Validating the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) : Examining green behavior and job crafting within a nomological network of personality

Abstract: Personality assessment in organizations has mostly served as a tool for decision-making regarding selection and job performance. In this article the focus is shifted towards understanding the role of personality in individuals’ propensity to exhibit contemporary work-related behaviors, such as employee green behavior (EGB) and job crafting (JC), through a nomological network. From an indigenous perspective, the cultural applicability of EGB and JC was estab-lished prior to investigating the external validity of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI). The unidimensional EGB-framework developed by Ones and Dilchert (2009) was found to have a covert and an overt component in the South African context, while the JC-model developed by Tims, Bakker, and Derks (2012) was unchanged. Within the nomological network, Positive Social-Relational Disposition did not display any predictive qualities. Conscientious-ness and Negative Social-Relational Disposition were found to predict both EGB (covert) and JC. Extraversion, Open-ness, and Neuroticism displayed predictive qualities only within the JC-model. Further investigation of these relation-ships is suggested, using quantile regression

Best practice guidelines for the use of the assessment centre method in South Africa (5th edition)

ORIENTATION : Assessment Centres (ACs) have a long and successful track record in South Africa when used for selection and development purposes. The popularity of the approach is mainly attributable to the ACs’ numerous strengths, which include the perceived fairness, practical utility and strong associations with on-the-job performance. To maintain the integrity of the AC, it is important for practitioners and decision makers to apply the method in a consistent and standardised manner. RESEARCH PURPOSE : The purpose of the report is to provide practitioners and decision makers with practical guidelines and concrete procedures when using ACs as part of the organisation’s human resource management strategy. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : The past decade has seen significant advances in the science and practice of ACs. Now in its fifth edition, the revised Guidelines seek to provide important information to practitioners and decision makers on a number of factors when used in conjunction with the AC method, namely, technology, validation, legislation, ethics and culture. MAIN FINDINGS : The Guidelines provide specific suggestions and recommendations for using technology as part of the manner of delivery. Issues of culture, diversity and representation are also discussed. New features of the Guidelines include more concrete guidance on how to conduct a validation study as well as unpacking several ethical dilemmas that practitioners may encounter. Of critical importance is a position statement on the use of ACs in relation to new legislation (Employment Equity Amendment Act, Section 8, clause d) pertaining to psychometric testing. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The Guidelines serve as a benchmark of best practice for practitioners and decision makers who intend on, or are currently, using ACs in their organisations. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : In the absence of formal standards governing the use of ACs in South Africa, the Guidelines provide an important step towards establishing standardisation in the use of the AC method. The Guidelines provide (1) guidance to industrial and organisational psychologists, organisational consultants, human resource management specialists, generalists and the Department of Labour, and others designing and conducting ACs; (2) information to managers deciding whether to introduce AC methods; (3) instructions to assessors taking part in the AC; (4) guidance on the use of technology and navigating diverse cultural contexts; and (5) a reference for professionals on best practice considerations in the useof the AC method.http://www.sajip.co.zaam2016Human Resource Managemen

The evaluation of a frame-of-reference training programme for intern psychometrists

Orientation: The use of assessment centres (ACs) has drastically increased over the past decade. However, ACs are constantly confronted with the lack of construct validity. One aspect of ACs that could improve the construct validity significantly is that of assessor training. Unfortunately untrained or poorly trained assessors are often used in AC processes. Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a frame-of-reference (FOR) programme to train intern psychometrists as assessors at an assessment centre. Motivation of study: The role of an assessor is important in an AC; therefore it is vital for an assessor to be able to evaluate and observe candidates’ behaviour adequately. Commencing with this training in a graduate psychometrist programme gives the added benefit of sending skilled psychometrists to the workplace. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative research approach was implemented, utilising a randomised pre-test-post-test comparison group design. Industrial Psychology postgraduate students (N = 22) at a South African university were used and divided into an experimental group (n = 11) and control group (n = 11). Three typical AC simulations were utilised as pre- and post-tests, and the ratings obtained from both groups were statistically analysed to determine the effect of the FOR training programme. Main findings: The data indicated that there was a significant increase in the familiarity of the participants with the one-on-one simulation and the group discussion simulation. Practical/managerial implications: Training intern psychometrists in a FOR programme could assist organisations in the appointment of more competent assessors. Contribution/value-add: To design an assessor training programme using FOR training for intern psychometrists in the South African context, specifically by incorporating this programme into the training programme for Honours students at universities

Toward Sustainable Development through Nurturing Diversity

A peer-revieved book based on presentations at the XXI Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2012, Stellenbosch, South Africa. (c) 2014, International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (ebook) ISBN 978-0-620-60283-9https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/iaccp_proceedings/1000/thumbnail.jp

A psychometric investigation into the use of an adaptation of the Ghiselli Predictability Index in personnel selection

Original publication is available at http://www.sajip.co.zaThe magnitudes of validity coefficients typically encountered in validation studies are disappointingly low. Validity coefficients typically fall below 0,50 and only very seldom reach values as high as 0,70. Numerous possibilities have been considered on how to affect an increase in the magnitude of the validity coefficient. A thought-provoking alternative to the usual multiple-regression based attempts may be found in the work of Ghiselli (1956, 1960a, 1960b). The objective of this article is to propose and evaluate a modification to the original Ghiselli procedure. Encouragingly positive results were obtained. Recommendations for future research are made.Publisher's versio

Investigating the construct validity of an electronic in-basket exercise using bias-corrected bootstrapping and Monte Carlo re-sampling techniques

ORIENTATION : Technology-based simulation exercises are popular assessment measures for the selection and development of human resources. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The primary goal of this study was to investigate the construct validity of an electronic in-basket exercise using computer-based simulation technology. The secondary goal of the study was to investigate how re-sampling techniques can be used to recover model parameters using small samples. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Although computer-based simulations are becoming more popular in the applied context, relatively little is known about the construct validity of these measures. RESEARCHAPPROACH, DESIGN AND METHOD : A quantitative ex post facto correlational design was used in the current study with a convenience sample (N = 89). The internal structure of the simulation exercise was assessed using a confirmatory factor analytical approach. In addition, bias-corrected bootstrapping and Monte Carlo simulation strategies were used to assess the confidence intervals around model parameters. MAIN FINDINGS : Support was not found for the entire model, but only for one of the dimensions, namely, the Interaction dimension. Multicollinearity was found between most of the dimensions that were problematic for factor analyses. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : This study holds important implications for assessment practitioners who hope to develop unproctored simulation exercises. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : This study aims to contribute to the existing debate regarding the validity and utility of assessment centres (ACs), as well as to the literature concerning the use of technology-driven ACs. In addition, the study aims to make a methodological contribution by demonstrating how re-sampling techniques can be used in small AC samples.http://www.sajip.co.zaam2020Human Resource Managemen

The measurement of values: A psychometric evaluation of the Schwartz Value Survey in the South African context

Over the years a great deal of research has been devoted to the study of values in relation to work, since values are strongly associated with behaviour. Values are deeply held views that act as guiding principles for individual and organisational decision-making. Cultural values are the broad goals that members of a social institution pursue, since they justify individual actions in pursuit of valued goals. Cultural values thus play an important role in the way that social institutions function by sanctioning which attitudes and behaviour are normative. In the organisational context, the broad goals that members are expected and encouraged to pursue make up the cultural values of that organisation. Values may prove to be an important unifying force for organisational leaders, especially in the multicultural work context in South Africa. In the literature, however, the linkages between individual values and attitudes, behaviour, and social experiences are fragmented. In part, the inconsistency in results can be explained by measurement and methodological problems associated with the measurement of personal values. The purpose of this study is to re-visit the issue of personal values by investigating the psychometric properties of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS). Although the SVS is one of the most widely used values measures, only limited research has been conducted on the instrument in the South African context. The SVS may be of value in this context in part because it has proven to be particularly adept at measuring value priorities in cross-cultural environments. Aconvenience sample of 537 students from four prominent universities in South Africa participated in the research study. A confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) approach was used to investigate the internal structure of the SVS. The findings of the study suggest that the SVS holds promise as a measure to study value priorities, but that it may suffer from a lack of discriminant validity.DHE

The cross-cultural relevance of indigenous measures : the South African personality inventory (SAPI), family orientation, and well-being in New Zealand

Indigenous personality research often remains limited to its cultural context of origin. Previous cross-cultural examinations of indigenous models have typically focused on East–West comparisons and have paid scant attention to the predictive validity of indigenous models in new contexts. The present study addresses the replicability of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) and its predictive validity for family orientation and well-being in New Zealand European (n = 428) and Māori students (n = 226). The structure of the SAPI in New Zealand was equivalent to the structure identified in South Africa and had metric invariance between the two New Zealand groups. The SAPI social-relational scales explained additional variance above neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness in family orientation, but not in well-being. Mediation path analyses suggested that personality played a similar role for family orientation and well-being in the two groups when assessed by the SAPI, although group differences were suggested when using the Big Five Inventory. Our findings indicate that indigenously derived models, developed with the aim to represent culturally salient concepts, can be relevant well beyond their culture of origin and offer an enriched understanding of personality’s role for important outcomes across cultures.The School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.http://jcc.sagepub.comhj2022Human Resource Managemen