Reports that due to the accelerating pace of technological progress
and the globalization of competition, the business climate is in such
constant flux that companies are changing the way they hire people.
Having the right knowledge, ability andskills might still get your foot
in the door, but only the right fit between personality and company to
get the job. Study led by Gerald E. Ledford; Details; Results.
By
PT Staff, published on January 01, 1992
Hired Hands,Heads, etc.
As if THE JOB MARKET ISN'T tough enough these days!
Thanks to the accelerating pace of technological progress and the
globalization of competition, the business climate is in such constant
flux that companies are now changing the way they hire people. Having the
right knowledge, skills, and abilities might still get your foot in the
door, but only the fight fit between personality and company culture will
land you the job.
According to a team of organizational psychologists led by Gerald
E. Ledford, Jr., Ph.D., of the University of Southern California, this is
not science fiction. It's already corporate fact at America's most
progressive outposts. Toyota's doing it in "Auto Alley." So is Silicone
Valley's Sun Microsystems, the country's fastest growing company. As they
say in the biz biz, the giants are learning to dance.
Dr. Ledford and colleagues warn that the emerging model of job
selection is an expensive proposition for companies and an absolute
ordeal for applicants. It takes scads of interviews--to say nothing of
batteries of psychological tests and even job-simulation exercises--for a
factory job, let alone a management slot. And firms have to do an
analysis of the organization as well as the job. But, they find,
companies get a happy whole person instead of a "hired hand," and that
lets them stay nimble in a world where specific jobs become obsolete not
long after they are filled.
What's in it for new hirees? At the American Psychological
Association's annual meeting in San Francisco, Ledford reported that they
get to apply their whole personality to their work. They are valued for
their uniqueness--who they are as well as what they do. They are relied
on to motivate and regulate themselves, and they work for firms that keep
them on. The catch is, an applicant whose personality doesn't fit the
organization will either back off during the hiring process or be
encouraged to go elsewhere-even if there's no other place in town.
The move to total-person hiring marks a major shift in management
thinking. Waning is the belief that situation variables are the strongest
influence on employee performance; gaining ground is a belief that person
variables-personality, values, social skills, technical skills--better
predict job satisfaction, performance, and longevity. The result:
Personality tests are making a comeback.
The new approach is bound to raise some thorny issues. But it is
not without some old-fashioned justice, too. Companies have a vested
interest in every one of their new hirees. Automaker Mazda now spends
about $13,000 per employee to staff its plant in Flat Rock, Michigan,
says Ledford. And they pay as much to hire an assembly-line worker as for
an executive search.
Tags:
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university of southern california
