Cristina M. Giannantonio

Executive insights into HR practices and education

Over 1,100 Human Resource executives responded to a survey concerning their perceptions of the HR issues their companies are facing; the role of HR in their organization; the skills HR employees should possess; and the substantive HR knowledge that graduates of HR programs should be able to demonstrate. Results suggest the most important issue facing HR executives today is managing change. Executives felt it was extremely important for HR professionals to be able to create a recruitment program in todays labor market. The results of this research provide several implications for the design and the delivery of HR educational programs.

Recruiters’ perceptions of appearance: the stigma of image norms

Purpose – To introduce a model which examines the relationship between recruiters’ perceptions of image and the stigma of image norms.Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines the influence of image norms on recruiters’ perceptions of applicants during interviews and explores the manner in which recruiters may stigmatize applicants. A model is presented which explores how image norms may be used to stigmatize applicants and affect recruiters’ decisions.Findings – Image norms are found to have an influence on recruiters’ evaluations of applicants during the interview process.Research limitations/implications – Empirical tests of the model are suggested to illustrate how image norm violations lead to stigmatization during the recruitment process.Practical implications – Applicants who are denied entry into organizations on the basis of their appearance or image, experience a subtle, yet unacceptable form of employment discrimination. Organizations need to ensure that they are not excluding potential...

Career attainment for women and minorities: the interactive effects of age, gender and race

This study examined the career attainment of managerial women and minorities in an internal labor market. The interactive effects of age, gender, and race were examined on the career attainment levels of women, African‐Americans, Asian‐Americans and Hispanics. A sample of 7,084 US managers was studied; 3,456 women and minority managers were compared to 3,628 white male managers who entered the firm in the same year and in the same department. Consistent with previous research, women and minorities experienced lower career attainment than white males in this sample. Results suggest that minority women do not experience the “double jeopardy” associated with belonging to two classes of protected characteristics; nor the “triple jeopardy” of age, race and gender.

Male and Female Behaviors in Sex-Typed Tasks: Two Experiential Exercises

One obstacle to teaching gender issues in management is the attitude held by many students that women and men in organizations have the same experiences. An effective way for students to experience some of the differences that exist for women and men is to videotape them performing sex-typed tasks, have them observe the tapes, and note the different behaviors exhibited by women and men. Two experiential exercises are described that typically elicit sex role stereotypical behaviors of students when they perform them in mixed-sex groups. These exercises are used to allow students to observe and discuss differences in individual behaviors, the dynamics that occur within mixed-sex groups performing sex-typed tasks, and the effects of these behaviors and dynamics on group effectiveness.

Extreme leadership: lessons from Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance expedition: Leaders, Teams and Situations Outside the Norm

In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail from London for Antarctica aboard the HMS Endurance. Having lost the race to the South Pole, Shackleton planned a polar expedition which would be the first to cross the Antarctic continent. Well aware of the dangers of polar expeditions, even Shackleton could not have predicted the extreme events that befell the Endurance Expedition. He earned his place in history not because he was the first to discover the South Pole, nor the first to cross Antarctica. Instead, Shackleton is remembered as a courageous leader who faced unfathomable challenges with optimism and conviction. Equally important, he is remembered as a compassionate leader who cared for his crew and rescued all 27 men who embarked on a remarkable journey into the unknown.