Personnel Selection and Assessment Individual and Organizational Perspectives

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.

Contents: E.A. Fleishman, Foreword. Preface. H. Schuler, J.L. Farr, M. Smith, The Individual and Organizational Sides of Personnel Selection and Assessment. Part I:Individual Perceptions of Personnel Procedures: Introductory Comments. H. Schuler, Social Validity of Selection Situations: A Concept and Some Empirical Results. S.L. Rynes, When Recruitment Fails to Attract: Individual Expectations Meet Organizational Realities in Recruitment. G.P. Latham, B.J. Finnegan, Perceived Practicality of Unstructured, Patterned, and Situational Interviews. G.C. Thornton, III, The Effect of Selection Practices on Applicants' Perceptions of Organizational Characteristics. Part II:Individual Reactions to Personnel Procedures: Introductory Comments. F. Landy, Job Analysis and Job Evaluation: The Respondent's Perspective. N. Seisdedos, Personnel Selection, Questionnaires, and Motivational Distortion: An Intelligent Attitude of Adaptation. H. Schuler, R. Fruhner, Effects of Assessment Center Participation on Self-Esteem and on Evaluation of the Selection Situation. J.P. Wanous, Newcomer Orientation Programs That Facilitate Organizational Entry. T.L. Dickinson, Attitudes About Performance Appraisal. J.L. Farr, Informal Performance Feedback: Seeking and Giving. Part III:Influence of the Social Context on Selection and Assessment: Introductory Comments. A.K. Wigdor, P.R. Sackett, Employment Testing and Public Policy: The Case of the General Aptitude Test Battery. M. Pearn, Fairness in Selection and Assessment: A European Perspective. J.M. Prieto, The Team Perspective in Selection and Assessment. D.R. Ilgen, Performance-Appraisal Accuracy: An Illusive or Sometimes Misguided Goal? C.J. de Wolff, The Prediction Paradigm. Part IV:Contemporary Approaches to Selection and Assessment--Some Examples: Introductory Comments. D. Bartram, Emerging Trends in Computer-Assisted Assessment. W. Putz-Osterloh, Complex Problem Solving as a Diagnostic Tool. G. Trost, T. Kirchenkamp, Predictive Validity of Cognitive and Noncognitive Variables With Respect to Choice of Occupation and Job Success. N. Schmitt, Group Composition, Gender, and Race Effects on Assessment Center Ratings. M. Smith, J.L. Farr, H. Schuler, Individual and Organizational Perspectives on Personnel Procedures: Conclusions and Horizons for Future Research.