Psychometric Tests and Assessment at Work

Wondering what organisational psychology is and how it relates to HRM?  Come along to our seminar on 24 July in Causeway Bay.  The seminar will be run in Cantonese and English (2 sessions).  Registration is managed by the Hong Kong Institute for HRM.  Click below for more details and registration:

http://www.hkihrm.org/ihrm_eng/ih_eve_mon_read_01.asp?id=466

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In response to continuous requests of quick advice from our clients, PsyAsia International proudly presents the expressCONSULT™ service. Very often our clients need professional advice from our psychologists which is brief enough to be delivered in one email or a telephone call. As experts in the area, we are always very keen to help but often we find ourselves very busy and responding to 20 or more requests for quick support each day means cutting into work for our full-paying clients or leaving work very late!! To overcome this dilemma, PsyAsia has invented the expressCONSULT™ solution of “Purchasing time from our Psychologists”. With this service, you can purchase our psychologists’ time for their professional advice without the need for a formal consultancy service! It is quick and easy and your problem can be solved in as fast as 15 minutes!

What do we offer?
With expressCONSULT™, we offer a wide range of advisory and consultancy services that are not longer than 2 working hours (for projects that are estimated to take longer than 2 hours to complete, you would need to opt for our regular consulting services).

Examples of expressCONSULT™ services include, but are not limited to: checking interview questions, assessment centre exercises and training materials; advice on selection procedures, training design and performance appraisal; and any other advisory services that call on our expertise.

More information at http://www.psychologicalconsultancy.com

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PsyAsia International has launched an Online Learning centre.  At the current time the Centre houses a free seminar “Putting Psychometric Tests to Work”. The seminar includes narration as presented in real-life in both Hong Kong and Singapore during February and March 2008. 

PsyAsia will gradually add more seminars as well as full e-learning courses.  The full courses will be specially adapted versions of our popular in-house and public training programs. In addition to slides and narration, we will offer interactive content that will make learning fun, as well as end of segment quizzes and final course assessments.  Those who pass the end of course assessments will be able to apply for a hard-copy certificate signed by a registered psychologist.

Now, people from anywhere in the world interested in developing various organizational psychology or human resource skills can benefit from our renowned training.  Our training, which is always current, based on science and designed by top, government-registered organizational psychologists, is recognized as being exceptional.

Registering in our online programs will enable busy professionals to access this training on their own schedule and work at their own pace from any location equipped with the internet.

PsyAsia is also pleased to offer the design of custom e-learning courses. We will put together a course especially for your organization in the area of your choice (within our competency range) and allow access only by your employees!  For organizations who hire our psychologists to deliver real-life in-house training, we offer the additional free benefit of publishing the slides and quizzes to the Online Learning Centre for 2 weeks following the course to enable review and reflection of the material.

Have a great learning experience with PsyAsia International’s Online Learning Center.

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• Mental activities performed on the job and the knowledge, skill, ability and other characteristics (KSAOs) are not all directly observable.
• Job analysis has been used frequently for various occupations. However it may ignore the changing context and situations within which a job incumbent works. This applies in particular to management positions.
• Bias may occur in the process of data collection.
• In large organizations, it is found that traditional definitions of managerial roles do not hold true.
• As jobs increasingly change, less value may be attributed to the need to gather job analysis data. (Karen, 2000)
• Those carrying out job analysis do not always possess the appropriate skills and have not always undergone the necessary training to do the job properly.
  

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Journal Articles/Books related to job analysis:

• Baruch,Y. & Lessem, R. (1995). Job analysis: can it still be applied? Indications for various organization levels. International Journal of Career Management, 7(6), 3-9.

• Brophy, M. & Kiely, T. (2002). Competencies: A new sector. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(2-4), 165-176.

• Chang, I. & Kleiner, B. (2002). How to conduct job analysis effectively. Management Research News, 25(3), 73-81.

• Chen, H. (2006). Assessment center: A critical mechanism for assessing HRD effectiveness and accountability. Advances in developing human resources, 8(2), 247-264.

• Chow, C. M. & Kleiner, B. H. (2002). How to differentiate essential job duties from marginal job duties. Management Law, 44(1), 121-127.

• Cucina,J., Vasilopoulos, N. & Sehgal, K. (2005). Personality-Based Job Analysis and The Self-Serving Bias. Journal of Business and Psychology, 20(2), 275.

• Dierdorff, E., Wilson, M. (2003). A meta-analysis of job analysis reliability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 635-646.

• Felsberg, E. (2004). Conducting job analyses and drafting lawful job descriptions under the Americans with disabilities act. Employment Relations Today, 31(3), 91-93.

• Flanagan, John C. (1954). The Critical Incident Technique, Psychological Bulletin, 51, 4, July, 327-358.

• Fowler, A. (2000). Writing job descriptions. London: CIPD.

• Franklin, M. (2005).A guide to Job Analysis. Alexandria,Virginia:ASTD.

• Hartley, D. (2004, September). Job Analysis at the Speed of Reality. Training & Development, 58(9), 20-22.

• Harvey, R. & Wilson, M. (2000). Yes Virginia, there is an objective reality in job analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(7), 829-854.

• Lin, Y. & Kleiner, B. (2004). How to Hire Employees Effectively. Management Research News, 27(4/5), 108-115.

• Karen, E. M. (2000). Work in the 21st Century: Implications for Job Analysis. SIOP. Division 14 of the American Psychological Association.

• McCormick, E.J., & Jeanneret, P.R. (1988). Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ). In Gale, S., (Ed.). The Job Analysis Handbook for Business, Industry and Government, Vol.2., New York: Wiley.

• Menne, J. W. (1981). Competency based assessment and the profession of psychology. Professional Practice of Psychology, 2(1), 17-28.

• Morgeson, F.P., & Campion, M.A. (In press). A framework of potential sources of inaccuracy in job analysis. In W. Bennett, Jr (Ed). The future of job analysis. Mahwah, NJ: LEA.

• Morgeson, F. & Campion, M. (2000). Accuracy in job analysis: Toward an inference-based model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(7), 819-827.

• Morgeson, F., Delaney-Klinger, K. Mayfield, M., Ferrara, P. & Campion, M. (2004). Self-Presentation Processes in Job Analysis: A Field Experiment Investigating Inflation in Abilities, Tasks, and Competencies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(4), 674-686.

• Palmer, H. & Valet, W. (2001). Job analysis: Targeting needed skills. Employment Relations Today, 28(3), 85-92.

• Pearn, M. and Kandola, R. (1993). Job Analysis: A Manager’s Guide. London: IPD.

• Prien, K., Prien, E. & Wooten, W. (2003). Interrater reliability in job analysis: Differences in strategy and perspective. Public Personnel Management, 32(1), 125.

• Spector, P. (2000). Introduction: Job analysis accuracy versus consequential validity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(7), 807.

• Tross, S. & Maurer, T. (2000). The Relationship Between SME Job Experience and Job Analysis Ratings: Findings with and without Statistical Control. Journal of Business and Psychology, 15(1), 97-110.

• Van Wart, M. (2000). The Return to Simpler Strategies in Job Analysis: The Case of Municipal Clerks. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 20(3), 5-27.

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A thorough and competently conducted job analysis has a number of benefits for the human resource cycle and the organization as a whole:

HR Planning
-Provides essential information for management before making organizational decisions
-Show actual number and nature of jobs within the company
-Create precise job descriptions
-Bring the specifics of a position in focus
-Determine relative worth of each position and its appropriate class
-Maintain the competitiveness of the company in the market

Setting & Monitoring Performance Standards
-Establish a job’s specific activities and performance standards
-Carry out objective performance appraisals
-Combine responsibilities into logical job groups
-Identify major job responsibilities for inclusion in a performance management system

Compensations & Benefits
-Evaluate and establish appropriate levels of compensation based on job value
-Develop compensation programmes based on different skill levels
-Create an obvious effect in motivating employees

Recruitment & Selection
-Establish relevant standards and requirements for personnel selection purposes
-Locate suitable pool of candidates for recruit and hire
-Develop unbiased interview questions
-Get rid of unnecessary tasks and positions
-Know what should be done for the job

Training
-Expose skills that require by various jobs
-Define contents of training programmes
-Identify health and safety hazards and working conditions that require special training

Credit:
Adapted from Dr. Tyler’s MSc in HRM class, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Group 2, 2006.

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In order to do this correctly, you really should receive professional training in job analysis from an HR/Management Consultant or an Organizational Psychologist who has developed expertise in this important and critical aspect of HRM. Here are some important things to consider when analysing a job. These are derived from the principals of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ). You or your consultant may consider each of the following with or without the use of the PAQ however.

• The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) consists of 195 items
• 8 items report on the type of compensation received by the employee
• The remaining 187 relate directly to job activities or to the work environment

There are six main areas to the PAQ. It considers the job requirements in terms of the following:

1. Information Input
Where and how the employee gets the information required to perform the work
Interpreting what is sensed
Using various sources of information
Watching devices/materials
Evaluating/judging what is sensed
Being aware of environmental conditions
Using various senses

2. Work Output
The physical activities, tools and devices that are employed to perform the work
Using machine/equipment
General body movements
Controlling machines/processes
Skilled/technical activities
Manual related activities
Miscellaneous equipment
Handling activities
General physical coordination

3. Mental Processes
Reasoning, planning, and decision-making activities that are involved in performing the work
Making decisions
Processing information

4. Job Context
The physical and social in which the work is performed
Stressful Environment
Personally Demanding Environment
Hazardous Situations

5. Relationships with others
The relationships with individuals that are necessary to perform the job
Communicating judgements
Supervisor related activities
Exchanging job related information
Personal contact

6. Other Job Relationships
These include:
Non Typical V’s Daily Schedule
Salary V’s Variable Basis
Irregular V’s Regular Schedule
Business Situation
Job Demanding Events
Unstructured V’s Structured Work
Being Responsive to Changing Situations

Try to consider each of the above in terms of:

1. Extent of use
2. Importance to job
3. Amount of time it is done for
4. Possibility of occurrence
5. Whether or not it actually applies to the job

See O*NET for occupational classifications and more resources for Job Analysis: http://online.onetcenter.org/

Job Analysis informs the job description which in turn informs the person specification. For more information on job descriptions, see: http://www.pao.gov.ab.ca/Practitioners/?file=class/forms/write-job-description/how-to-write-job-descr

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Major Questions to Ask

• What is the purpose of the job analysis?
• How will the results be used?
• What job analysis technique will be employed?
• What data will be collected?
• What resources are available?
• Who will perform the Analysis?
• Is training required, can it be sourced and what will it cost?

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Job analysis is “the process of examining a job in detail in order to identify its component tasks. The detail and approach may vary according to the purpose for which the job is being analyzed”.

Thorough and competent job analysis is essential to ensure that all parts of the Human Resource Cycle to which job analysis contributes are effective.  For example, one cannot properly write a job description or put together a competency profile without having first analysed the job. It’s difficult to know which assessments to use in selection without job analysis data.  Performance appraisal (if done properly) relies on a good knowledge of job requirements and what it takes to succeed and this of course is the basis of the job analysis.

Too few people however know how to conduct a job analysis properly.  If calling on external consultants, it can be costly.  However, it is important to keep in mind the high cost of hiring mistakes and so forth that will occur as a result of no or misinformed job analysis being conducted.

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