Staffing and recruitment are essential aspects of effective management in organizations. During recruitments, managements have to apply numerous selection options that meet the requirements of the vacant positions. Various managements do not only utilize criterion-related validity and content validity in selecting suitable personnel but also utilize face validity (Validity of Selection Method, n.d.). In these categories of validity, there are minimum qualifications that the recruitment team has to adhere to in order to enhance diversity in the entire staff. Workforce diversity plays a key role in improving the overall image of an organization given the current rates of globalization. The current dynamism in the market also requires a diverse workforce that understands the needs of all potential customers, as they are composed of different age gaps, gender, races, and religions.
Companies need to establish deep insights on their goals so that they represent diversified perspectives. In preparing a staff to accept a diversified workforce, an organization has to alter its organizational behavior first. Such moves make firms to tap and utilize talents of employees from different background thus enabling them to gain competitive edge over their competitors in the market. This treatise develops the application of different validity strategies in recruitment and selection, especially the use of criterion-related validity type in an organization. Besides, the research paper evaluates the benefits that accrue to a firm that applies diversity programs in staffing.
From an organization’s point of view, employees’ level of work performance remains an essential concern. Companies, therefore, have to influence the overall performance of their employees through inclusive selection strategies. A person’s ability and the effort he/she can put forth determine an employee’s work performance. Work performance is a direct reflection of an organization’s success as it will be able to reach its strategic objectives. Selection is a process by which organization’s specialists collect and evaluate various data about an individual in order to grant or extend an employment offer.
This process has to follow some ethical and legal requirements in addressing the interests of both the employer and employee. Under data collection and evaluation, specialists select those who have appropriate abilities, skills, and knowledge form a pool of applicants. Staffing, on the other hand, involves a systematic process of filling and keeping an eye on positions within a firm (Gatewood, Field & Barrick, 2010). Therefore, staffing is abroad subject that entails recruitment, selection, training, work performance, and succession amongst others. HRM, therefore, must develop effective selection programs, as it forms the core of staffing subject.
Diversity in staffing has been a great concern for many companies and institutions that desire to attract and retain the right people, who are talented and culturally competent. Notably, the competency of the new staff must link directly with the expected performance. Such strategic approach has helped organizations to attain long-term advantages by coordinating its activities and resources within their competitive environments in order to satisfy and surpass the expectations of their stakeholders. In multiethnic environments, firms have to adopt a multifaceted approach that encompasses or takes into concern all the interests of both employees and employers (Employment, n.d.).
In absorbing staffs from diverse backgrounds, organizations become increasingly effective and productive in their areas of operation. A heterogeneous organization does not limit interactions among co-workers thus increasing inclusion in key committees that make strategic decisions. Such moves increase interaction among all employees at the workplace, irrespective of their ages, races, sexual characteristics, disabilities, and nationalities (Heneman & Judge, 2009). Markedly, when employees intermingle freely with each other, an organization enhances employee satisfaction and realizes low staff turnover. Since every culture has its own preferred working style, organizations applying staffing diversity acquire diverse learning styles in their operations. Managers that recognize and appreciate the values of these aspects tend to maximize the productivity of all organizations’ stakeholders.
The concept of staffing diversity within Human Resource Management (HRM) touches on varied demographics, such as spiritual affiliation, physical ability, age, social class, age and other individual characteristics. Diversity in all programs goes hand in hand with pluralism where an organizational culture must touch on teamwork, respect, productivity, and unconditional acceptance among the aforementioned groups of people (Employment, n.d.). All these parameters of pluralism must exist in mutual aspect such that all stakeholders care for each other. While the whole concept may seem easy and straightforward, organizations have to apply tedious processes in selecting employees who matches their strategic goals and objectives.
Organizations have to develop and instill cultures that support diversity and pluralism. In the selection process, firms have to use valid selection methods in order to increase the accuracy of the decisions that key committees make in the management process. Therefore, validity must reflect job performance directly. These selection methods must be in line with expected outcomes, job products, and work behavior; this necessitates the need for validation. HR managers must design measurable and achievable criterion measures that applicants’ predictors can meet. When the two parameters, criterion measures and predictors, are comparable, employers realize success easily.
Selection practices that enhance diversity within organizations aim at aligning applicants’ personalities with organizational cultures, strategies and the vacant positions. With the high rate of market competition, firms are striving to incorporate multiple approaches that enhance Equal Employment Opportunities to all their applicants. Organizations utilize three common stages in under the staffing process; the stages include, position development, recruitment, and selection and support (Sims, 2007). Markedly, each stage is crucial in offering opportunities to alter organizational practices and belief systems to sustain diversity. At the position development stage, organizations’ specialists and volunteers review vacant positions by prioritizing existing and future programs, recognizing key job functions, and scrutinizing alternative staffing choices.
Organizations develop and implement an inclusive recruitment strategy that will enhance diversity in staffing. To foster diversity, recruitment teams develop a recruitment plan, which has the specific national publications, personal contacts, and mailing lists. Organizations recognize the need for recruiting personnel that support diversity and brings a diverse viewpoint. The final phase, selection and support, entails inclusive review of applications for the vacant positions, carrying out interviews, creating a job offer and designing a personalized orientation and development plan for the new recruits.
Organizations have become extremely accommodative by creating favorable working environments that employees will desire to have during their employment period. Since effective recruitment processes do not guarantee employees’ retention, firms have been paying great attention to employees’ talent development as a way attracting and retaining more workforces. Therefore, organizations are attempting to change their behaviors in order to alter their cultures such that they promote intercultural skills thus helping employees to advance their skills in conflict management, communication and listening.
A diverse workplace improves financial performance given the direct correlation between Business Social Responsibility (BSR) and business practices. According to BSR, firms that adopt diversity in their staffing increase ability to attract and retain skilled workforce. Employees tend to recommend employers who are responsible in their activities even in harsh marketing conditions. When an organization diversifies its staffing options, it reduces instances of employees’ value conflict, thus enhancing retention levels. Diversity programs help firms to avoid or reduce potential risks during their operations. For instance, diverse programs develop inclusive policies that can address and determine discriminatory practices within an institution. The policies design penalties that the management can apply on one who is liable for performing a discriminatory act.
Clear lawsuits protect vulnerable employees against acts of infringement as they present unique initiatives that can hold one accountable for his/her acts. BSR also holds that diversity enhances brand image and reputation of companies. For positive image, a company’s system must aid the goal achievement process even if employees are of highly skilled in their lines of specialization. The concept enables firms to reach wider market since the composition of the workforce represents that of the potential client base. Diversity concentration improves customers’ loyalty as the workforce understands and meets their tastes and preferences. Sims (2007) holds that diversity brings in diverse experience into an organization; such perspectives encourage innovation as it generates new ideas and highlights emerging factors.
From the aforementioned benefits, organizations have to apply varied means to ensure that they absorb relevant workforce in their functions. In my organization, the management prefers criterion-related validity is assessing applicants’ competences. Here, the company has relied on comparing IQ and employee selection test with academic performance and job performance respectively (Sims, 2007). Even though this measure has enabled the organization to perform it functions, it fails to measure the exact parts of a job, as content validity does the process. In content validity, a test verifies only the area of competence hence demonstrating an employee’s competence in a special field. This is the core part of the job, which criterion-related validity fails to test. For instance, length of service cannot necessarily reflect on the productivity of an employee.
The current crops of employees tend to work for short period in their workplaces; therefore, the measure fails to connect the two parameters. In addition, supervisor’s comments can be discriminative or exaggerative depending on the relationship that has existed between the two. This may amounts to favoritism thus resulting in unfair treatment of applicants. Evidently, the lack of logical connections between the job-related tasks and the test items can make organizations to hire incompetent personnel. Such tests that do not appear to be valid may make applicants to file legal proceedings against the organization. Criterion-related validity measures external aspects of particular jobs, which do not link directly to the job itself. Unsuccessful candidates may file legal proceedings or initiate a lawsuit.
In my view, the organization ought to inculcate all the validity methods in determining the best candidate for new or continuous hire. Some of the tests analyze the cognitive dimension only, but not the practicability of learnt knowledge in real life situation. Hiring a qualified and diverse employee is extremely beneficial, and requires vivid analysis that relies on more than one parameter. Tests should be inclusive in order to encompass job skills, knowledge, personality, integrity, and cognitive ability. There are instances where an employer may not perform well in a written test, but surpass his/her set goals in the workshop.
Therefore, organizational specialists ought to be aware of personal biases and potential rating errors. In the comparison stages, they should compare an applicant’s performance to the rating scale and not to each other, given the different personality aspects from one individual to another. Clearly, overreliance on one type of verifying validity leads a less diverse workforce as it may eliminate some applicants with disabilities. Such acts results in blatant discrimination, which is highly unethical. The selection measure has high job relation given the correlations that exist in the results.
However, the organization should avert a scenario of absorbing extremely competent candidates as this limits diversity. In this homogeneous grouping, employees may not e ready to do other activities that may be crucial for the success of the organization (Stone, 1982). An employee may be competent in a given line of work but may lack socialization skills thus may not adjust to the new environment easily. Such employees always take more transition time, experience more stress, and be inapt to carry on his/her duties. Abroad validity options will enable the firm to absorb diverse employees who will fit easily within the new environment, and work towards achieving the organization’s strategic goals and objectives.
Besides, a broad selection measure considers possibilities of cultural difference within the organization. The high flexibility within the firm will enable many employees to extend their tenures and even recommend to their friends as it meets goals of affirmative action. The boss has to understand the need to use all the three types of validity in job selection. In improving a diverse workforce, these options are essential in improving the organization’s overall performance in over to gain competitive advantage over its market competitors. In essence, diverse programs in staffing ensure smooth operations in any firm.
References
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Employment. (n.d.). UCSF Human Resources. Web.
Gatewood, R. D., Feild, H. S., & Barrick, M. (2010). Human Resource Selection (7th ed.). Chicago: Cengage Learning.
Heneman, H. G., & Judge, T. A. (2009).Staffing organizations (7 ed.). Middleton, WI: McGraw-Hill.
Sims, R. R. (2007). Human resource management: contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Pub.
Stone, T. H. (1982). Understanding personnel management. Chicago: Dryden Press.
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