| Rater Correction Processes in Applicant Selection Using Videoconference Technology: the Role of Attributions |
| | Chapman, Derek S. | U. of Waterloo | dschapma@watarts.uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3786 |
| | Webster, Jane | U. of Waterloo | jwebster@mansci2.uwaterloo.ca | (519)-885-1211 |
| | Increasing global competition for the best employees has resulted in a significant increase in the recruiting and selection of geographically dispersed applicants. Innovative telecommunication technologies such as videoconferencing have provided a means to interview distant applicants at relatively low cost compared to face-to-face interviews. Recent empirical evidence suggests that interviewer ratings could be affected by the use of communication media to conduct the interview (Chapman & Rowe, 1997). In the present laboratory study we tested a model of rater decision processes to help explain a mechanism for inflated ratings of videoconference-based applicants. Ninety-two raters who believed they were making judgements for a real selection process were asked to rate a videotaped interview of an applicant that was either digitally compressed to simulate a videoconference interview, or left alone to represent a simulated face-to-face interview. Data was collected on their pre-interview impressions of the candidate, perceived media richness of the interview, attributions for applicant performance and post-interview impressions of the applicants. Structural equation modeling results found that post-interview impressions of the applicant were affected by the medium used to conduct the interview, however, these influences were mediated by perceived media richness and attributions. Raters who perceived the media richness to be low were more likely to make external attributions for the applicant's performance and consequently rated them more favorably. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. |
| | Keywords: Interview; videoconference; selection decisions |
| Contrasting Single User and Networked User Group Decision Support Systems for Strategy Making |
| | Ackermann, Fran | U. of Strathclyde | fran@mansci.strath.ac.uk | +44 141 548 3610 |
| | Eden, Colin | U. of Strathclyde | colin@mansci.strath.ac.uk | +44 141 553 4142 |
| | The use of computers to support group work - as a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) - on strategy making has grown over the last decade. Some GDSS's use a computer driven by a facilitator with the group viewing a public screen which displays the debate, problem definition, and agreements of the group as it negotiates strategies. Others involve members of the group in the direct input of data which are part of the problem definition, this data are then used by the group through electronic voting and other organizing devices. This paper discusses a real case relating to an organization seeking to reach important agreements about its strategy. The case involved the top management team and over 50 senior managers. The organization used a single user GDSS for some of this work, and a networked system for other parts. Some of the meetings were video taped, some were observed through one-way mirrors, and all of the participants were interviewed about their reactions to the different systems. This paper reports on some of the significant contrasts between the two approaches. |
| | Keywords: GDSS; strategy; facilitation |
| Antecedents and Consequences of CAD Use in Interorganizational Relationships: Testing for an Interaction Effect |
| | Bensaou, Ben M. | INSEAD / European Institute of Business Administration | bbensaou@hbs.edu | (617)-495-6601 |
| | Increasingly, complex products, such as a car, are designed in pluralistic settings, where many independent and specialized component suppliers need to coordinate their design with the assembler. The complexity of the interdependencies at each interface, however, have overloaded traditional coordination mechanisms and resulted in greater electronic coordination in the form of CAD (computer-aided design) technologies used across organizational boundaries.
In this paper we first explore the conditions under which automakers use CAD to coordinate design with some suppliers and not others. We hypothesize greater use of technology when it offers 'production costs' benefits, i.e., when the task demands greater coordination between engineers. The effective use of CAD, however, implies investments in human and social capital, typically idiosyncratic to a relationship. We therefore hypothesize lesser use of CAD with suppliers where it presents 'transaction costs' risks, unless there are some safeguards.
In the second part we examine the impact of CAD use on coordination performance in the relationship. We hypothesize an interaction effect between technology and task. We test these two sets of hypotheses using original data from a sample of 192 relationships involving all automakers in the US and Japan. The results strongly support most of our predictions. In particular, the impact of CAD use on coordination performance varies in a non-monotonic way with the level of novelty of the design task. Theoretical implications for the literature on the impact of IT on organizations and interorganizational relations are discussed, as are some practical implications and limitations of the study.
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| | Keywords: CAD (computer aided design); interorganizational relations; electronic partnerships |