Lecture 1 - Organisational Psych Flashcards
Walter Dill Scott
First to apply psychology to advertising and employment etc.
Very early 1900’s
Hugo Munsterburg
Advocated the use of psychological tests as a use for selection.
Hawthorn Studies first hypothesis
Hypothesis:
Does illumination have an impact on productivity?
Results:
Productivity increased regardless of illumination levels
Hawthorn Studies findings
Regardless of the manipulation applied to each group memeber (eg. overtime vs no overtime; free lunch vs no free lunch etc) the productivity levels always increased.
Conclusion:
> Worker productivity was increased due to the attention payed to the workers.
Emphasised the social factors at work… BUT has recently been debunked due to flaws in the testing methodology
What is a job analysis?
The procedure of determining the duties and skill requirements for a job and the kind of employee who would be well suited to it.
Job DESCRIPTION and Job SPECIFICATION
Why is a Job Analysis important?
Hiring of the correct employee - is the person right for the job?
Vocational training - how can we better train the employee
Job evaluation - what are the set KPI’s and is the employee hitting them?
Performance appraisal and promotion
Job Description vs Job Specification
Job Description:
What the job entails i.e. the employee will be answering phones and reporting to his manager
Job Specification:
What specific qualities should the employee have i.e. communication, leadership, conscientious.
Who to talk to when creating a Job Analysis?
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): a person who has up to date experience with the job eg
> the job incumbant
> the job supervisor
> job area expert
Methods to collect JA info
- Do a literary review - review written material eg previous job descriptions.
- Job participation eg actually putting out a fire to learn about firefighters
- Interviews: ask SMEs about the duties in their role; education, experience, qualities etc
Note: can be biased, so it is best to interview numerous sources to get a more valid overview - Job diaries/activity logs: job incumbents record their daily activities in a diary or log.
What are inherent requirements?
Requirements which are the bare minimum for a job. Without these ‘inherent’ qualities you cannot perform the job to the required standards.
Eg. an inherent requirement for being an electrician could be colour blindness. This could then be used in a legal sense - in case the rejected candidate attempt to sue due to discrimination.
What 3 methods were used for the NSW Police Job Analysis case study?
Observation
Surveys
Focus Groups
How did the NSW Police JA case study overcome the weaknesses of certain methods?
A: Triangulation
They used 3 methods (observation, survey, and focus groups) to compensate for weaknesses in each singular method.
