Part 1.
Write a brief (two or three sentences) introduction of yourself including your name (what you want us all to call you in class) and two or more of the following bits of information: Your major, where you are from, why you are taking this class, your favorite food, your career goals.
After you have written your brief introduction, think about what you already know about the field of personnel psychology. When would you say that the field of personnel psychology began? What other fields would you say it is most closely related to? What are the public’s perceptions of personnel psychology? Write out your responses to these questions in a paragraph or so and then state what questions you still have about the development/rise of personnel psychology as a science over the years.
For a sample post, see my thread in the discussion where I have introduced myself and provided my impressions of the field of personnel psychology.
Example:
(Hi there!
My name ——– (pronouns: he/him/his) and I am the instructor/professor for this course. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and received my undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Advertising (with a Business Minor) from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). I moved to the New York metro area in August, 2001 to pursue my doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. My favorite foods are sashimi, Indian samosas, spaghetti, omelettes, and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
I don’t want to reveal too much of what I know about the roots of personnel psychology because I am genuinely curious to read what you all have to say about that. What I will say is that the more I learn about this field, the more useful I believe it to be. Studying personnel psychology has, for me, raised many questions. It has also provided me with answers when I look out at the world of work and the many challenges organizations, employees, and organizational leaders face. I see personnel psychology as a broad discipline with implications for fairness, diversity, organizational performance, environmental stewardship, and corporate social responsibility. Because of this, I imagine that we have only begun to see the potential for the growth of personnel psychology. I won’t say much here about what I think the public’s perceptions of personnel psychology are, because, again, I want to read what you have to say.
My reflections on the field of personnel psychology lead me to raise the following questions:
Where will the field of personnel psychology be in 100 years? What theories and methodologies will have been abandoned and what new perspectives will exist?
What alliances should personnel psychologists forge with other disciplines in order to better address organizational challenges as well as better understand the workplace?)
Part 2
In this Module, we have read about and considered the value and importance of assessing personality and emotional intelligence in the workplace. Given what we have learned, please respond to the following discussion prompts:
1. What do you think is the greatest advantage of assessing emotional intelligence in the workplace? By contrast, what do you think is the greatest risk in doing so? Be sure to fully defend your responses.
2. Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the proposed responses and solutions to the problem of faking in personality and emotional intelligence testing? Why? Be sure to provide a full explanation after stating your opinion.
3. Propose one study that you think would help advance either personality or emotional intelligence assessment in the workplace. When describing your proposed study, be specific about how it would add value over and above what has already been done.
Part 3
n this module, we have read about and considered job analysis and competency modeling, the validity of various selection procedures, and research exploring effective and ineffective interview practices. For this discussion, I would like you to consider how selection practices are regulated by federal, state, and local laws. Please begin by choosing one case of improper or illegal selection practices. You can use the sites that I have provided in Module 2, or you can simply search through the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal website to find a case that interests you. Once you have identified a case, please respond to the following prompts:
1. What case did you select? Give a brief summary of the case and cite your source(s). How did you find it and why did it interest you?
2. What law or laws were broken, if any?
3. For what job or jobs did the firm have improper selection procedures? Visit O*NET and search for the most similar generic job title. Find the work activities and work styles for that occupation title. Include this information in your post.
4. Given the nature of the occupation and the type of firm involved in the case, provide some recommendations (evidence-based best practices) that the organization could use to reduce the likelihood of future legal trouble associated with selection.
Part 4
In this module, we have read about and considered reliability and validity, training transfer, and the complex relationship between job satisfaction and performance. For this discussion, I would like you to consider the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Please begin by reviewing the article by Abdulwahab Bin Shmailan (2016). I have also provided Judge, Thoresen, Bono, & Patton’s 2001 review article that explores this relationship in depth. Then, please respond to the following prompts:
1. Given what is known about the relationship between job satisfaction and performance, what questions do you think still remain?
2. Give an example of a future study or studies that could address these remaining questions.
3. Given what is known, what practical advice could you offer to employers who have the goal of nurturing both a productive and satisfied workplace?