Staffing Flashcards
the process used in one
division of a large aerospace firm to come up with the required quantity and quality of
technical personnel.
- Document the number of technical personnel of each classification presently on hand.
- Estimate the number of professionals of each type needed in the near future (six months
to a year) to meet firm contracts and likely potential business. - Estimate the expected attrition in the current staff, including (a) resignations as a
function of the national demand for scientists and engineers and the relationship
between your salary scale and that of your competition; (b) transfers out to other
divisions and promotion to higher positions; and (c) retirements, deaths, and leaves of
absence. - Establish the need for increased personnel.
- Each 100 new college hires may require making 200 offers, as a result of 400 candidates
visiting your plant or division, stemming from 600 campus interviews. The campus inter
views, in turn, might require scheduling trips to 20 campuses to interview 10 students in
each of three interview days. (The factors quoted here will vary with the economy,
industry, and employer.) - Develop a hiring plan to acquire experienced personnel by using national and local
hiring, employment agencies and “headhunters,” career centers, and employee
referrals. - Develop a plan to acquire needed technicians and technologists from two and four
year technical institutes, B.A. and B.S. graduates in physics and math, discharged
military technicians, advertisements, state and commercial employment services, and
employee referrals. - Needs that cannot be met by sources (5), (6), and (7), especially those of too short a
duration to justify permanent hiring, can be met by scheduling overtime, hiring contract
(temporary) engineers, borrowing engineers from other company divisions, and
contracting work to other company divisions or to other companies.
Most middle and
upper-management positions are shown being filled by promotion, although a few hires at
these levels will always be needed where the organization does not already have someone
with the right skills. A healthy organization will have a large annual requirement for new first
line supervisors, many of whom will be promoted within the company from employees
experienced in a specialty, but often with little experience in management
Hiring Managers
A manager wishing to fill a professional position normally must fill out a form known variously
as a job description or job requisition, which then is approved by higher management and
given to the personnel department as guidance in its search for candidates who might be
considered for the position
Job Requisition/Description
For most engineering professionals, the first impression is normally
made by the _________, which is submitted with a ___________ in response to an advertisement
or as an initial inquiry. The cover letter must be impeccable in appearance, grammar and
spelling. A quality cover letter should encourage the recipient to give your resume fair
consideration; with a poor one, your resume may not be read.
resume
cover letter
If the resume leads to further interest from a potential employer
the applicant will typically have to fill out (neatly, of course) much of the same information
on an employment application, arranged in a standard form familiar to interviewers from
that organization. The application should not ask for race, religion, citizenship or national
origin, height, weight, age or date of birth, marital status, age of children, or require a
photograph because of antidiscrimination laws. The application form needs to agree with
the resume.
Employment Application
The newly graduating engineer typically makes the first contact with
potential employers in the campus placement interview. Indeed, about half of all campus
interviews are with engineering students, even though they make up only from 4 to 10
percent of all students. Interview outcomes are a complex dynamic of the attributes of the
applicant, of the interviewer, and of the situation (the physical setting and the economic
demand for engineers, for example). The interviewer needs to learn enough about the
applicant to recommend for or against an invitation for a plant visit, and the applicant
needs to learn about the employment opportunities and other advantages (and limitations)
of working for the employer
Campus Interview
Before inviting an applicant for a site visit, a prospective employer
commonly checks the references given in an application, or requests them if they have not
already been provided. References for the new graduate include professors and supervisors
from part-time jobs; for the experienced engineer they will be primarily past and (if your
employer knows of your search) current supervisors and coworkers. References may be
checked by electronic mail or telephone
Reference Checks
When a company has a strong interest in an engineer or other professional,
it may extend an invitation for a visit to a chosen company location at company expense
Site (Plant) visits
It is important to study surveys, talk to colleagues, contact professional
associations in your field, and do an Internet search of wage structures. Remember,
everything is not set in stone. Since future salary adjustments in most companies are typically
small percentage adjustments to current salary, inequities in starting salary can be adjusted
only slowly. Experienced engineers will measure their expectations based on the years since
their bachelor’s degree, graduate degrees if any; the quality of their experience; local cost of living; and other factors. As a group, engineers earn some of the highest starting salaries
among college graduates. A bachelor’s degree in engineering is required for most entry
level jobs. Salary varies by the region of the country, industry, and by metropolitan area
Starting Salary
The employment offer is a standard format letter delineating a specific position
and salary offer, reporting date, position and title, the person the candidate will report to,
and often provisions for moving expenses. An offer for employment is not official until this
letter is received.
Job Offer
Finding The Job: The Applicant’s Viewpoint
Resumé́ And Cover Letter
Employment Application
Campus Interview
Reference Checks
Site (Plant) visits
Starting Salary
Job Offer
Job Application Process—Employer’s Viewpoint
Orientation and training
Appraising Performance
When a new employee reports to work, the employing organization
needs to help the newcomer become part of the organization by introducing him or her to
the policies and values of the organization as a whole and the specific requirements of the
person’s new department and job. The human resources department normally has the
responsibility to tell the newcomer about fringe benefits such as medical insurance,
vacations, tuition reimbursement, pensions, and the like. This can be accomplished with a
short one-on-one discussion on the first day as the new employee processes through
personnel or a more formal presentation periodically for all new employees; in either case,
most organizations of any size will provide every employee a current edition of an
employees’ handbook describing benefit programs.
Orientation and training
culminating with the employee’s transformation from an
“outsider” to an organizational “insider,” may require anywhere from a month to a year, depending on the particular organization and the individual.
socialization process
encompasses such formal and informal activities as learning the job and developing
appropriate skills, forming new interpersonal relationships, and accepting the
organization’s culture and norms. From the organization’s perspective, effective
socialization results in order and consistency in behavior
Socialization
A written record of performance in some consistent form is
especially important in large organizations where personnel are frequently transferred, such
as the military service, and in bureaucratic organizations such as civil service, to justify
terminating (firing) poor performers and rewarding exceptional ones. The primary emphasis
in appraisal today, therefore, is on the contribution made toward achieving organizational
objectives, which is the reason that personnel are employed to begin with. And with the
increased emphasis on teamwork, there is greater emphasis on rewarding team members
for team (or even total organization) performance rather than just individual performance.
The engineering manager needs to find a happy median between team and individual
recognition.
Appraising Performance
refers to the rights inherent in a managerial position to tell people what to do and
to expect them to do it.
Authority
Acceptance Theory of Authority (by ____________)
Chester Barnard
comes from the willingness of subordinates to accept it. If an employee didn’t accept a
manager’s order there was no authority
Authority
Barnard contended that subordinates will accept orders only
if the following conditions are satisfied:
- They understand the order.
- They feel the order is consistent with the organization’s purpose
- The order does not conflict with their personal beliefs.
- They are able to perform the task as directed
using these _________ employees, corporates and businesses can motivate their
employees and have better implementation of work. At the same time, coordination between departments, discipline and decorum can all be achieved with the proper use of
the sources of power
5 sources of power
5 sources of power:
- Legitimate or position power (authority)
- Reward power
- Coercive or punishment power
- Expert power
- Referent power
also known as positional power. As these names suggest, legitimate
power is the power that a person in the organization holds because of his/her position
and that is considered to be legitimate. A manager who leads a team has certain
responsibilities and also the right to delegate tasks/her to his subordinates as well as
review their work and give feedback
Legitimate or position power (authority)
arises out of the authority that a person has to recognize and reward
people. Ways to do this can be by salary hikes, bonuses, paid leave, company
sponsored vacation or even promotions. Employees who possess reward power can
influence the performance of employees considerably.
Reward power
If used, as a ___________, reward power can make employees work harder and
smarter and contribute more effectively to the organization. But if this is used in an
unfavorable manner and any kind of favoritism is displayed, then it can severely harm
the morale of employees and reduce their productivity, leading to the wastage of
company resources
motivating factor
the power that a person has which he/she uses to coerce or threaten
other employees.
used to enforce strict deadlines and punishable
actions in the workplace and scare employees
Coercive or punishment power
Salary cut, leave cut or even terminations are certain threats that are used by bosses to
get the work done by their employees. Bosses need to be strict with their employees and
are justified in expecting professionalism and timely completion of work. _____________, if used optimally can improve the performance of employees and make them challenge
themselves constantly.
Coercive power
kind of power which an employee has due to the knowledge and
expertise that he/she possesses. Knowledge is wealth in today’s world and is highly
sought after by organizations. Nice specializations and extensive research work is highly
valuable to businesses which are increasingly becoming complicated and specialized.
Expert power
also acts as a stepping stone for employees to gain legitimate power. A
good and acceptable display of expert power will lead to promotions and make an employee indispensable for the company. The promotions will result in legitimate or
positional power
Expert power
power that is a resultant of the personality of a person. The relationships
that a person develops with co-workers and the charisma with which a person is able to
present himself/herself to others results in a certain level of respect and approachability
towards that person. Referent power can also be a result of closely knowing senior
people in the organization or those who are at a position of leadership and authority of
any kind.
Referent power
System I Style of Engineering Program Management:
● Based on the “Bases of Influence” (Legitimate, Reward, and Coercive power)
● Derive primarily from one’s formal position, and which are normally sufficient to obtain
adequate response in traditional bureaucratic structures
System II Style of Engineering Program Management
● Stem from one’s personal capabilities and reputation are necessary for effective
leadership (Expert and Referent Power)
Three interrelated concepts of importance:
assignment of duties
delegation of authority
exaction of accountability
Making subordinates responsible for carrying out the specified activities
Assignment of duties
Once a subordinate has been assigned tasks to perform, it is important
to provide him/ her with the resources needed to carry out the assignment. Include authority
over people who will be needed to carry out the assignment as well as financial authority to
acquire the equipment, perform the travel, or make commitments of resources needed
Delegation of authority
Making the subordinate responsible to the manager for carrying out the duties
and reporting progress periodically. The manager is still accountable (responsible) to the next
higher level of executive to assure that the task is effectively carried out.
Accountability
created when two or more people are officially designated to meet to pursue
some specific purpose
committee
a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually
intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly. Committees may be
found in every type of organization: large and small, public and private, profit-making, government and
volunteer.
committee
committees may have indefinite life and may
be required in an organization’s bylaws
standing committee
may be appointed for a specific
purpose and be discharged when the purpose is met.
ad hoc committee
defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come
together to achieve specific goals
group
work groups that are defined by the
organization’s structure and have designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at
accomplishing organizational goals.
Formal groups
social groups. These groups occur
naturally in the workplace and tend to form around friendships and common interests
Informal groups
Group Development
forming stage
storming stage
norming stage
performing stage
adjourning stage
consists of two phases: joining the group and defining the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership
forming stage
one of intragroup conflict over who will control the group and what the group will be doing
storming stage
when close relationships and cohesiveness develop as norms are determined
norming stage
when group members began to work on the group’s task
performing stage
when the group prepares to disband.
adjourning stage
are not unorganized crowds. They have an internal structure that shapes
members’
Work groups
Behavior and influences group performance. The _________ defines roles, norms, conformity,
Status systems, group size, group cohesiveness, and leadership
structure
refers to behavior patterns expected of someone occupying a given position in a social
unit. In a group, individuals are expected to do certain things because of their position (role) in
the group. These roles are generally oriented toward either getting work done or keeping group
members happy
role
standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a group’s
members. Norms dictate things such as work output levels, absenteeism, promptness, and the
amount of socializing on the job
norms
Because individuals want to be accepted by groups to which they belong, they’re susceptible to pressures to conform.
Conformity
affects performance and
satisfaction, but the effect depends on what the group is supposed to accomplish.16 Research
indicates, for instance, that small groups are faster at completing tasks than are larger ones.
However, for groups engaged in problem solving, large groups consistently get better results
than smaller ones.
Group size
One important research finding related to group size concerns _____________, which is the tendency for an individual to expend less effort when working collectively than when working
individually.
social loafing
Research in this area has focused on _______________ or
the degree to which members are attracted to a group and share the group’s goals.
group cohesiveness
a small number of people who are committed to a common goal, objectives, and
approach to this goal that they are mutually accountable to reaching.
have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort, which
allows each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses
team
Work teams differ from work groups and have their own unique traits
true
interact primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member do his or her job more efficiently and effectively. There’s no need or opportunity for work groups to engage in collective work that requires joint effort.
Work groups
groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills.
work teams
