You are an internal IO consultant for a company that employs self-managed work teams who operate assembly lines to produce televisions. Due to a wave of interpersonal problems in your workplace, the senior management team has asked you to find a way to hire only individuals who can work well in teams (they expect to screen 5000 applicants during the next hiring cycle). You contacted some of the local consulting companies and found five companies who have each created a test that they say will predict which of your job applicants would work best in teams. A summary of their brochures is provided below.
Your task is to decide which of these tests you would choose. Examine the external and construct validity evidence provided, as well as the reliability and the cost per applicant (for administering and scoring the test). You are expected to write a 1 to 2 paragraph response (Times New Roman, 12 pt font w/ 1 inch margins) that includes:
1. the ONE (and only one) company with which you would contract; and
2. the detailed reasoning for your decision, using the criteria mentioned above.
Potential Consulting Firms
Employment Services, Inc. ($10 / applicant). ESI originally created this test to be used to predict teamwork behaviors of lawyers working on cases together. They found that scores on their test (which had an internal consistency reliability of .81) correlated with supervisor ratings of teamwork (r = .26).
The Jones Group ($6 / applicant). The Jones group is a France-based consulting company that has recently opened an office in the U.S. They’ve been using a test to predict teamwork behaviors of factory workers in French companies. The test, which has a test-retest reliability of .92, has been found to be correlated with supervisor ratings of teamwork behaviors (r = -.62).
Teamwork Unlimited ($8 / applicant). TU recently constructed this test and used it to select individuals to work in self-managed work teams at a factory that manufactures televisions (not yours). Their brochure features a testimonial from the CEO of that company, who said: “before I used the Teamwork Unlimited Teamwork Test ™, we had fights among our employees all the time. Since we’ve been using the TUTT to screen out those who aren’t team players, we haven’t had a single altercation among our employees.”
Smith Business Solutions ($8 / applicant). SBS originally designed their study to predict the teamwork behaviors of auto workers in Detroit, but have begun to market their test to other industries. In their sample of auto workers, they found that their teamwork test correlated with supervisor ratings of job performance (r = .45), and it had a coefficient alpha of .57.
Miller Consulting Company ($7 / applicant). MCC is owned by Bob Miller, one of the leading I-O psychologists who specializes in teams. Miller recently wrote a paper outlining his theory of Teamwork Skills, which has generated a lot of interest among both academics and consultants. MCC created a test for teamwork skills, using the types of characteristics that Miller’s theory predicted would be associated with teamwork behaviors. MCC administered the test to a sample of administrative assistants and found the test-retest reliability to be .71.