Racial differences in promotion candidate performance and reactions to selection procedures: A field study in a diverse top-management context

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Abstract

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.

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APA

Becton, J. B., Field, H. S., Giles, W. F., & Jones-Farmer, A. (2008). Racial differences in promotion candidate performance and reactions to selection procedures: A field study in a diverse top-management context. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(3), 265–285. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.452

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