Quiz 3 Flashcards
What is the mutual gains perspective?
- Enhancing the relationship between management and employees results in better individual and organizational outcomes
- Emphasizing the investment that companies make on their employees by enhancing their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
- When employees perceive that they are valued by the companies, they will perform better and are happier
What is reality shock? Why does it matter?
- The reactions of new workers when they find themselves in a work situation for which they have spent several years preparing, for which they thought they were going to be prepared, and then suddenly find they are not
- The discrepancy between what the new employee expected from his/her new job and the realities of it
- Risk of increased turnover, decreased employee satisfaction and performance
How can we minimize the risk of reality shock?
- We reduce risk of reality shock by implementing a proper orientation program
- Informs new employees about their job and company
Do employers and new employees see eye-to-eye about orientation programs?
- No
- Few HR professionals say onboarding is an ongoing process; many say they did nothing to evaluate effectiveness of onboarding process
- Employees want a longer orientation with sufficient time for training, socialization with colleagues, and clear job expectations
What are the key orientation topics for effective orientation programs?
- Organizational Issues
- History
- Names/titles
- Overviews
- Policies
- Employee handbook - Employee Benefits
- Pay, vacations, breaks, benefits
- Services, programs, counselling - Introductions
- To supervisor, co-workers, trainers - Job Duties
- Job location
- Overview
- Safety
- Tasks and objectives
Explain the ADDIE model of training.
The generic process traditionally used by training developers and instructional designers
STEP 1: NEEDS ANALYSIS
- Determining if a training need exists, and if it does, what training is needed to fill the gap
STEP 2: INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
- Create a curriculum that supports learning objectives
- May be programmed learning (eg. simulation), classroom training (eg. lectures), on-the-job training, or e-learning
STEP 3: DEVELOP TRAINING PROGRAM
- Pilot study or run-through using representative audience to ensure learning objectives are accomplished
- Collect feedback and make revisions
STEP 4: IMPLEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
- The training program is officially launched, promoted, and conducted
- Participant progress should be monitored to ensure that the program is effective
STEP 5: EVALUATE TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS
- Conclude whether the training was effective
- Can use Kirkpatrick’s Training Evaluation Model
How do you determine training needs?
- Problem analysis
- Determines if training is appropriate to solve the problem, and how to do it
- What exactly is the problem that training is expected to solve?
- What causes it? - Job/task analysis
- Gather information on how, where, and with what information a job is done in order to define the KSAOs required for high job performance
- What are the job specifications, standards, and description? - Population analysis
- Determine what the individuals to be trained (the target population) already know, and in turn, which KSAO requirements are to be developed
- What are the current employees’ KSAOs and preferred modes of learning according to the skills inventories?
Explain the 4 typical training techniques in terms of pros/cons of each.
- Programmed Learning
- A systematic method of presenting content and giving feedback
- Pros: reducing training time, instant feedback, self-paced learning (flexible scheduling)
- Cons: costly to develop, ineffective (preprogrammed feedback), many learners disatisfied - Classroom Training
- Lectures
- Pros: dessimate large volume of information, reach large number of people, real-time interaction with instructor
- Cons: does not consider different learning styles, lack of sharing of ideas between trainees, operational disruption - On-the-Job Training
- Learning KSAs needed to perform a job by doing it in the workplace
- Pros: high motivation, high transfer to job, provides realism and practice, simple, economical, quick, allows feedback
- Cons: creating disturbance, accidents, lack of systematic feedback - E-learning
- Web-based or IT-based training
- Pros: no travel time/cost, flexible, ideal for adults learners, self-reliant learning
- Cons: not focusing on training (the clicking monkey), increased preparation time for instructor, lack of face-to-face communication, increased personal responsibility, technology/IT knowledge requirements
Explain Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model.
Level 1: Reactions
- How did participants feel about the training program?
- Eg. employee satisfaction surveys, body language of trainees
Level 2: Learning
- To what extent did participants improve knowledge and skills and change attitudes as a result of the training?
- Eg. test to assess knowledge and confidence
Level 3: Behaviour
- To what extent did participants change their behaviour back in the workplace as a result of the training?
- Eg. see if trainees’ behaviour changes
Level 4: Results
- What organization benefits resulted from the training?
- Eg. conducting additional research (time-consuming, costly)
What are the 6 dimensions of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions?
- Power Distance
- Individualism
- Masculinity
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Long Term Orientation
- Indulgence
In terms of the individualism and long-term orientation dimensions, how do you compare Canadian culture with Chinese or South Korean culture?
- China and South Korea are collectivist cultures; long-term orientation (invest money and time for career) and low individualism (strong employer/employee relationships like a family link)
- However, don’t equate collectivist culture of a country to ALL individuals
What is performance management?
- The process encompassing all activities related to improving employee performance, productivity, and effectiveness
- Includes goal setting, training and development, and pay for performance
What is performance appraisal?
- A part of PM in which an employee’s contribution to the organization during a specified period of time is measured
- Includes measuring, evaluating, and giving feedback on performance
What are the administrative values of PM?
- Promotion or termination
- Training needs
- Compensation
- Legal justification for above decisions
What are the 3 steps of PM?
- Define performance expectations
- Appraise performance
- Provide feedback
What is ultimate criterion?
- An evaluative standard that includes everything that ultimately defines success on the job
- Strictly conceptual construct that cannot be measured or observed (eg. customer satisfaction)
What is operational criterion?
- The aspects of performance that are actually measured
- A proxy for the conceptual criterion of interest
What are the 2 major criterion problems?
- Criterion Deficiency
- When performance standards fail to capture the full range of employees’ responsibilities
- Eg. an operational criterion that focuses on sales ignores customer service - Criterion Contamination
- When factors outside of employees’ control influence their performance
- Eg. rude and nasty customers
Explain the PA methods in terms of pros/cons of each.
1) Graphic Rating Scale
- A scale that lists a number of traits and a rating
- Pros: inexpensive, easily understood
- Cons: subjective
2) Forced Distribution Method
- Managers must identify a pre-determined proportion of its best and worst performers
- Pros: end up with pre-determined proprtion
- Cons: demotivation poor and average performers, increased competition, weakened teamwork
3) Critical Incidents Technique
- Supervisors and/or employee keep a log of positive and negative examples of a employee’s work related behavior
- Pros: provides specific examples, good for knowledge workers whose performance is hard to objectively define
- Cons: tendency to report negative incidents, time consuming, invalid for most organizations
4) Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)
Using quantified scales with specific narrative examples of good and poor performance
- Pros: desired behaviours are outlined
- Cons: time consuming to develop, hard to define middle range
5) Behaviourally Observation Scales (BOS)
- Contain a list of desired behaviours; frequency is rated
- Pros: may be more effective than BARs
What are the benefits of 360-degree performance appraisal method?
- More complete picture of job performance
- Different stakeholders may observe different behaviors
- Reduced bias because feedback comes from more than 1 person
- Feedback from peers and subordinates useful for development purposes
What are the limitations of 360-degree performance appraisal method?
- Complex and time consuming
- Potential for conflicting opinions
- Not useful/valid for administrative decisions (risk of inflated scores)
- Peer and subordinate evaluations may jeopardize coworker relations.
What are the various PA errors?
1) Appraisal Bias
- Tendency to allow individual differences, such as age, race, and sex, to affect the appraisal ratings that these employees receive
- Appearances, friendliness, youthfulness ≠ Good performance
2) Leniency / Strictness Error
- Leniency: when ratings are restricted to high part of scale
- Strictness: when ratings are restricted to low part of scale
3) Central Tendency
- When raters avoid extreme ratings and restrict ratings to middle of scale
4) Similarity Error
- Tendency of rater to inflate ratings when they have something in common with the target
- Discriminatory if it is based on similarity in race, gender, or other prohibited grounds
5) Recency Effect
- Ratings are based largely on employee’s most recent performance
6) Contrast Effect
- When an employee’s evaluation is biased upward or downward because of a comparison with another employee who was recently evaluated
7) Matthew Effect
- Tendency of raters to use previous evaluations as an anchor for subsequent evaluations
How do we reduce PA errors?
- Rate the ratee’s performance, not the ratee!
- For central tendency, use an even # and avoid neutral options
- For Matthew Effect, hide past evaluations
RATER TRAINING:
- Aware of job analysis procedure
- Given feedback on their rating
- Correct rating should be explained
- Raters should be involved in the discussion
Give at least 3 reasons why PA can fail.
- Manager lacks information regarding an employee’s actual performance
- Performance standards are unclear
- Manager is not honest/sincere; uses unclear, ambiguous language during the review
- Manager does not take PA seriously; not prepared for PA review; lacks PA skills
