Gamification in employee selection: The development of a gamified assessment

Gamification has attracted increased attention among organizations and human resource professionals recently, as a novel and promising concept for attracting and selecting prospective employees. In the current study, we explore the construct validity of a new gamified assessment method in employee selection that we developed following the situational judgement test (SJT) methodology. Our findings support the applicability of game elements into a traditional form of assessment built to assess candidates' soft skills. Specifically, our study contributes to research on gamification and employee selection exploring the construct validity of a gamified assessment method indicating that the psychometric properties of SJTs and their transformation into a gamified assessment are a suitable avenue for future research and practice in this field.     

Hiring on vocational interests to simultaneously improve validity and organizational diversity

We discuss how using vocational interests in the selection process can help address the diversity-validity dilemma. First, we point out how incorporating vocational interests as predictors in selection could help to reduce adverse impact. We further suggest that by using optimal predictor weights, one could simultaneously improve validity while enhancing organisational diversity. Finally, the predictive validity of vocational interests arises from their ability to capture the congruence between individuals and occupations, which is a cross-level phenomenon. Thus, when gathering validity evidence for vocational interests, multi-occupation samples should be incorporated into validation efforts.     

Competing interests: The need to control conflict of interests in biomedical research

Individual and institutional conflict of interests in biomedical research have becomes matters of increasing concern in recent years. In the United States, the growth in relationships — sponsored research agreements, consultancies, memberships on boards, licensing agreements, and equity ownership — between for-profit corporations and research universities and their scientists has made the problem of conflicts, particularly financial conflicts, more acute. Conflicts can interfere with or compromise important principles and obligations of researchers and their institutions, e.g., adherence to accepted research norms, duty of care to patients, and open exchange of information. Disclosure is a key component of a successful conflict policy. Commitments which conflict with a faculty member's primary obligations to teaching, research, administrative responsibilities, or patient care also need attention. Institutional conflict of interests present different problems, some of which are discussed in an analysis of an actual problem posed by two proposed clinical trials. This paper is adapted from a lecture presented to a Symposium on Scientific Integrity, Warsaw, Poland, 23 November 1995. Daniel Steiner was Vice-President and General Counsel of Harvard University (1972–92) and in that capacity became familiar with conflict of interest issues. He is currently Counsel to the Boston law firm. Ropes and Gray, and is Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard University.     

The resurrection of vocational interests in human resources research and practice: Evidence,challenges, and a working model

A large number of studies conducted over the past two decades reconsidered and supported the validity of vocational interests for predicting a range of important work outcomes. Yet to date, interests remain relatively underused in professional settings, in part because discussions of why, how, and where to use interest assessment tools in an evidence-based manner are lacking and often incomplete. In this article, we briefly review and summarize the available evidence to then further discuss ways in which interest assessment can support various stages of the human resources (HR) cycle, including recruiting, selecting, retaining, and developing employees. From this overview, a number of challenges and apparent paradoxes are derived when working with interests, which may hinder the effective application of these assessments. Therefore, we propose a new working model that treats interest assessments both as “select-out” and “select-in” tools, to identify personal attributes that can either be “must-haves” for an organization in the short term, but at the same time can represent “unique potential” for that organization in the long term. Throughout the text, we also discuss where additional research is needed to further substantiate the use of interests in the HR cycle.     

Perceived fairness in employee selection: the role of applicant personality

The present study investigated the role of applicant personality in relation to applicant procedural and distributive justice perceptions after being informed of an organization’s reject/accept selection decision. A sample of 503 students completed a selection test, believing the results would be used to make initial selection decisions for an organization recruiting from the university. Participants were presented with selection decisions (randomly assigned) two weeks later, and procedural and distributive justice perceptions were assessed. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that agreeableness, openness to experience, and test-taking self-efficacy were positively related with perceptions of procedural and distributive justice. Neuroticism was negatively associated with distributive justice perceptions. The relationships of test-taking self-efficacy with procedural and distributive justice were moderated by the organization’s selection decision.     

Personnel selection in the digital age: a review of validity and applicant reactions,and future research challenges

ABSTRACT

We present a targeted review of recent developments and advances in digital selection procedures (DSPs) with particular attention to advances in internet-based techniques. By reviewing the emergence of DSPs in selection research and practice, we highlight five main categories of methods (online applications, online psychometric testing, digital interviews, gamified assessment and social media). We discuss the evidence base for each of these DSP groups, focusing on construct and criterion validity, and applicant reactions to their use in organizations. Based on the findings of our review, we present a critique of the evidence base for DSPs in industrial, work and organizational psychology and set out an agenda for advancing research. We identify pressing gaps in our understanding of DSPs, and ten key questions to be answered. Given that DSPs are likely to depart further from traditional non-digital selection procedures in the future, a theme in this agenda is the need to establish a distinct and specific literature on DSPs, and to do so at a pace that reflects the speed of the underlying technological advancement. In concluding, we, therefore, issue a call to action for selection researchers in work and organizational psychology to commence a new and rigorous multidisciplinary programme of scientific study of DSPs.     

配偶情绪智力对员工工作投入的影响：员工生活幸福感的中介作用和性别的调节作用

本文关注配偶情绪智力对员工工作投入的跨领域的人际间影响。基于努力-恢复模型视角和情绪智力文献, 本文提出高情绪智力的配偶能够通过提升员工生活幸福感, 从而促进员工工作投入。此外, 通过整合社会性别角色理论, 本文进一步讨论了员工性别的调节作用。通过两个子研究, 本文发现：配偶情绪智力与员工生活幸福感之间呈现正相关关系; 员工生活幸福感与员工工作投入之间呈现正相关关系; 员工生活幸福感中介了配偶情绪智力对员工工作投入的影响; 并且, 员工性别调节了配偶情绪智力和员工生活幸福感之间的关系, 即当员工为男性时, 配偶情绪智力对该员工生活幸福感的正向影响更强; 此外, 员工性别还调节了员工生活幸福感在配偶情绪智力和员工工作投入之间起到的中介作用。本研究首次提出和检验了配偶情绪智力对员工工作投入的跨领域的人际间积极影响, 具有理论和实践上的重要意义。     

Taking the Measure of Work Interests: Past,Present, and Future

The influence of work interests on employee behavior is often misunderstood. Accordingly, the potential of work interest measures to improve “high stakes” employee decision-making has been grossly underestimated. One organization that has taken work interests seriously however, is the U.S. military. The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) to summarize the rich history of military-sponsored research on work interests for employee selection and classification, (b) to highlight recent advances in work interest measurement from military-sponsored research, and (c) to outline the way forward for advancing work interest theory and measurement.     

Correspondence of children's anticipated vocations, perceived competencies, and interests: Results from an Italian sample

Relations among anticipated vocations, self-assessments of competence, and interests in sample of 190 Italian children were examined. Children were asked what activities they liked, those they thought they were good at, and what job they expected when they grew up. The responses were coded into RIASEC Holland codes and agreement across the three questions was examined using kappa statistics. Results indicated that there was no relation between anticipated occupations and either interest or perceived competence. Thus, these anticipated occupations appear to be based on unrealistic criteria and the validity of studying such early expressions of interest is questionable. Conversely, results demonstrated a correspondence between interest and competence and this correspondence was similar for boys and girls and increased with age.     

Think fast: The role of thin slices of behavior in employee selection decisions

This study integrates past research addressing decision‐making, employee selection, and influence processes in an attempt to provide both a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research addressing initial impressions throughout the interview process. Using data from a simulated hiring situation comprised of 28 recruiters and 229 applicants, the results suggest that initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview make a substantive impact on final impressions. However, impressions formed at the career fair do not appear to impact final impressions without considering the interactive effects of decision confidence. Hypotheses proposing that decision confidence would moderate linkages between initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview and both interview scores and final impressions were not supported. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for selection.     

职业兴趣的结构：理论与研究

有着近70年历史的职业兴趣结构的研究丰富与发展了其理论,这些理论主要包括：Roe的圆形模型、Holland的六边形模型、Prediger的维度模型、Gati的层级模型以及Tracey-Rounds的球形模型。总结比较这些不同的职业兴趣结构的研究发现,Holland的六边形模型更适合于美国样本(非种族样本)群体,而其他的模型则有待于进一步的考察。研究还表明没有广泛适用的职业兴趣模型,因此,职业兴趣的跨化研究应深入探讨与验证。     

Getting social in selection: How social networking website content is perceived and used in hiring

The use of social networking websites (SNWs) during employee selection is gaining popularity in organizations. Using a foundation that integrates identity and situational strength theories, we develop a conceptual framework that differentiates SNW information from information gathered through traditional selection procedures, and distinguishes between SNW types. Research questions and hypotheses are tested using a survey of 291 hiring professionals. Results indicate that SNW content is considered useful and is regularly utilized during hiring. Some SNW content is viewed positively (e.g., information supporting qualifications), while other information leads to negative perceptions (e.g., discriminatory comments). Finally, results support a differentiation between personal and professional SNW, as the kind of information sought and the effectiveness of assessing various work‐related constructs differs between these SNW categories.     

Ethics culture and ethics climate in relation to employee engagement in a developing country setting

The study investigated the relationship between employees’ perceived workplace ethics culture and climate variables and their level of engagement. A non-probability sample (N?=?839; females?=?32%) was permanently employed in a railway organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The research constructs were measured using the Corporate Ethical Virtues (CEV) Scale, Ethical Climate Questionnaire (ECQ), and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). A canonical analysis indicated that the participants’ perceived workplace ethics culture and workplace ethics climate were significantly and positively related to their level of engagement. Structural equation modelling indicated a moderate fit between the workplace ethics culture, workplace ethics climate and employee engagement canonical variate constructs. The findings provide evidence that individual's perception of work ethics culture and work ethics climate explain their level of work engagement.     

Convergence of Vocational Interests and Personality: Examples in an Adolescent Gifted Sample

This investigation explored the convergence between vocational interests as measured by the Strong Interest Inventory (Hansen & Campbell, 1985) and two competing personality models: the Big Five as measured by the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and the Big Three as measured by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) (Tellegen, 1982; Tellegen & Waller, in press). The participants were 323 gifted adolescents. The authors predicted that specific NEO-PI-R facet scales and specific MPQ primary scales would add meaningful variance to the prediction of hypothesized Basic Interest Scales (BISs) on the Strong after the variation due to the respective Big Five or Big Three factors was removed. The predictions were largely supported. Moreover, this study provided additional evidence regarding convergence of Holland's Big Six and the Big Five model of personality. This study could serve to prompt a new generation of studies relating vocational interests and personality.     

Stability of interests across ethnicity and gender: A longitudinal examination of grades 8 through 12

RIASEC interests were assessed in grades 8, 10, and 12 on a large national sample of 69,987 college bound students. Random samples of 1000 were drawn to represent each of the major US ethnic groups (African, Asian, Native, Mexican, Latino (non Mexican), Anglo, and Multiracial Americans) and interests were examined as they varied across time, ethnicity, and gender with respect to structure, mean changes, stability, clarity, and interest-occupational choice congruence. Results indicate that the structure of interests did not vary as a function of time, gender or ethnicity. The pattern of interests was fairly stable and similar across all ethnic groups and both genders. Congruence and clarity increased in 10th grade but both decreased in 12th grade suggesting a time of re-examination.     

Regulatory fit at work: gravitational effects and associations with employee well-being

ABSTRACT

Using a task approach, this study examined the extent to which employee regulatory focus would “gravitate” employees towards promotion- versus prevention-oriented tasks within their jobs, and whether a subsequent regulatory fit/misfit would be associated with their well-being (i.e., mental health and job satisfaction). In a pre-study among 37 employees, we determined the regulatory focus of work tasks from the Netherlands Skill Survey, which are relevant to the general working population, resulting in a selection of 7 promotion and 11 prevention tasks. For our main study, we used the Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel and collected data from 1,606 respondents. In 2011, we collected respondents’ regulatory focus and in 2012, we collected their work tasks and well-being. Promotion-oriented employees considered both promotion and prevention tasks to be highly relevant in their jobs, and this relevance was associated with their mental health. Prevention-oriented employees, however, did not respond to the relevance of promotion or prevention tasks and generally reported lower well-being, irrespective of the regulatory focus of their tasks. We tentatively conclude that promotion focus gravitates employees towards job with a richer task content, containing both promotion and prevention tasks.     

Making use of professional development: Employee interests and motivational goal orientations

Vocational interests and goal orientation (GO) are examined for their potential influences on employees' decisions to engage in professional development and to apply the knowledge and skills gained from development activities in their jobs. Specifically, professional development, in the form of continuing professional education (CE), was examined for a variety of practicing healthcare professionals (N = 183), including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in the Midwest United States. Aspects of vocational interest theory (interests and congruence) and GO theory predicted CE outcomes (voluntary participation in CE beyond professional requirements and the application of CE learning at work). Further, employee GO mediated between interests and the application of CE learning at work, providing evidence of a work-specific motivational process linking interests with performance-related behavioral outcomes.     

The relation of self-efficacy and interests: a meta-analysis of 60 samples

This study empirically synthesizes and evaluates studies that have examined the relation between vocationally relevant domains of self-efficacy and interests. We conducted a meta-analytic review of 60 empirical independent samples (N=39,154) in which relations between self-efficacy and interests had been examined. Fifty-three of these samples (N=37,829) included parallel measures of the constructs. Relations between parallel measures of Holland’s RIASEC themes, the specific dimensions of art, math, science and math/science combined, and traditionally female and male occupations are also presented. Results demonstrated that self-efficacy and interests are independent constructs that correlate moderately. Differences by sex, measure, and age group are noted. Future directions for research regarding links between self-efficacy and interests are discussed.