Why Should I Care About Research?
• Answering questions and making decisions
• We encounter research every day
• Common sense (intuition) is often wrong
Aamodt
Introduction to HR
Outline
• Debunking intuition-based HR
• Nature of Contemporary HR
• The Research Process
Research vs. Intuition
• Examples of intuition-based HR
• Unstructured employment interviews
• Traditional job previews
• Participant reactions toward training
Contemporary HR
• HR systems are related to organizational
outcomes
• Need research to develop, implement and evaluate
HR programs
• Accountability
• HR dept needs research to justify its existence
(ROI)
• Strategic nature
• Help in achieving organization’s strategies
• Be consistent w/organization’s goals
Contemporary HR
• Adding value
• By providing data that compares HR to other
depts in its linkage to organizational outcomes
• Undergoing paradigm shift
• Research Based
Why Should I Care About Research?
• Answering questions and making decisions
• We encounter research every day
• Common sense (intuition) is often wrong
Aamodt
Research Process
Ethics
Develop
Hypothesis
Research Design
Review
Topic
Select
Issue
Data Analyses
Measurement
Write Report
Action Plans
Research Process
• Selecting issue
• What is the cause of absenteeism in the
organization?
• Should we use e-learning in our training
programs?
• Should we develop new compensation systems
(e.g., profit sharing, stock ownership)
• How effective is the use of a new selection test?
Research Process
• Review topic
• Uses of Literature search
• Identify frameworks & theories
• Identifying variables (frameworks) vs. specifying how variables
interact, boundary conditions,etc. (theories)
• Literature search databases available
» Sekaran
» CIR Library workshop Oct 13, 04
• Uncover new issues (variables)
• Prevent “rediscovering” known facts
Sekaran, Saks
Research Process
• Reviewing topic
• Uses of interview/focus group data
• Critical incidents methodology to discover new concepts
(e.g., Learning orientation measure article, ethnic
harassment article)
Sekaran, Saks
Research Process
Ethics
Develop
Hypothesis
Research Design
Review
Topic
Select
Issue
Data Analyses
Measurement
Write Report
Action Plans
Research Process
Develop Hypothesis
• What is a hypothesis?
• Relationships to be tested
• Needs at least 2 variables
• Measures to be used
• Conditions for testing
• Can be empirically disproved
Sekaran, Saks
Idea
Hypothesis
Theory
Does all this
noise affect my
employees’
performance?
High levels of
noise will increase
the number of
errors made in
assembling
electronic
components
Noise causes a
distraction
making it difficult
to concentrate
Noise Example
Aamodt
Idea
What employee
recruitment source
is best?
Hypothesis
Theory
Employee referrals 1. Realistic job
will result in
preview
employees who stay 2. Differential
with the company
source
longer than will the 3. Personality
other recruitment
similarity
methods
4. Socialization
Recruitment
Example
Aamodt
Research Process
Develop Hypothesis
• Types of variables
• Independent
• Predictor
• Cause
• Dependent
• Criterion/Resultant
• Effect
• Mediating
• Moderating
Sekaran, Saks
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.2
A researcher thinks that smaller groups
will be more cohesive than larger groups
Independent variable = Group size
Dependent variable = Level of cohesion
Number of Group Members
Cohesiveness
rating
3 5
87 77
7
65
9
60
11
60
13
58
Aamodt
A researcher thinks that setting goals will increase the
number of orders that are “upsized” at McBurger
King
Independent variable = Setting of goals (yes or no)
Dependent variable = # of upsized orders
Experimental Condition
# of upsized
orders
No Goals
Goals
18
79
Aamodt
Aamodt Exercise 1-1
• Identify only independent & dependent
variables
Aamodt
Research Process
Develop Hypothesis
• Types of variables
• Mediating
• Enhances understanding of relation between
independent and dependent variable
• Moderating
• A.k.a.Interaction effect (ANOVA)
• Elaborates/qualifies conditions under which
independent and dependent are related
• Relation between two variables is a function of the level
of a third variable
Sekaran, Saks
Example of Mediated Effect
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.6
Example of Moderated Effect
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.4
Moderating & Mediating Variables
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.7
Moderator (Interaction) Effect
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.5b
Direct (main) & Indirect (mediated) Effects
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.11
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.8
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.9
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E
FIGURE 5.10
Research Process
Ethics
Develop
Hypothesis
Research Design
Review
Topic
Select
Issue
Data Analyses
Measurement
Write Report
Action Plans
Research Process
Research Design
Survey (field)
Experimental (w)
Qualitative (w)
Meta-analysis (w)
Statistical
Data Analyses
Financial (w)
(utility)
Systemic (w)
Measurement
Scales
Reliability & Validity
Measurement at Group Level (w)
Introduction to HR
Outline
• Debunking intuition-based HR
• Nature of Contemporary HR
• The Research Process
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