The Role of Attributions and Fairness in Understanding Job Applicant Reactions to Selection Procedures and Decisions

Ababneh, Khaldoun I.; Hackett, Rick D.; Schat, Aaron C. H.

doi:10.1007/s10869-013-9304-y

Cited by 36 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Prior research has indicated that applicant perceptions may influence applicant behaviour (e.g. applicant withdrawal, recommendations to others) [ 7 , 47 ]. However, the present study is limited to examining the influence of SJT design features on applicant perceptions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of response instructions and response format on applicant perceptions of a situational judgement test for medical school selection

et al. 2018

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BackgroundThis study examined the influence of two Situational Judgement Test (SJT) design features (response instructions and response format) on applicant perceptions. Additionally, we investigated demographic subgroup differences in applicant perceptions of an SJT.MethodsMedical school applicants (N = 372) responded to an online survey on applicant perceptions, including a description and two example items of an SJT. Respondents randomly received one of four SJT versions (should do-rating, should do-pick-one, would do-rating, would do-pick-one). They rated overall favourability and items on four procedural justice factors (face validity, applicant differentiation, study relatedness and chance to perform) and ease-of-cheating. Additionally, applicant perceptions were compared for subgroups based on gender, ethnic background and first-generation university status.ResultsApplicants rated would-do instructions as easier to cheat than should-do instructions. Rating formats received more favourable judgements than pick-one formats on applicant differentiation, study-relatedness, chance to perform and ease of cheating. No significant main effect for demographic subgroup on applicant perceptions was found, but significant interaction effects showed that certain subgroups might have more pronounced preferences for certain SJT design features. Specifically, ethnic minority applicants – but not ethnic majority applicants – showed greater preference for should-do than would-do instructions. Additionally, first-generation university students – but not non-first-generation university students – were more favourable of rating formats than of pick-one formats.ConclusionsFindings indicate that changing SJT design features may positively affect applicant perceptions by promoting procedural justice factors and reducing perceived ease of cheating and that response instructions and response format can increase the attractiveness of SJTs for minority applicants.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-018-1390-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of response instructions and response format on applicant perceptions of a situational judgement test for medical school selection

et al. 2018

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“…That is, attribution theory might suggest that external attributions might cause managers to more likely excuse a person from a crime not typically associated with that group. Conversely, the hiring manager is more likely to attribute internal attributionsand less likely to excusea person from a crime typically associated with that group (Ababneh et al, 2014;Ployhart and Ryan, 1997).…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crime and punishment

Goldman

Cooper

Kugler

2019

IJCMA

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Purpose A surprisingly large proportion of the working population of the USA consists of individuals with felony convictions. Moreover, the issue of employability of these individuals is compounded for minorities. This paper aims to present two experimental studies investigating whether minorities with felony backgrounds have a more difficult time being selected for employment than identically situated white applicants. The authors ground the paper in realistic group conflict theory. Results indicate discrimination is more acute against minorities with felony backgrounds than whites with the same background and shed light on the mechanisms leading to this discrimination. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Design/methodology/approach This paper involves two experimental studies involving working adults engaging with realistic survey situations using mTurk. Findings Results of both studies indicate discrimination is more acute against minorities with felony backgrounds than whites with the same background, and shed light on the mechanisms leading to this discrimination. Research limitations/implications One limitation of the methodology is that the authors used fictional candidates and jobs. This may have led to understating the effects of discrimination on minorities because it allowed applicants to answer in socially desirable ways (e.g. absent of racial bias) without suffering any of the anticipated negative consequences of actually hiring individuals about whom they hold negative stereotypes. Practical implications This research has several important implications for practice. First, organizations should be keenly aware of the potential for subtle and unconscious bias to affect the job application process even among well-intentioned hiring managers. Second, as the bias is often triggered by threats, organizations should share with their employees the nature of the threat involved with former felons. Social implications Organizations should deliberately address issues associated with the use of criminal background checks. For many organizations, a felony conviction in an applicant’s background automatically eliminates that person from employment. However, a substantial amount of the workforce now has a felony in their background. Indeed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2012) has issued guidelines that detail important factors that organizations should consider on a case-by-case basis when considering employment for former felons. Organizations may consider updating any blanket exclusions regarding the hiring of ex-felons – not only because it makes good policy but also because it may help the organization hire the best people. Originality/value This research studies an important – and growing – societal problem related to the hiring of convicted felons, and the related issue of racial discrimination that affects black convicted felons particularly hard. There has been very little work in the management area on this topic. Moreover, there has been very little work in all areas that includes experimental methods. The use of such methods is particularly useful to eliminate confounds found in field data.

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“…Our perspective is in line with views of others who observe that HRM has at times a peripheral connection to ethics in organizations, does not incorporate alternative normative considerations into many of its theories, consists of numerous selection methods not based on constructs on the predictor side, and does not incorporate strictly ethical criteria on the criterion side (Buckley et al, ; Greenwood, ; Kish‐Gephart et al, ; Robertson & Smith, ). Moreover, ethics in HR selection often centers on fairness issues, applicant reactions, philosophical critique, or normative prescriptions (Ababneh, Hackett, & Schat, ; Arvey & Renz, ; Greenwood, ).…”

Section: Conventional Deductive‐prescriptive Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The assessment of individual moral goodness

Chiu

Hackett

2016

Business Ethics: A European Review

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In a field dominated by research on moral prescription (business ethics) and moral prediction (behavioral ethics), there is poor understanding of the place of moral perceptions in organizations alongside philosophical ethics and causal models of ethical outcomes. As leadership failures continue to plague organizational health and firms recognize the wide-ranging impact of subjective bias, scholars and practitioners need a renewed frame of reference from which to reconceptualize their current understanding of ethics as perceived in individuals. Based on an assessment and selection perspective from the field of human resource management, an alternative to conventional deductive-prescriptive approaches is proposed based on a pluralistic concept referred to as moral goodness. An inductive-descriptive theory-building framework is constructed based on three interrelated streams of inquiry to yield insight concerning both formal and informal instances of assessment. Recommendations are proposed for the application of the framework to future research and practice.

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The Role of Attributions and Fairness in Understanding Job Applicant Reactions to Selection Procedures and Decisions

Cited by 36 publications

References 73 publications

Influence of response instructions and response format on applicant perceptions of a situational judgement test for medical school selection

Influence of response instructions and response format on applicant perceptions of a situational judgement test for medical school selection

Crime and punishment

The assessment of individual moral goodness

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