Staffing, Budgets, and Audits word document and excel chart

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Pavur Jr., E. J. (2010). Use job descriptions to support leadership. Psychologist-Manager

Journal (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 13(2), 119–122. doi: 10.1080/10887151003776596.

HPMJ1088-71561550-3461The Psychologist-Manager Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, Mar 2010: pp. 0–0The Psychologist-Manager Journal

Use Job Descriptions to Support Leadership

Leadership Job DescriptionsPavur

Edward J. Pavur, Jr. Management Service; and University at Albany

Job analysis can yield realistic job descriptions, which are roadmaps for recruitment, selection, and orientation. These systems improve leader performance by attracting qualified applicants, and by preparing the new leader. Therefore, an accurate job analysis can improve the success of the newly hired executive. To maximize results, the search team should conduct a contextual job analysis early in the process. Combining accurate job analysis with the leadership mandate should yield better prospects and a more successful executive. Job descriptions support leader- ship success. How can we strengthen this relation? I consider three questions about leadership selection: (a) Are job descriptions used for recruitment inaccurate? (b) How should the leadership search team move from recruitment to hiring? (c) How are applicants likely to view the recruitment and hiring process?

Stybel (2010) reminds us that we design job titles and job descriptions for two audiences: internal and external. We use functional job descriptions to serve the needs of the internal audience. Alternatively, we use contextual job descriptions for recruitment. We can use recruitment job descriptions to describe highly idio- syncratic job characteristics. We design these recruitment job descriptions to gain the attention of the external audience.

The contradictions in job descriptions are their descriptive and contextual functions. Functional descriptions are necessary for internal communication and planning purposes. Contextual descriptions make the job realistic and interesting, thereby attracting the maximum number of qualified applicants. These dual purposes of job descriptions can create tensions or contradictions.

In this article, I address three questions about the leadership selection process: (a) Are job descriptions used for recruitment inaccurate? (b) How should the

Correspondence should be sent to Edward J. Pavur, Jr., University at Albany, 45 Harvard Road, Watervliet, NY 12189. E-mail: [email protected]

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leadership search team move from recruitment to hiring? (c) How are applicants likely to view the recruitment and hiring process? I close with some ideas about improving the selection process.

First, are job descriptions used for recruitment inaccurate? The functional and contextual features do not have to work at cross purposes. In fact, some evidence suggests that the applicants who are best suited to the job are the applicants who find realism attractive (Roberson, Collins, & Oreg, 2005; Thorsteinson, Palmer, Wulff, & Anderson, 2004).

Some job descriptions are contextual and inaccurate, but this can hinder operations. For example, a highly attractive description will generate a number of unqualified and unsuitable applicants. Recruiters will have to discard most of these, and this process will alienate some applicants. In addition, the volume of applicants will cause processing delays, which are frustrating for everyone. Last, a qualified applicant may be disappointed and may feel manipulated after hiring. For these reasons, a realistic job description is recommended over an intriguing but inaccurate one.

Second, how should the leadership search team move from recruitment to hiring? The approach by Stybel (2010) handles three sequential challenges in an efficient way. These challenges are recruitment, selection, and orientation. The article describes a case in which a recruiter is filling a specialized leadership position. The chosen applicant must demonstrate technical and intellectual requirements, and he or she must also have the right chemistry, fit, and personality to work effectively with other executives. Once hired, the new executive must understand the strategic goals of the organization and must be ready to advance the priorities of the position immediately.

For these reasons, the search team gives additional specialized information to the finalists for the position. This includes advice about relating to the chief exec- utive, expectations about business objectives, strategies, roles, styles, and other critical conditions. Some of this information is not openly discussed, even within the organization, so the search team gives the briefing in confidence, subject to a nondisclosure agreement.

This approach is interesting because it demonstrates how a leadership mandate includes position-specific information to improve the success of the new executive. The leadership mandate contains critical information to prepare the new executive for his or her new challenges. This mandate describes the environment, context, and people the executive will face in the new position.

In contrast, traditional job descriptions do not often include detailed and idio- syncratic information. In fact, personnel changes can quickly render some of this information useless.

The highly contextual approach to recruitment is not commonly discussed. Therefore, this case study gives some insights into a recruitment and orientation

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practice. The benefits of this practice include disclosure of job features and advice. This information can improve the chances of success and adaptation, can assist with self-selection, and last, can provide insights into dynamic aspects of the leadership role.

Third, how are applicants likely to view the recruitment and hiring process? I believe that applicants who are suited for the interpersonal and technical demands of the position will view the sequence of recruitment to selection to ori- entation in a positive way. These applicants will find the sequence factual, logical, fair, and focused on success in the new position if the sequence is based on accurate information.

However, there are some challenges. What if the selection team does not accurately describe the true conditions? What if there is more flexibility in the goals or environment than expected? The less stability there is in the job context, the lower the probability that our job description will be useful (Howard, 1995). In these cases, the applicants will have to ascertain that reality is not as advertised. This problem applies to all selection systems, not just to the one we are considering.

The system that is described here is a practical approach to an integrated search and orientation process. It uses highly specific contextual information to make the outcome efficient and successful. However, I believe these positive results could be maximized with additional steps.

For example, a detailed job analysis of an executive position could specify the important interpersonal characteristics, team dynamics, and strategic chal- lenges of the position. These job features could be linked to a variety of per- sonal characteristics. One of the recruitment cases seems to require intelligence, judgment, flexibility, and adaptation to the direction of the other members of the leadership team. The same case might require sensitivity to internal and external conditions, an ability to assume responsibility, and the skills to build support for change. Each of these characteristics could be han- dled in a general way in the initial public job description but in a more focused way in the selection and orientation phases. Some researchers are laying the foundation for these types of approaches. For example, a general approach to measuring teamwork skills has been investigated in the context of training (Ellis, Bell, Ployhart, Hollenbeck, & Ilgen, 2005). This type of measurement could be applied to the leadership-selection process.

A job analysis measuring general leadership attributes would prepare for, and not eliminate, the orientation (leadership mandate onboarding) described in the article. However, if we publicized and evaluated the right generic leadership attributes during the recruitment phase, we would have greater success in the selection and orientation phases. Early application of critical leadership informa- tion would improve the quality of every phase of the recruitment, selection, and orientation sequence. This would increase the probability of success for the executive who is ultimately hired.

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REFERENCES

Ellis, A. P. J., Bell, B. S., Ployhart, R. E., Hollenbeck, J. R., & Ilgen, D. R. (2005). An evaluation of generic teamwork skills training with action teams: Effects on cognitive and skill-based outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 58, 641–672.

Howard, A. (Ed.). (1995). The changing nature of work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Roberson, Q. M., Collins, C. J., & Oreg, S. (2005). The effects of recruitment message specificity on

applicant attraction to organizations. Journal of Business and Psychology, 19, 319–339. Stybel, L. (2010). Managing the inner contradictions of job descriptions: A technique for use in

recruitment. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 13, 105–110. Thorsteinson, T. J., Palmer, E. M., Wulff, C., & Anderson, A. (2004). Too good to be true? Using

realism to enhance applicant attraction. Journal of Business and Psychology, 19, 125–137.

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