Donald P. Schwab

Pay satisfaction: its multidimensional nature and measurement.

The present study was guided by the general hypothesis that pay satisfaction is multidimensional. The Pay Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) was developed to assess five dimensions of satisfaction with pay (level, benefits, raises, structure, and administration). Results on two heterogeneous samples of employees provided support for the multidimensional hypothesis, although a four-dimensional solution (level, benefits, raises, structure/administration) provided better representation of the variance in the items studied. These four scales showed high internal consistency reliabilities. Comparison of the pay scales of the Job Descriptive Index and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire with the PSQ dimensions suggested that these well-known scales primarily measure satisfaction with pay level. Implications of the findings for pay satisfaction research, both substantive and measurement oriented, are discussed.

The impact of applicant gender compared to qualifications on hiring recommendations: A meta-analysis of experimental studies

Abstract This study reports a meta-analysis of experimental investigations of the effects of applicant gender (1842 subjects across 19 studies) and qualifications (1767 subjects across 20 studies) on hiring recommendations. It was found that (1) males were preferred over females, though this effect was not consistent and accounted for only 4% of the variance in hiring recommendations overall; (2) in comparison to gender effects, the mean effect of applicant qualifications (represented by variables such as education and experience) on hiring recommendations accounted for 35% of the variance across studies; (3) the design of the studies (within-subject versus between-subjects) significantly moderated both gender and qualifications effects; and (4) mean responses of professional and student samples were not significantly different, although students provided more homogeneous evaluations in both studies of gender and qualifications. We concluded, with some methodological reservations, that there is marginal evidence of employment discrimination against females in experimental studies of hiring decisions.

The Role of Pay and Market Pay Variability in Job Application Decisions

Abstract The influence of pay and three other attributes on job application decisions under two sets of market conditions were examined. Consistent with economic hypothesizing, results suggested that most respondents used noncompensatory strategies to evaluate pay in making their application decisions. Moreover, both model usage and the pay importance appeared to vary as a function of market pay variability. Results are discussed primarily in terms of likely limitations to the generalizability of findings obtained from studies of attribute importance.

Team Effectiveness in Multinational Organizations Evaluation Across Contexts

Incorporating team context into research and practice concerning team effectiveness in multinational organizations is an ongoing challenge. The authors argue that a common measure of team effectiveness with demonstrated equivalence across contexts expands current theoretical developments and addresses team implementation needs. To this end, the article describes methods, techniques, and results obtained in developing a comprehensive team effectiveness survey across six multinational organizations in four geographic regions. The authors discuss inductively deriving dimensions of effectiveness using interview data, translation procedures with innovative bilingual pilot testing, and multiple constituency validation. The study concludes with implications for future cross-cultural research on team effectiveness and beyond in other areas of international management.

Age Stereotyping in Performance Appraisal

Thirty-two personnel specialists evaluated written performance descriptions of four secretaries. The fourth secretary was a target whose age (24 or 61 years) and job experience (S years or less than 6 months) were experimentally manipulated in a 2 X 2 factorial design. Age of participant was also measured and dichotomized at the median (33). Each secretary was evaluated on six dimensions. Evaluations of the first three secretaries were combined into a composite (mean) for each performance dimension in order to permit control for potential differences in relative leniency among participants. For each dimension, evaluations of the target were regressed on the composite, on main and interaction effects involving age and job experience of the target, and on the age of the participant. There were four significant effects due to the composite, no significant main effects due to age and job experience of target, and one significant main effect for age of participant. However, the Age of Target X Age of Participant interaction effects were significant in three instances. Participants above (below) the median age provided lower (higher) evaluations to the 61year-old target than to the 24-year-old target. Implications of these results for understanding past, and conducting future, research are discussed.

An Investigation of Systematic Gender-Related Error in Job Evaluation

The present study manipulated the gender composition and the current pay level of one of three jobs in an experiment designed to address potential gender bias in job evaluation. Three samples of su...

Sex-Related Errors in Job Evaluation: A "Real-World" Test

The present study investigated the effects of the dominant sex of job incumbents, pay level of a job, and evaluators sex on job evaluation scores among 103 compensation practitioners. No effects on either the absolute rating or relative standing of the manipulated job were found as a function of dominant sex of job incumbents or evaluator sex. Pay level was associated with substantial effect on the absolute rating and on the relative standing of the manipulated job. Implications for research and for the comparable worth controversy are discussed.

Merit Pay Practices: Implications for Pay-Performance Relationships.

This study uses a Monte Carlo simulation to examine how the relationship between pay and performance is affected by the pay system, measurement error in appraising performance, the consistency of true performance over time, and the rules governing promotion decisions. The authors find that conventional merit systems achieve a considerably better link between pay and performance than does a bonus system with periodic adjustments in base wages. A bonus system without periodic base wage adjustments also performs less well than conventional merit systems, because merit systems benefit from the consistency of true performance over time. One surprising finding is that even very substantial error in the measurement of performance has only a modest effect on the pay-performance correlation.

The basic Barnard : an introduction to Chester I. Barnard and his theories of organization and management

Some of the authors view manpower planning in the broad context of development and utilization of manpower resources; others view manpower planning and programming within the context of alleviating problems of supply imbalances evidenced in the existence of unemployment, underemployment, and economically disadvantaged persons. The second such issue relates to a distinction-between manpower planning and manpower programming-that is not recognized by all the authors. Planning usually connotes forecasting, analysis, and goal setting, while programming refers to designing efforts to accomplish goals within the broader framework of planning. In this sense, the desirable degrees of decentralization of manpower planning and of manpower programming might be better examined independently. Comparison of the CETA legislation with the essays in this volume suggests that current public policy toward manpower planning is directed toward specific client groups rather than toward all manpower resources, that programs will focus upon alleviation of supply problems in the short run rather than the balance of supply and demand in the long run, and that coordination of independent agency efforts will continue to be an unrealized goal. A more comprehensive manpower planning program would pose the more basic issue of how much planning is consistent with the nations economic and political systems, an issue not addressed openly in this volume. T. A. Mahoney Professor Industrial Relations Center University of Minnesota

The motivational impact of a compensation system on employee performance

Abstract Using expectancy theory as a frame of reference, a review of the literature indicated that the impact of perceptions about compensation systems on employee performance has not been adequately tested. Through the design and analysis employed in the present study, an effort was made to more appropriately examine this issue. Objective performance data and information about three perceptual variables (valence of pay, instrumentality, and expectancy) were obtained from a sample of 124 incentive-paid blue collar workers. The results offered some support for the hypothesized relationships. Valence and expectancy were significantly related to performance while instrumentality was not. An additive combination of the three variables explained a significant proportion of the variance in performance (R = .39). The hypothesized interaction among the variables, however, did not significantly increase the variance explained.