Reference no: EM132871899

Case:

The Toyota (Cambridge, Ontario) plant exemplifies the changing workplace requirements described in this chapter and their impact on HR practices, Toyota is Japanese company that completes in the global marketplace. IT has production facilities in many countries where labor costs are high, yet it stives to maintain a very efficient workforce. One reason for Toyota's ability to be an effective producer is its use of empirically proven recruitment and selection practices.

Toyota's recruitment and selection practices are designed to find the best possible people to hire, whether the job being staffed is on the shop floor or at the executive level. In 1996, Toyota received thousands of applications for 1200 blue-collar positions. As part of its hiring procedure, Toyota took prospective employees through a rigorous, comprehensive, multi-stage assessment process. According to Sandie Halyk, assistant general manager for HR, Toyota "wants people who take pride in their work and are able to work well with others. If you're not comfortable working for a team, you won't be comfortable working here"

The selection process involved realistic job previews, paper-and-pencil cognitive ability and personality assessments, tests of fine and gross motor coordination, work samples, and structured employment interviews. The work sample alone entailed a six-hour manufacturing assembly exercise that involved individual and group problem solving. Group leaders and first line supervisors were active participants in the panel selection interview. For those "making the grade", refer conditional offers of employment. The process was designed to "find out if you are able to identify problems and do something about them, and to ensure a good fit between the company and the new employee"

Questions:

1. Is Toyota's elaborate selection system justified? What are appropriate criteria for assessing its effectiveness?

2. Toyota received 40000 applications for 1200 positions. IS this an effective approach? What is the cost, particularly the human cost, associated with reviewing all of these applications? How do you reduce the number of applicants to a reasonable number that can be run through the selection system?

3. What are some of the cultural issues that might arise with a Japanese managed auto plant located in Ontario?

4. Provide examples of how technology might be used to facilitate and improve the recruitment and selection used by Toyota.

5. What criteria should Toyota use in selecting "team players"?