Contemporary Human Resource Management - Essay Example

Name Course Institution Instructor Task: What are the advantages and limitations of using a simulation test for recruitment? Submission Date Recruitment of new workers is a common activity for many employers owing to the fact that vacant positions are left after employees are laid off, retire, transfer to other organizations or quit. In some other instances, new employees are needed as a result of business expansion or restructure. Regardless of the kind of situation pushing for a need to recruit new employee, the fact remains that the position needs to be filled. Getting the right person for the job has proven to be a challenging task for many human resource managers. The qualities of employee will determine the overall output of an organization. Currently, human resource managers have adopted different strategies of recruitment and selection of personnel. With the advancement of technology, new recruitment techniques including the use of internet have emerged. The type of strategy to be used in recruitment will be affected by the skills and competencies required in the position to be filled. Use of simulation test is one of the selection and recruitment techniques that is normally used. This essay will highlight what simulation tests are and will give a broad discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using simulation tests as a recruitment technique. Discussions will be supported by various scholarly works. Recruitment is simply the "organization's efforts to key out, attract and influence the job choices of competent applicants" (Ployhart, 2011, p. 869). On the hand, selection is basically that process of identifying the most suitable individual whose qualities matches with the job specifications of an organization considering both the organization's external and internal environments (Swanepoel, 2008, P. 279; Rao, 2007, p. 204).The two terms have often been used together because they make up the entire staffing process. Recruitment and selection is a crucial activity for any organization and it is the function of human resource management. As stated earlier, recruitment and selection will affect the overall performance of an organization. Selection in itself is crucial for the future success of an organization and the common selection tools are; use of interviews, use of written tests and simulation tests (Deb, 2009, p. 60). Simulation tests are a testing tool where individuals are put to real-life situations with an aim of finding out if he or she can do actually perform a task as required (Kandula, 2003, p. 70; Pattanayak, 2005, p. 61). There are two commonly known simulation tests are work sampling and assessment centers. With work sampling, a replica of the task is created and the individuals demonstrate their capabilities by devising these work samples (Pattanayak, 2005, p. 61). Examples of work sampling simulation tests are the trade tests that have been created for electricians. On the other hand, an "assessment center is a two to four day simulation exercise in which a group of individuals normally about ten, perform an actual job task while being observed by experts" (Dessler, 2005, p. 225; Pattanayak, 2005, p. 61). The applicants engage in activities such as leaderless group discussions, in-basket activities, games, individual presentations, objective tests and interviews (Pattanayak, 2005, p. 61; Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2013). Simulations tests do vary from other types of testing activities with regards to the advantages and disadvantages it has. There has been a steady increase on use of simulation tests in the recent past as it has been reported by human resource consultants in the United States (Eilene, 2005). This is due to the fact that the advantages of this testing tool outweigh its disadvantages. This tool is known for high validity (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2013; U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 2009, p. 10). The information got from this testing tool is valid because it tests skills in practicality and combines a range of methods. Karim (2013) argues that four different criteria that require consideration when choosing the right selection method are practicability, sensitivity, reliability and validity(p. 3). Validity is simply the relationship between how an individual performs during assessment and during the actual job (United States Office of Personnel Management, 2013, p. 6). Validity has proven to be a crucial factor when choosing a particular assessment tool and it always comes along with practicality. Simulations possess high degree of content validity, criterion related-validity and face validity (United States Office of Personnel Management, 2013, p.43). Content validity comes in from the fact that these tests assesses what is only related to the job. For example, participants who are being assessed to fill a managerial position may be given conflict related activities that require appropriate decision making. It is for this reason that in simulation tests, there is a high correlation between how a participant performs in the tests and future performance while in the job. With regards to Face validity, simulation tests provide an opportunity to all participants to observe everything that is happening. They omit the issue of prejudices during selection. Simulations tests are often perceived by the participants as very fair (United States Office of Personnel Management, 2013, p. 42). Selection techniques such as interview and psychology tests do not put into consideration the factor of practicability because the participant is not subjected to the job environment. Practicality in simulation tests comes in from the fact that an applicant is put in a setting that represents the actual job environment. For example, in an assessment center where an employee to take the managerial task is required, a room can be modeled to represent the actual office. Normal office activities such as meal times, answering of telephone calls and interaction with other staff who in this case are other participants. From this, the assessors can be able to observe a number of skills such as decision making skills, interaction with other staff members, leadership qualities and how each participant feel and react when subjected to stress. Simple tasks such as serving meals can depict the character of a person. Another good example of how simulation tests has been used in employee selection from practicality of their tasks is in the selection of prison officers. The test is usually administered by two assessors where one will undertake the observation role while the other interacts with the applicant. Upon arrival, an applicant is confronted by one the assessors and will be observed on how he or she will react. As a matter of fact, prison officers are expected to be able to possess necessary skills for calming an angry person. The right person for that position should be able to take necessary steps. From these two examples it is quite clear that a number of methods such as interviews and psychological tests have been used at the same time as noted by Cooper & Robertson (1995) and the information obtained is highly valid. Simulations tests are crucial in the prediction of future behavior of an participant. Studies have shown a high correlation between predictions from assessment centers and future management (Moses, 1973, p. 569). Another major advantage of simulations is its adaptability to use technology. Technological advancements have resulted to initiation of analytical programs that can compile and analyze views from different observers (Lievens & Thornton III, 2005). Technology is known for many advantages it carries along. It is as a result of technological advancements that computer simulations have emerged. These computer simulations have been used in highly risky and costly assessments such as aircrafts employee assessment where a commercial aircraft full flight simulators are used and also virtual office simulations. Hale et al., (1999) argue that virtual office have been simulated and they are normally used for assessment activities. Past simulations can be video recorded so that they can be used in orientation activities and to stimulate a certain behavior. In the side of behavior stimulation, a participant is presented with a video recorded simulation exercise to watch and periodically, the video is stopped at some points so that and he or she is given a number of choices to choose from. Such scenarios are usually used in job promotions. Furthermore, the effects of technology transforming simulations to an advanced level where computer simulations have been designed has made it possible to duplicate various work environments (Gorman, 2011, p. 9). With old assessment tests, it was difficult to recreate many job environments and evaluations were done by the assessors. As a result of human assessment, biasness could affect the whole process. The ability to recreate many job environments has enabled the assessors to test many skills. Many recruiters also believe that simulations provide more realistic job future predictions and they are normally associated with realism (Handler, 2009). As a result of this, it has greatly improved job retention. For example, Automax Recruiting & Training Company which partnered with Hire the Winners Company reported a high retention rate among its sales' people (Gorman, 2011, p. 9). The car sales simulator that was used by the two companies improved employee retention rate to eighty two percent after being used for more than sixteen thousand times in a period of two years (Gorman, 2011, p. 9). Generally, simulations has enabled selection of personnel who are qualified and devoted to the job. Another advantage of simulation tests is the factor of fairness among the participants. In addition to this, these tests do not discriminate participants from different races and the performance of participants from different racial backgrounds has been found to be the same (United States Office of Personnel Management, 2013, p. 42). This is mainly due to the fact that certain skills are normally tested by this method. The performance of a participant will depend on the skills and experience he or she has gained. Madigan & HoffMacan (2005) point out that applicants favor simulations over interviews because they are presumed to be fair. There are many factors that explain why a test can be perceived to be unfair and among these factors are test content, way of administration and the characteristics of the procedure taken (Madigan & HoffMacan, 2005, p. 74). A number of factors need to be observed. Generally, for a test to be perceived as fair by the applicants, procedural justice and distributive justice rules should be observed (Madigan & HoffMacan, 2005). Procedural justice rules comprises of applicant participation, consistency of administration, uncertainty reduction, interpersonal treatment, quality of two way communication, transparency and perceived job relatedness. On the other hand, distributive justice rules comprises of both equity and equality in the entire process. A critical factor here is how the applicant participates and controls the whole process. Unlike other selection techniques such as interviews, the participant takes control of the entire process. According to Kluger & Rothstein (1993), a strong correlation has been found between how the participants react and the perceived extent of control of the entire process. By being allowed to control the whole testing process, a good environment is created where the participant will feel relaxed thus being able to show his or her true personality. Other testing techniques such as interviews may create a tense testing environment for the participant and he or she may not be able to show the true personality. As stated earlier, simulations also give room for other test techniques and it is for this reason that it ensures that both procedural justice and distributive justice rules are observed. Simulation tests reduces operational costs in organization by removing the factor of training because it ensures that the person hired for that position possess the required skills for that task. A good real life example of cost reduction benefit of simulation was that recorded by the department of transportation of Kansas. According to Miller-Merrell (2013), after its initiation as a result of complains from workers, the number of injuries on new employees who undertook job simulation test prior to their employment reduced by twenty five percent in the subsequent three years after formation and the company was able to save more than two hundred thousand dollars. This can be attributed to the fact that quality and high performing employees. Generally, simulations reduces the costs of injuries to employees and also the costs due to low productivity. As earlier mentioned, this testing technique is used for selection activities for risky jobs such as aircraft personnel. One can imagine the losses that an airline company incurs as a result of unqualified personnel hired. Despite having many positive characteristics, work samples as part of simulations does not test the cognitive ability of an individual (Callinan & Robertson, 2000). The main objective of work samples is to test the ability of that person to perform in the simulation. This explains their unsuitability in testing persons with no job experience. An individual can have high cognitive ability but lacks experience. A person with experience will also perform better in such tests despite lacking cognitive skills. Notably, it is quite difficult to note the cognitive skills of a participant on a single scenario. Additionally, simulation tests do not provide an opportunity to assess an individual's ability to learn new ideas very fast. This is more related to testing the cognitive skills or aptitude of a person. A good example is a simulation has been designed for testing a participant suitable for a position that requires desktop publishing skills. Initially, few programs such as adobe PageMaker were there but with time, new desktop publishing programs such as Photoshop have emerged. The position requires a person having the capability of learning new inventions very fast. It is quite challenging to design a simulation that can test this ability. The ability to learn very fast goes hand in hand with high cognitive skills. For this selection technique to be effective, it requires careful planning with qualified observers. On many instances, this assessment technique require psychologists. Thus, it is quite difficult to design. Karim (2013) posits that simulation tests are quite difficult to design and the whole process involves a number of tasks, resources and time. A good example of how it is disadvantages originates from the aforementioned examples of its application the selection of prison officers. The two observers required for that process need to be qualified enough and modeling a room for this observation may deem complex and time consuming. At the end of a day, few applicants will be assessed. Moses (1973) highlights the fact that in spite of it being believed to be the best technique for employee selection, it limits the number of individuals being assessed within a period of time. Notably, the demands of contemporary organizations with regards to management staffing are so enormous that more participants need to be assessed at the same time in order to get the right individual for that position. At the same time this technique is accompanied with huge costs. Taylor & Fox (2000, p. 359) highlight the fact that simulation tests are limited by resources. The fact that simulations consume more time equal the costs of managing them. Furthermore, poor designed simulations or use of exercises not appropriate for certain circumstances may lead to poor assessment(Taylor & Fox, 2000, p. 359). For example, in some instances it may prove challenging to get a qualified assessor. Use of unqualified assessors may lead to omission of necessary skills for the job. It leads to recruitment of individuals who lack crucial skills for the job. Lastly, another major drawback of simulations is its unsuitability for testing certain skills especially hard skills. Ruiz (2008) argues that employers need to reconsider simulations because they are more suitable for testing soft skills. This is line with Gorman (2011)'s arguement who points out the fact that traditional assessment techniques are more suitable for selecting employees for jobs that require knowledge-based skills. Besides these, arguments have emerged on the suitability of simulations in testing hard skills such as engineering and programming. As earlier stated, simulations do not test the aptitude of a participant. Such jobs require high aptitude and therefore it makes simulations not suitable for testing. For such jobs, other testing techniques such as aptitude tests are more suitable. References Callinan, M. & Robertson, I. T. 2000. Work Sample Testing. International Journal of Selection, 8(4): 248-260. Cooper, D & Robertson, I. T. 1995. The psychology of personnel selection. London: Routledge. Deb, T. 2009. Managing Human Resource And Industrial Relations. New Delhi: Excel Books India. Dessler, G. 2005. Human Resource Management. New York: Prentice hall Inc. Eilene Z. (2005 October 10). “Use of Job Simulations Rising Steadily,” Workforce Management. Retrieved 21 November 2013 from Farr, J. L. & Tippins, N. T. 2010. Handbook of Employee Selection. New York: Routledge. Gorman, S. 2011. The Recruiting Revolution: How Technology is Transforming Talent Acquisition. UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. 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Madigan,J. & HoffMacan, T. 2005. Improving Applicant Reactions by Altering Test Administration. Applied Human Resource Management Research, 10(2): 73-88. Miller-Merrell, J. 2013. The Importance of Job Simulation in Hiring Quality Candidates. Retrieved 24 November 2013 from < http://blog.eskill.com/job-simulation-hiring-candidates/ > Moses, J. K. 1973. The development of an Assessment Center for the Early Identification of Supervisory Potential. Personnel Psychology, 26:569-580. Pattanayak, B. 2005. Human Resource Management. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Ployhart, R. E. 2011. Staffing in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Strategic Opportunities. Journal of Management, 32(6): 868-897. Rao, v. 2007. Human Resource Management (Third Edition). New Delhi: Excel Books India. Ruiz, G. 2008, January. Job Candidate Assessment Tests Go Virtual. Workforce Management . 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