CASE STUDY

Case Study

Case Study

During the first quarter of the twentieth century, the human resource function in US organizations emerged as the personnel department. Early functions of this department included attempts to keep labor unions from forming and focusing on production efficiency through time and motion studies. In the 1910s and 1920s these departments began to engage in employment testing, focusing on individual differences that predicted job performance. (Wright 1992) Soon after this, with the passage of federal legislation governing labor unions, the focus was again on keeping unions out of the workplace and employees were viewed as adversaries. (Schuler 1990)

From World War II to the late 1960s the human relations movement flourished. This movement was characterized by a belief that more satisfied employees were more productive employees, and it emphasized more supportive supervision and a greater consideration for employees' needs. With the passage of federal civil rights legislation in the 1960s, the personnel department gained importance as the legal watchdog for the organization. The emphasis shifted to organizational compliance with the law, which heightened the importance of much human resource management (HRM) practices, including job analysis. (Pfeffer 1994)

Over the past three decades, this functional area has changed as the pressures from increasing national and international competition have forced organizations to cut costs and increase productivity. During this time HRM has emerged as a strategic function for the success of the organization and the practitioners are now viewed as business partners with the chief executives of the firm. (Feldblum 1993) Many US organizations today view their human resource departments as value-added service providers and their employees as a source of sustained competitive advantage. This has given rise to the term strategic human resource management, which emphasizes the need for organizations to manage employees in a manner consistent with strategic business objectives. (Dulebohn 1995)

Selection has received a great deal of attention, due in large part to discrimination laws. The most common selection technique is the employment interview. However, many organizations use various forms of cognitive ability testing and personality tests. Recently, the use of honesty and integrity testing has become commonplace. One of the largest trends in staffing over the past few years has been for organizations to outsource this function. There is now a growing industry comprised of organizations that do nothing but recruit and screen applicants for other organizations. (Baron 1988)

Employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, or ...