PSY FPX 6740 Assessment 4 Planning

Student Name

Capella University

PSY FPX 6740 Industrial/Organizational Psychology Practices in Personnel and Human Resource Management

Prof. Name:

Date

Introduction

This paper will explore the processes that ensure an organization possesses adequate leadership talent to manage and guide its operations. In recent years, it has become evident that senior executives, managers, and senior leadership have significantly impacted organizations, often at great expense. The absence of specific organizational values may have led to underperformance, resulting in costs to the organization and negative publicity. This discussion will cover various methods, tests, and theories that can be used to identify and develop leaders. However, the first step is to determine whether there are any systemic issues within the organization.

Analyzing Methods

We will analyze five methods of organizational change. These five methods are:

Strategic change, also known as teleology
People-centric change
Structural change, also known as life cycle or regulated change
Technological change
Unplanned change, also known as conflictive change

Strategic change, also referred to as teleology, involves planned change. This is when an organization implements strategic changes to achieve goals, enhance competitive advantage, or respond to market opportunities and threats. Strategic change may involve modifications to the business’s policies, structure, or processes, typically initiated by upper management and leadership.

People-centric change focuses on employees. These types of organizational changes may involve extended PTO policies and new hires. People-centric changes can face the most resistance, as people are often resistant to change. Leadership must consider this when attempting such changes. Success in these efforts requires transparency, good communication, effective leadership, and an empathetic approach.

Structural changes occur within an organization due to internal or external factors. These changes often involve significant shifts in management, team organization, job duties and responsibilities, chain of command, job structure, and processes. Structural changes may include mergers, layoffs, job duplication, changes in the market, and policy changes. These changes can overlap with people-centric changes as they directly impact employees.

Technological changes often follow market trends and are continuously evolving as technological advancements emerge. Unfortunately, because technological changes can occur rapidly, proper training on how to use new technology may not always be provided.Unplanned changes, or conflictive changes, are those that are not anticipated. A good example is how organizations transitioned to remote work during the COVID-19 quarantine. Although unplanned changes cannot be predicted, they can be managed effectively through change management.

In this case, the focus will be on people-centric changes as we review processes to ensure that our organization has sufficient leadership talent to manage and guide the organization. This will be done by developing three methods of employee selection: structured interviews, personality tests, and knowledge tests. Structured interviews will allow for fair comparisons among all candidates. Personality tests will help determine where a candidate might best fit within the organization or if they are a good fit overall. Knowledge tests, which are relevant to the job being recruited for, will assess whether the candidate possesses the necessary knowledge and can handle the job responsibilities (Seashore et al., 1983).

Comparison

This section will compare structured interviews, personality tests, and knowledge tests. A structured interview provides a more level playing field than an unstructured interview. In a structured interview, all candidates are asked the same questions, whereas in an unstructured interview, the questions may vary from candidate to candidate. This is a crucial first step in the recruitment process. Personality tests can help identify a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing the organization to place them in a role where they can excel. However, personality tests may also lead to misjudgments. For instance, a candidate who performs well might be perceived as confrontational based on their personality test results. Conversely, a candidate might answer the personality test in a way they believe the organization would prefer. Lastly, knowledge tests are essential for specific roles within the organization. For example, when hiring a senior analyst, candidates could be tested on their proficiency in Excel and other relevant applications to ensure they are competent in the necessary software and formulas. This provides the most accurate insight into whether a candidate can perform the job.

Applying I-O Tools

In addition to structured interviews, personality tests, and knowledge tests, a survey could also be implemented. This survey could gather employee feedback on the qualities they would like to see in a leader. It could also be used post-interview for both candidates and recruiters, or as an onboarding survey to assess a new hire’s comfort level with their job responsibilities. Utilizing surveys allows for continuous feedback without the pressure of sharing it face-to-face with management, often leading to more honest responses.

Process for Organizational Changes

The process for implementing organizational changes involves planning for the future as much as possible. It is important to anticipate potential changes before they occur, allowing for the development of fail-safes. Additionally, managing change requires having a backup for every position. This promotes job transparency and development. For example, if someone goes on extended leave, a coworker or multiple coworkers should be able to take over because they were trained in multiple areas. Finally, maintaining change is essential. There is a famous saying, “The only constant is change.” An organization needs to establish a continuous process of change so that when significant changes occur, there is minimal disruption.

Conclusion

As an I-O psychologist, recruiting and identifying job processes is a major function in supporting an organization. While this role may be similar to that of a human resources specialist, I-O psychologists go a step further by considering the holistic view of both the employee and the organization. Having a solid foundation is incredibly important. A strong president and CEO, with solid ethics and an empowering mission statement, can help attract the right candidates. It is also essential to have organizational processes in place before they need to be implemented. Being prepared for change is crucial, as it is inevitable.

References

Cascio, W., & Aguinis, H. (2011). Applied psychology in human resource management (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Seashore, S., Lawler, E., Mirvis, P., & Cammann, C. (1983). Assessing organizational change: A guide to methods, measures, and practices. John Wiley & Sons Inc.