Personnel Selection in Organizations

Neil Schmitt, Walter C. Borman

Leading experts present a comprehensive overview of the cutting-edge science and practice of personnel selection, emphasizing a construct-oriented approach to understanding job performance, predictors, validity, and the impact of societal and organizational change.

Personnel Selection in Organizations is a timely and essential volume that bridges the gap between summary textbooks and specific journal articles. Edited by Neal Schmitt and Walter C. Borman, this book brings together leading scholars to explore the theoretical, empirical, and societal changes shaping the field. It provides fresh perspectives on traditional topics like job analysis, criterion development, and validity, while also expanding the paradigm to include emerging areas such as contextual performance, selection as corporate strategy, the role of applicant perceptions, and the challenges of downsizing and a diversifying workforce. For researchers, practitioners, and advanced students, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding the latest scientific advancements and how to apply them to build more effective, valid, and fair selection systems in modern organizations.

The model it argues

This model, synthesized primarily from Chapters 2, 3, and 4, posits that individual differences and situational conditions influence job performance through a set of direct psychological determinants. Specifically, cognitive ability and experience shape knowledge and skills, while personality traits influence motivation. These mediators, in turn, drive different facets of performance, including task proficiency and contextual behaviors.

Key ideas

Cognitive Ability: An individual's capacity for information processing, learning, and problem-solving, encompassing both general mental ability (g) and more specific aptitudes such as verbal, numerical, and spatial reasoning. It is considered a primary antecedent of declarative and procedural knowledge.
Personality Traits: Relatively stable and enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that characterize an individual's reactions to their environment. In the context of work, traits like conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability are linked to motivational choices and contextual performance.
Training and Experience: The body of knowledge and skills acquired through formal education, specific job training, and direct experience performing relevant tasks. It represents the learning component that shapes job-specific competencies.
Declarative Knowledge (DK): The knowledge of facts, principles, goals, and self-knowledge required for task performance. It represents an understanding of 'what' needs to be done and is a direct determinant of performance and a prerequisite for procedural skill.
Procedural Knowledge and Skill (PKS): The ability to apply declarative knowledge to execute tasks. It is 'knowing how' to do something and involves the combination of knowledge with practice. It encompasses cognitive, psychomotor, physical, and interpersonal skills.
Motivation: A direct determinant of performance defined as the combination of three volitional choices: the direction of effort (choice to perform), the amplitude of effort (level of effort), and the duration of effort (persistence). It represents the 'will do' component of performance.
Task Performance: The proficiency with which an individual carries out the behaviors and activities that are formally part of their job and contribute to the organization's technical core. This is the 'can do' aspect of the job, distinct from contextual contributions.
Contextual Performance: Behaviors that contribute to organizational effectiveness by supporting the psychological and social environment in which work occurs. These include volunteering, persisting with enthusiasm, helping others, following rules, and endorsing organizational objectives. This is the 'will do' aspect of performance.