Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why?
| dc.contributor.advisor | De Kock, Francois | |
| dc.contributor.author | Buley, Stella | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-07T07:54:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-07T07:54:53Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2025-11-07T07:52:36Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Personnel selection is a critical organisational process with significant implications for worker performance and organisational outcomes. However, existing research reveals a persistent science-practitioner gap, where Human Resources (HR) professionals often select personnel assessment tools based on factors other than predictive validity. This study investigates personnel selection practices in South Africa, a context with limited existing research, to understand current trends and the factors influencing HR practitioners' selection tool choices. Employing institutional theory as a theoretical framework, the research addresses two primary research questions: (1) What personnel selection practices are currently being used by HR practitioners in South Africa, and how do these compare to North American samples? and (2) To what extent do perceptual factors such as assessment tool diffusion, legality, applicant reactions, organisational self-promotion, predictive validity, and costs (i.e., utility) influence selection procedure choices? Quantitative survey data were obtained from HR professionals (N = 62) in South Africa to shed light upon the selection procedures being used in practice and why practitioners prefer certain methods over others. Analysis found markedly higher usage rates of selection procedures in South Africa in comparison to other samples, specifically regarding psychometric assessments. Factors relating to the extent to which a procedure is perceived as highly diffused and legally defensible were most salient to South African HR practitioners. Findings offer insights into the current state of assessment practices and potential areas for improvement. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Buley, S. (2025). <i>Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why?</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Buley, Stella. <i>"Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why?."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Buley, S. 2025. Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why?. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Buley, Stella AB - Personnel selection is a critical organisational process with significant implications for worker performance and organisational outcomes. However, existing research reveals a persistent science-practitioner gap, where Human Resources (HR) professionals often select personnel assessment tools based on factors other than predictive validity. This study investigates personnel selection practices in South Africa, a context with limited existing research, to understand current trends and the factors influencing HR practitioners' selection tool choices. Employing institutional theory as a theoretical framework, the research addresses two primary research questions: (1) What personnel selection practices are currently being used by HR practitioners in South Africa, and how do these compare to North American samples? and (2) To what extent do perceptual factors such as assessment tool diffusion, legality, applicant reactions, organisational self-promotion, predictive validity, and costs (i.e., utility) influence selection procedure choices? Quantitative survey data were obtained from HR professionals (N = 62) in South Africa to shed light upon the selection procedures being used in practice and why practitioners prefer certain methods over others. Analysis found markedly higher usage rates of selection procedures in South Africa in comparison to other samples, specifically regarding psychometric assessments. Factors relating to the extent to which a procedure is perceived as highly diffused and legally defensible were most salient to South African HR practitioners. Findings offer insights into the current state of assessment practices and potential areas for improvement. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Human Resource KW - South Africa KW - Personnel selection LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why? TI - Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why? UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Buley S. Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why?. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42141 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Organisational Psychology | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Commerce | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject | Human Resource | |
| dc.subject | South Africa | |
| dc.subject | Personnel selection | |
| dc.title | Personnel selection practice in South Africa: which tools are Human Resources practitioners using and why? | |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters |