This document is authorized for personal use only in Indian Institute of Management Kashipur's PG; MBA course by Prof.

Mridul Maheshwari, Prof. A V Raman and Prof. Rameshwar S. Ture, from Feb 1,
2021 to Apr 30, 2021.

Indian Institute of Management

Ahmedabad IIMA/P&IR0198(B)TEC

Technical Note

Human Resource Management (B):

Selection
In Human Resource (HR) selection is the process of decision making about hiring or not
hiring an applicant for a job. A good selection process will ensure hiring appropriate
candidates for different jobs in the organization. The outcome of a selection process is shown
below:
potential of the applicant
Actual performance

Good A B

Poor C D

Selected Not selected

Outcome of selection process

A good selection process selects potentially high performers and rejects poor performers.
Good selection process leads to very few candidates who fall in the ‘B’ or ‘C’ quadrants of
the above matrix. While the selection of a wrong candidate (quadrant C) is extremely
expensive for organizations, rejection of a good candidate (quadrant B) is a loss of
opportunity.

Decisions in Selection Processes

Important decisions relating to selection process design that have long term implications for
the organization are:
• determination of characteristics to select an applicant
• formation of panel to select candidates.

Some of the characteristics that organizations consider important are: experience (field and
longevity); education; personality characteristics; creativity; skills like using computers, oral
and written communication, analytical; ability to work in groups; general mental ability;
customer orientation; and mental-make-up that is similar to existing employees.

For jobs where innovations are important requirements; creativity, general mental ability,
analytical skills, communication skills, and ability to work in groups are important.
However, in mechanistic organizations and in a relatively stable environment, these

Prepared by Professor Sunil Kumar Maheshwari, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

© 2006 by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

This document is authorized for personal use only in Indian Institute of Management Kashipur's PG; MBA course by Prof. Mridul Maheshwari, Prof. A V Raman and Prof. Rameshwar S. Ture, from Feb 1,
2021 to Apr 30, 2021.

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characteristics may be less important compared to similarity of mental-make-up with

existing employees. The Table below indicates specific characteristics of ideal candidates
under different conditions.

General Management Requirements for Various Strategic Situations

Situation Major Job Thrusts Specific Characteristics of Ideal Candidates

Start-up Creating vision of Vision of finished business; hands-on orientation: a ‘doer’
business In-depth knowledge in critical technical areas
Organizing ability
Establishing core Staffing skills
technical and Team-building capabilities
marketing expertise High-energy level and stamina
Personal magnetism: Charisma
Building management Broad knowledge of all key functions
team
Turnaround Rapid, accurate ‘Take charge’ orientation: Strong leader
problem diagnosis Strong analytical and diagnostic skills, especially financial
Excellent business strategist
Fixing short-term and, High-energy level
ultimately, long-term Risk taker
problems Handles pressure well
Good crisis-management skills
Good negotiator
Extract Profit/ Efficiency Technical knowledgeable: ‘Knows the business’
Rationalize Stability Sensitive to changes: ‘Ear-to-the-ground’
Existing Succession Anticipate problems: ‘Problem finder’
Business Strong ‘relationship orientation’
Sensing signs of Recognizes need for management succession and
change development
Oriented to getting out the most: Efficiency, not growth
Dynamic Increasing market Excellent strategic and financial planning skills
Growth in share in key sectors Clear vision of the future
Existing Ability to balance priorities, i.e. stability vs. growth
Business Managing rapid Organizational and team-building skills
change Good crisis-management skills
Moderate-high risk taker
Building long-term High energy level
health toward clear Excellent staffing skills
vision of the future
Re- Establishing Good politician/manager of change
deployment of effectiveness in Highly persuasive: High ‘interpersonal influence’
efforts in limited business Moderate risk taker
Existing sphere Highly supportive, sensitive to people: Not ‘bull in a china
Business shop’
Managing change Excellent ‘systems thinker’: Understands how complex
systems work
Supporting the Good organizing and executive staffing skills
‘dispossessed’
Liquidation/ Cutting losses ‘Callousness’: Tough-minded, determined – willing to be
Divesture of the bad guy
Poorly Making tough Highly analytical regarding costs/benefits; does not easily
Performing decisions accept current ways of doing things
Business Risk taker
Making best deal Low glory-seeking: willing to do dirty jobs – does not want
glamour
Wants to be respected, not necessarily liked
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2021 to Apr 30, 2021.

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Situation Major Job Thrusts Specific Characteristics of Ideal Candidates

New Integration Analytical ability
Acquisition Relationship-building skills
Establishing sources Interpersonal influence
of information and Good communication skills
control Personal magnetism – some basis to establish ‘instant
credibility’
Source: Mark Gerestein and Heather Reisman (1987), “Strategic Selection: Matching Executives to Business
Conditions” in H. Schein (ed.), The Art of Managing Human Resource, New York: Oxford University Press.

Another important decision is the formation of a panel of interviewers especially of

corporate people for selection at the divisional or plant level. Corporate offices (parent
companies in the case of multinational enterprises) try to influence the selection process by
putting their people on the panel.

The panel could consist of people who are at least two to three ranks superior to the job in
question. In certain selection processes, feedback is taken from customers, peers, and
subordinates. For example, universities take feedback from students about candidates for
faculty positions.

Cultural, structural, and work dimensions are likely to influence the choice of members in
the panel. Members in the panel should include people from the user department, personnel
department, and specialists in the field. The role of each team member needs to be
delineated in advance. They should be preferably trained on various dimensions of tools
which are going to be used in the selection process.

PROCESS OF SELECTION

Selection process would consist of following steps:

• Form a selection panel

• Assign weights to different job specifications
• Sift applications on the basis of job specifications and assigned weights
• Decide combination of tools to select applicants