Chapter 17: Human Resource Policies and Practices

Question 1

human capital resources

Answer 1

the capacities of a work unit derived from the collective knowledge, skills, abilities, and other resources of the organization’s workforce

Question 2

work sample tests

Answer 2

hands-on simulations of part of all of the work that applicants for routine jobs must perform

Question 3

assessment centers

Answer 3

off-site locations where candidates are given a set of performance simulation tests designed to evaluate their managerial potential

Question 4

situational judgment tests

Answer 4

substantive selection tests that ask applicants how they would perform in a variety of job situations; the answers are then compared tot he answers of high-performing employees

Question 5

realistic job previews

Answer 5

substantive selection tests that are job tryouts to assess talent versus experience

Question 6

unstructured interviews

Answer 6

short, causal interviews made up of random questions

Question 7

structured interviews

Answer 7

planned interviews designed to gather job-related information

Question 8

panel interviews

Answer 8

structured interviews conducted with a candidate and a number of panel members in a joint meeting

Question 9

task performance

Answer 9

the combination of effectiveness and efficiency at doing core job tasks

Question 10

citizenship

Answer 10

actions that contribute to the psychological environment of the organization, such as helping others when not required

Question 11

counterproductivity

Answer 11

actions that actively damage the organization, including stealing, behaving aggressively toward coworkers, or being late or absent

Question 12

critical incidents

Answer 12

a way of evaluating an employee’s behaviors that are key in making the difference between executing a job effectively and executing it ineffectively

Question 13

graphic rating scale

Answer 13

an evaluation method in which the evaluator rates performance factors on an incremental scale

Question 14

behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)

Answer 14

scales that combine major elements from the critical incident and graphic rating scale approach. The appraiser rates employees based on items along a continuum, but the points are examples of actual behavior on the given job rather than general descriptions or traits

Question 15

forced comparison

Answer 15

method of performance evaluation where an employee’s performance is made in explicit comparison to others

Question 16

group order ranking

Answer 16

an evaluation method that places employees into a particular classification, such as quartiles

Question 17

individual ranking

Answer 17

an evaluation method that rank-orders employees from best to worst

Question 18

high-performance work system

Answer 18

a group of human resources practices that work together and reinforce one another to improve organizational outcomes