Holistic versus decomposed ratings of general dimensions of work activity

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the accuracy of the US Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET), which, replacing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, analyzes jobs via a hierarchical taxonomy of work in which all task-level activities are summarized into a 42-construct taxonomy of first-order generalized work activities (GWAs). Design/methodology/approach -This study examined the degree of convergence between ratings made using the holistic-judgment process in the O*NET (which directly rates GWAs using single-item scales) vs traditional decomposed-judgment methods which statistically combine ratings of multiple activity items for each GWA. Findings -Analysis of holistic O*NET general work activity ratings with decomposed commonmetric questionnaire (CMQ) ratings revealed poor convergence between holistic vs decomposed methods, low interrater agreement and a tendency for incumbents to rate higher than job analysts. Practical implications -It is believed that these results raise significant questions regarding the O*NET's plan to rely on unverified holistic ratings obtained from relatively small, volunteer samples of job incumbents to maintain its database over time. There is a clear risk of producing a database of uncertain quality and comparability with the existing analyst ratings. It is concluded that the criteria of quality, accuracy and verifiability should be paramount in efforts to develop a national database of occupational information. Originality/ value -This study is the only empirical analysis of the degree of convergence between ratings made using the holistic-judgment O*NET and a traditional decomposed-judgment job analysis. Because job analysis forms the foundation for many human resources functions, effectively setting the standards that drive recruiting efforts, establishing the criteria that are used in hiring, promoting, evaluating, and equitably compensating employees, and forming the basis for many employee training programs, it is absolutely essential that any data source utilized for these purposes should be both accurate and verifiable. This study not only furthers efforts to tests the validity of the O*NET, it als...

Workers’ Perception of Performance Appraisal in Selected Public and Private Organizations in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

“…More so, it was found that performance appraisal is used as an assessment tool for promotional exercise. These findings corroborate the views of (Gibson, Harvey & Harris, 2007). Our finding that performance appraisal serves as a means for salary increment or distribution of rewards is in consonance with the views of Briscoe and Claus (2008) as well ISSN 2162-3058 2012 as Fajana (2002) who hold the view that appraisal is a means for distributing rewards.…”

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A longitudinal meta-analysis of range restriction estimates and general mental ability validity coefficients: Better addressing overcorrection amid decline effects.

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Re-thinking skill through a new lens: evidence from three Australian service industries

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