Die ontwikkeling van 'n keuringsprogram met die oog op die identifisering van kandidate vir opleiding as voormanne (Afrikaans)

Abstract

AFRIKAANS: As gevolg van die verhoogde eise wat aan die voorman, as eerste vlak van bestuur, in die staalbedryf gestel word, is ondersoek ingestel om 'n keuringsprogram te ontwikkel vir die identifisering van geskikte kandidate vir opleiding as voormanne. Aangesien daar nie definitiewe riglyne in die beskikbare literatuur verkry kon word oor watter sielkundige voorspellers en kriteria nagevors moes word nie, is taakontledings van verskeie voormanposte gevolglik uitgevoer en gebaseer hierop, tesame met resultate van sommige ondersoeke wat in die literatuur opgespoor is, is 'n eksperimentele keuringsprogram saamgestel wat uit kognitiewe- sowel as persoonlikheidstoetse bestaan het. Beoordeling van werkprestasie, gebaseer op Flanagan se kritiese insidentetegniek, is as kriterium van werksukses aangewend terwyl 'n tweede kriterium, naamlik dienstydperk, ook in die proses wetenskaplik bestudeer is. 'n Totaal van 142 proefpersone, te wete 82 produksie- en 60 instandhoudingsvoormanne, is aan sielkundige toetsing onderwerp. Die statistiese verwerkings het korrelasieberekenings, regressieontledings, diskriminantontleding, t-toetse en die bepaling van persentielwaardes, onder andere, ingesluit. Deur gebruikmaking van die t-toets is 'n aantal statisties betekenisvolle verskille tussen die twee groepe voormanne gevind wat saaklik bespreek word. Nadat 'n meervoudige regressieontleding vir die totale groep voormanne bereken is, is afsonderlike regressieontledings vir die twee voormangroepe bereken en beter resultate is hiermee behaal ten opsigte van die statisties betekenisvolle verband tussen 'n aantal veranderlikes, oorwegend persoonlikheidsfaktore, en albei kriteria. By wyse van 'n diskriminantontleding waarmee proefpersone se groeplidmaatskap op grond van sielkundige hoedanighede voorspel word, is 76,50% van die voormanne korrek geklassifiseer as óf produksie- óf instandhoudingsvoormanne. Die voorspellingsdoeltreffendheid van die keuringsprogram insake klassifikasie, prestasiebeoordeling en dienstydperk van potensiele voormanne is dus bo alle redelike twyfel bewys. Die resultate van die huidige ondersoek is oor die algemeen beter as dié wat in verwante ondersoeke verkry is. Dit kan enersyds te wyte wees aan die aard van die sielkundige voorspellers en die criteria wat beoordeel is en andersyds aan die aanwending van diskriminantontleding en afsonderlike voorspellingsmodelle betreffende die twee voormangroepe. Die finale keuringsprogram bestaan uit biografiese gegewens asook toetse van intelligensie, meganiese insig en persoonlikheid. Ten slotte het die ondersoek bewys gelewer dat daar tog met behulp van persoonlikheidsfaktore 'n voorspelling gemaak kan word van die werksukses en dienstydperk van albei soort voormanne in die staalbedryf en dat die bestaansreg van persoonlikheidsmeting, net soos die van kognitiewe eienskappe, geregverdig is in personeelkeuring. ENGLISH: As a result of the increased demands made on the foreman, representing the first level of management in the steel industry, an investigation was conducted to devise a selection programme to identify suitable candidates for training as foremen. Since no definite guidance could be obtained from the available literature regarding which psychological predictors and criteria should be investigated, job analyses of various foremen posts had to be conducted. The findings of these analyses, as well as a certain amount of information derived from the literature, were used as a basis in compiling an experimental selection programme consisting of cognitive as well as personality tests. Ratings of job performance, based on Flanagan's critical incident technique, were used as criteria of job success, while a second criterion, viz. length of service, was also scientifically studied in the process. A total of 142 subjects, namely 82 production foremen and 60 maintenance foremen, were subjected to psychological testing. The statistical processing included, inter alia, the computation of correlations, regression analyses, discriminant analysis, t-tests and the computation of percentile values. By utilising the t-test a number of statistically significant differences were identified between the two groups of foremen, and these are discussed concisely. After a multiple regression analysis had been computed for the two groups of foremen, separate regression analyses were calculated for them and greatly improved results were obtained in respect of the statistically significant relationship between a number of variables, predominantly personality factors and both criteria. By means of a discriminant analysis by which the group membership of subjects is predicted on the basis of psychological attributes, 76,50% of the foremen were correctly classified as either production or maintenance foremen. The predictive effectiveness of the selection programme regarding classification, performance rating and length of service of potential foremen was, therefore, proved beyond any reasonable doubt. The results of the present study are in general better than those obtained in related studies. This can, on the one hand, be due to the nature of the psychological predictors and the criteria which were utilised and, on the other hand, to the application of discriminant analysis and separate prediction models for the two groups of foremen. The final selection battery consists of biographical data as well as tests of intelligence, mechanical comprehension and personality. In conclusion, this study has proven firstly that, with the aid of personality factors, a prediction can indeed be made of the job success and length of service of both types of foremen in the steel industry and secondly that the application of personality measurement, as is the case with cognitive characteristics, is justified in personnel selection.