An interviewer who assumes you have a certain average cognitive ability level because she knows your level of education would be correct according to what test?

PART 1
Week 8: Interactive activity
8.1 Learning Outcomes:
Chapter- 10 (10-06;10-05)

8.2 Action Required: (Knowledge Application)
Cognitive ability refers to capabilities related to acquiring and applying knowledge in problem solving. Types of cognitive ability include verbal, quantitative, reasoning, spatial, and perceptual. Research indicates that genes and the environment play equal roles in how we acquire these abilities. Consider the facets of cognitive ability and cognitive employment testing in your future career: how important will they be?

Case Analysis (Sorry, You’re Too Smart)

Have you ever been turned down for a job because you were “overqualified”?

Although this may sound like a compliment, it can be disappointing when you are job hunting. Consider applicants who are turned down for jobs because they are “too smart.” This could be determined by pre-employment testing or the interviewer may assume applicants’ cognitive ability based on education level, GPA, or certifications. You don’t often hear someone say that an applicant is “too emotionally intelligent” or “too physically coordinated.” So why does it matter if you are overqualified in cognitive ability?
Employers may argue that cognitively overqualified employees will not perform well in their jobs. The lack of challenge they feel in the job tasks could make them bored and unmotivated and then lead to low performance. In fact, research shows that cognitively overqualified employees perform just as well as other employees, but not necessarily better. If the employees are in leadership positions and are cognitively overqualified, they perform better than other leaders. So if someone tries to tell you that you won’t perform well if you are cognitively overqualified, that’s not a fact.
Employers may also argue that employees who are cognitively overqualified for their jobs will have higher job dissatisfaction. Specifically, they may be dissatisfied with the wages, challenges, and potential for career advancement. In short, these employees see the gap between their current and potential situations and that makes them unhappy at work.
We all don’t have intelligence tests when we are employed, so what about when you perceive you are overqualified in your cognitive skills, but don’t have actual test scores to support your assumption? Employees who perceive they are cognitively overqualified tend to actually be correct. They also tend to have higher levels of openness to experience personality trait from the Big Five model.

8.3 Test your knowledge:(Questions)
1. An interviewer who assumes you have a certain average cognitive ability level because she knows your level of education would be correct according to what test?
2. According to the case, what might a company do to raise job satisfaction and retain employees who are cognitively overqualified?

8.4 Instructions:
In this exercise, please read the mini-case and answer the questions that follow.

PART 2

Week 9: Interactive activity
9.1 Learning Outcomes:
Chapter- 11 (11-01;11-01)

9.2 Action Required: (Knowledge Application)
This activity is important because virtual employees are increasingly considered a normal part of the workforce. Virtual teams have their own special challenges as well as benefits. Managers should know how to promote teamwork and effective work processes in a virtual environment.

The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of teams, particularly in virtual environments, by reading a case and answering questions that follow.

Case Analysis (Remote Work Is Thriving at Dell)

Dell Technologies is considered one of the most progressive companies in the world for remote workforces. The company, which develops, sells and supports computers, was valued in 2019 at more than $36 billion and employs more than 150,000 workers worldwide. Check out the Dell career webpage that is devoted to flexible job opportunities and you’ll see the company’s pride in employees being able to choose “the work style that best fulfills their needs on the job and in their personal lives.”

Dell reports that its remote teams are as productive, if not more, versus in-person teams. The company uses team technology to connect with chats, content sharing and video conference calls. Video is credited as extremely important in engaging team members, including on executive teams. In fact, the company states that its remote team members are four times as likely to be engaged at work and two times as likely to want to stay at their current jobs.

Slack in one program was employed to facilitate collaboration with a centralized space for teams to work. Adobe Connect allows creation of information like training manuals and presentations in addition to conferencing. Skype is a go-to video conferencing software for many who work from their laptops, as well. In short, the market offers many ways for teams to collaborate virtually and maintain the ability to self-manage. Furthermore, the programs allow for highly complex team projects that can be more productive remotely when sharing documents, simulations and conducting real-time analysis.

Dell uses an extremely high level of ongoing connectiveness with coworkers, such as intra-company social media and chats. The ability to “follow” and chat with team members allows for solving issues that arise infrequently and unexpectedly. Finding and gathering your team can even be easier with remote work than in person because everyone is connected.

Due to Dell’s use of a remote workforce since 2009, the company estimates it has saved $12 million in fuel costs, not to mention the associated environmental benefits.

The future gets more remote for Dell. The company now plans that by 2020, employee global participation in remote work options will increase to 50% of its workforce.

9.3 Test your knowledge:(Questions)
1. This type of team can be very effective remotely because the members are working in their normal jobs and only come together when there is an issue.
2. What does Dell credit as being a critical factor to engagement in remote team meetings?

9.4 Instructions:
Read the following case about Dell and answer the questions that follow.