PIHRA Scope - January/February 2008 - (Page 10) HR CONCEPTS continued RESEARCH MODELS An HR professional can approach a research project in a variety of different ways. The challenge is to select a research model that provides reliable information that can be used as the basis of organizational development decisions. Experiments involve studying how a change in one or more variables affects behavior or conditions. For example, an HR professional might be interested in determining if flex time has an impact on employee turnover. An experiment would look at past turnover rates for a department. Flex time would then be introduced in the department for a period of time. Turnover rates before and during the experimental period would then be compared. The researcher must take care to assure that other variables are not influencing the outcome of the study. A control group could be used to protect against this bias. The control group could be a similar department, performing similar work, without the option of flex time scheduling for employees. Surveys involve asking people for input and feedback on a particular topic. HR research generally involves two types of surveys. An attitude survey collects data on employee feelings or beliefs related to a particular topic. An attitude survey must be carefully constructed. Poorly written questions can provide unreliable or misleading information. In addition, employees can become quickly disenchanted about participating in an attitude survey when they do not learn of the results and do not see any change resulting from the survey results. An attitude survey can provide blatantly honest feedback about management and HR practices. Managers need to be prepared to receive such feedback in an objective manner. An opinion survey is used to 10 PIHRAScope January/February 2008 evaluate specific problem areas or to identify employee needs or preferences. An HR professional might use an opinion survey to evaluate the effectiveness of a third-party benefits administrator or to determine the level of interest employees have in a supplemental insurance plan. In contrast to an attitude survey which asks “How do you feel about…,” an opinion survey tends to ask, “Is this working for you?” or “Would you be interested in…?” The challenge is to select a research model that provides reliable information that can be used as the basis of organizational development decisions. Too often, HR develops the form and then implements it company wide. A more reasonable approach would be to select one or two departments to participate in a pilot project. The supervisors in those departments could be asked to complete reviews on actual employees with the new form. HR could then follow up with a focus group or a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the form before it is adopted for general use. Benchmarking is a process of comparing policies, systems and practices with other organizations. Members of the PIHRA Listserve community do an informal form of benchmarking almost every day. Listserve members often ask their colleagues to share their best practices. A more formal benchmarking program identifies a specific issue and selects specific organizations to compare with. CONCLUSIONS HR programs have an important impact on employees, managers and organizations. They run the risk of being ineffective or even damaging when they are built around invalid assumptions. Successful HR programs are designed, implemented and administered on the basis of sound research data and information. They are championed by an HR professional who places a high value on objective data to develop them. Armed with facts and reliable research data, the HR professional is able to counteract personal bias and subjective opinions on the part of other leaders who may have a negative impact on how things are actually done in an organization. ■ Mike Deblieux writes HR Concepts for PIHRAScope to give you ideas and tools that bolster the basic HR skills you need to do your job effectively. As a consultant, Mike offers workplace skill training HR professionals, managers, supervisors and employees (www.deblieux.com). Mike can be reached at 714.669.0309 or mike@ deblieux.com. Focus groups involve asking a small group of participants (usually six to 12) to provide input on a particular topic. The group meets with a facilitator who guides them through a structured discussion about a particular issue. A focus group is not a general, free-flowing discussion. It is a planned process. The participants are asked to provide input that is based on their personal perceptions, preferences or opinions about a topic. An HR professional could use a focus group to clarify the findings of a survey, or to research a specific topic such as the viability of cross functional work teams. Pilot projects involve testing a new system or practice before it is implemented organization-wide. An HR professional could avoid a lot of missteps and pitfalls by using a pilot project. A new performance review form provides an excellent example. http://www.deblieux.com
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