This project requires you to apply an evidence-based approach to management. For this application assignment, you will first need to choose a particular HR function (e.g., selection) on which to focus

Listing of Possible HR Topics to Explore

Below are some suggestions for areas/questions that you could choose for the EBM Application assignment. You may also generate your own topic or refine one of those shown below. However, additional topics require my prior approval. Remember that you only need to choose a single question to address (i.e. one bullet point). See page 3 of the syllabus for more details regarding this assignment.

Legal issues

  • Does sexual harassment negatively impact organizations and individuals?

  • How can organizations promote a climate of safety?

  • How effective are diversity training programs?

Work analysis/competency modeling/Work design

  • Who provides the best quality information about competencies needed to perform a job?

  • Are some types of job requirements easier to rate than others?

  • Does work design improve motivation and/or performance?

  • Do workers design (or “craft”) their jobs and what are the outcomes?

  • What are the outcomes of different flexible work arrangements?

  • What outcomes are associated with virtual work arrangements?

Talent Acquisition: Recruitment

  • Are physical characteristics related to hiring decisions?

  • How effective are realistic job previews?

  • Does person-organization fit matter?

  • What predicts applicant attraction to an organization?

  • How does social media impact recruitment and/or hiring?

Talent Acquisition: Selection

  • Does intelligence (general mental ability) predict job performance?

  • Are interviews effective for selecting successful candidates?

  • Does personality predict job performance?

  • Can integrity tests predict whether someone will steal?

  • Are assessment centers useful for selecting individuals for management positions?

Talent Management: Training & Development

  • Are leadership/managerial development programs effective?

  • What factors improve transfer of training back to the job?

  • How effective are formal mentoring programs?

  • How effective are employee socialization (orientation) programs?

  • Can cross-cultural training be effective in preparing workers for expatriate assignments?

Talent Management: Performance Management

  • Are people’s self-ratings of their abilities/skills accurate?

  • Does performance feedback improve future performance?

  • Does multisource feedback (360 degree) improve future performance?

  • How is organizational citizenship behavior different from task performance?

  • How does employee participation in performance appraisals impact reactions and perceptions of fairness?

Rewarding & Retaining Talent: Compensation & Performance

  • What factors are related to voluntary turnover?

  • Does incentive pay impact performance?

  • Do incentives promote creativity?

  • What factors affect pay satisfaction?

  • What are the consequences of pay satisfaction?