Book Chapters

Jill Ellingson

Ellingson, J. E. (2011). People fake only when they need to fake. In M. Ziegler, C. MacCann, & R. Roberts (Eds.), New perspectives on faking in personality assessments. New York: Oxford University Press.
 
This chapter argues that faking is a behavior that individuals will engage in when they believe it is necessary to obtain something of personal value and when they believe they are capable of doing so successfully. Stemming from a lack of attention in the current literature, this chapter explores the nature of individual differences in personal value perceptions and suggests that these differences can actively mitigate the high-stakes nature of an assessment situation thereby shaping behavior within that situation.  Drawing from expectancy theory, the chapter outlines how current conceptualizations of faking incorporate expectancy and instrumentality judgments as determining factors in the choice to fake, yet give little attention to valence (i.e., value) judgments in theoretical models of faking. Three constructs (marketability, job search self-efficacy, and job desirability) are reviewed as options for introducing the concept of valence into current models of faking behavior.

Ellingson, J. E. (2007).  Adverse impact/ Disparate treatment/ Discrimination at work, In S.G. Rogelberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of industrial/organizational psychology, (pp. 7-10). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

The phrase “to discriminate” has two interpretations: a) to display prejudice toward members of a group through unjustified negative actions, and b) to meaningfully differentiate between people on the basis of their characteristics. Discrimination of the second form involves the ability to ascertain the presence and degree of characteristics that distinguish one person from another. For example, a classical music critic should discriminate among pianists on the basis of technique and interpretation. This interpretation holds that it is meaningful to differentiate an exceptional performer from an average performer when done on the basis of relevant factors. In contrast, discrimination of the first form invokes notions of preference and social injustice. Meaningful differentiation is decidedly absent as people are distinguished based on demographic, non-relevant factors. Because individuals differ on the basis of many characteristics, organizations must regularly discriminate between individuals when hiring, allocating resources, and rewarding in order to effectively manage a workforce. When organizations differentiate individuals based on job-relevant or organization-relevant factors, this discrimination is meaningful and warranted. When organizations instead differentiate individuals on the basis of stereotypes and allow that differentiation to impact decision-making, the organization has engaged in discrimination at work.

Ellingson, J. E. (2004). Transforming the process of staffing toward innovation. In S. Chowdhury (Ed.), Next Generation Business Handbook (pp. 971-985), Hoboken, NJ:  John Wiley.

 The process of staffing organizations is one field of human resources that has been slow to engage is the pursuit of transformational goals. Staffing organizations is laden with traditional processes that are important in concept, but prove difficult to implement in today's organizations. These traditional concepts are cornerstones for the staffing process, each playing an important role in helping an organization identify and land proficient hires. Yet, each as it has been treated traditionally faces contemporary roadblocks in application. This chapter deals with the transformation of traditional recruitment and selection practices to meet current organizational needs. Staffing processes and methods should be as innovative and efficient as the organizations in which they are administered. As a starting point, this chapter offers two directions fundamental to enhancing the degree of innovation and efficiency present in the staffing process: Leverage Technology and Value Metrics.

Ellingson, J. E., & Wiethoff, C. (2002). From traditional to virtual: Staffing the organization of the future today. In R. L. Heneman & D. B. Greenberger (Eds.), Human resource management in virtual organizations (pp. 141-177) . Greenwich, CT: Information Age.

Virtual organizations are newly evolved entities that increasingly define today's work environment. Such organizations are designed to be dynamic, flexible, and responsive to organizational and external change. This chapter focuses on issues related to recruiting and selecting individuals into virtual organizations. As a starting point, a working definition of virtual organizations is offered. This is followed by a thorough discussion of those individual characteristics, such as general mental ability, risk-tolerance, and openness to experience, likely important for functioning successfully in this type of work context. Each characteristic is presented with a brief description, an outline of past perspectives on its relevance, and when available a discussion of research that provides evidence linking the characteristic to performance in virtual organizations. Potentially effective recruiting strategies are reviewed including a discussion of the power of self-selection and Internet recruitment. The chapter continues by outlining those selection tools applicable to a virtual organization context. Specific focus is given to on-line assessment and interviewing. Recognizing that virtual organizations pose some unique challenges, the chapter closes with a discussion focused on issues such as the skill gap resulting from a depth versus breadth tradeoff, efficient validation strategies, placement in virtual teams, and suggested directions for future research and innovation.