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Racial differences in promotion candidate performance and reactions to selection procedures: a field study in a diverse top‐management context
Author(s) -
Becton John Bret,
Feild Hubert S.,
Giles William F.,
JonesFarmer Allison
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.452
Subject(s) - situational ethics , promotion (chess) , personnel selection , psychology , test (biology) , selection (genetic algorithm) , social psychology , white (mutation) , context (archaeology) , job interview , african american , applied psychology , management , political science , sociology , politics , computer science , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , ethnology , artificial intelligence , gene , law , economics , biology
The present study examined African‐American and White promotion candidates' reactions to and performance on selection procedures that were completed within a police department where African Americans occupied the majority of top‐management positions. Reactions (perceived job relatedness and test‐taking motivation) of 187 candidates competing for promotion to the rank of sergeant were assessed after completing a written job knowledge test and a situational interview. Analyses showed that both the African‐American and White candidates judged the situational interview to be more job‐related than the pencil‐and‐paper job knowledge test. In addition, African Americans perceived both selection measures to be more job‐related and reported higher levels of test‐taking motivation than White candidates even though African Americans performed more poorly than White candidates on the paper‐and‐pencil test. These results challenge the contention that lower test‐taking motivation for African‐American candidates is related to racial differences in performance on pencil‐ and‐paper tests. Implications and directions for future research on reactions to selection procedures for promotion in racially diverse employment settings are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.