide the group with a shared vision– Lead by example (Attitude and
Performance)– Encourage group to listen and support
all members– Function within a cohesive group