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Human resource management expert systems technology
Abstract
This paper provides human resource managers with important guidelines when applying expert systems to human resource domains, by reviewing system characteristics, potential benefits and limitations, and appropriate domains to be selected, based on the literature. Structural and procedural aspects of expert systems development in human resource management (represented by a wheel model) and problem descriptions of each expert system respectively are important research results in this paper. We also show semantic networks or semantic nets used for a knowledge representation methodology on such major human resource management activities as human resource planning, recruiting, compensation and labor-management relations. Knowledge representation is a key component in the development stages of expert systems.
... The program devised to configure experts' knowledge into logical structures, decipher their heuristics into orderly rules, and utilize these rules to grant eminent expert resolutions to users is termed as an expert system (Al-Attar, 1990;Sturman et al., 1996). The advancement of ES in HRM can be seen in studied literature as early as 1994, where Byun and Suh (1994) discussed that ES could be used for knowledge representation in the form of semantic networks or semantic nets in major HRM activities such as HR planning, compensation, recruitment and labor-management relations. Additionally, ES can improve decision-making by providing the decision-makers, in effect, online access to proficiency that might be arduous to generate and is not readily available (Lawler and Elliot, 1996;Sturman et al., 1996). ...
... Additionally, ES can improve decision-making by providing the decision-makers, in effect, online access to proficiency that might be arduous to generate and is not readily available (Lawler and Elliot, 1996;Sturman et al., 1996). ES development in the HR domain helps solve unstructured HRM problems and contributes to developing complete human resource information systems (HRIS) (Byun and Suh, 1994). Evidence of the development of a mathematical model for competence assessment (Bohlouli et al., 2017), basic rule-based ES for selection called BOARDEX (Hooper et al., 1998), using ES as a decision aid (Sturman et al., 1996), and using ES for efficacious assignment and selection of the job seekers (Saidi Mehrabad and Fathian Brojeny, 2007) can be found in the literature. ...
Purpose
An original systematic review of the academic literature on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resource management (HRM) domain is carried out to capture the current state-of-the-art and prepare an original research agenda for future studies.
Design/methodology/approach
Fifty-nine journal articles are selected based on a holistic search and quality evaluation criteria. By using content analysis and structural concept analysis, this study elucidates the extent and impact of AI application in HRM functions, which is followed by synthesizing a concept map that illustrates how the usage of various AI techniques aids HRM decision-making.
Findings
A comprehensive review of the AI-HRM domain’s existing literature is presented. A concept map is synthesized to present a taxonomical overview of the AI applications in HRM.
Research implications/limitations
An original research agenda comprising relevant research questions is put forward to assist further developments in the AI-HRM domain. An indicative preliminary framework to help transition toward ethical AI is also presented.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature through a holistic discussion on the current state of the domain, the extent of AI application in HRM, and its current and perceived future impact on HRM functions. A preliminary ethical framework and an extensive future research agenda are developed to open new research avenues.
... Regarding their easy application in processes and contribution to human resource information systems, some papers implement ES in order to solve personnel selection problems [4]. Authors in [29] emphasize the ES advantage to support complex managerial decision-making and provide competitive advantages for organizations. They also indicate that the most appropriate domains to successfully build ES include planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance evaluation, compensation, training, and labor-management relations. ...
... However, the possibility of applying an ES when evaluating the performance of employees has not been significantly explored in detail yet. Therefore, the recent literature is scarce, although some authors advocate such application [29] and others recognize its potential [25][26][27][28]. ...
The issues of many organizations are related to the proper evaluation of human performance and efficient decision-making. The expert system application within the decision-making process is not a novelty, but the widespread of its implementation regarding performance evaluation has not been recognized yet. To overcome this problem, a case study of rule-based expert system application in the decision-making process regarding human performance in periodical technical inspection stations in Croatia is presented. The rule-based expert system improves the quality of traditional decision-making as designed rules provide a visual, transparent, and accurate comparison of observed values with the expected values. Moreover, it provides easy problem identification. Therefore, rules regarding periodical technical inspection inspectors’ performance are designed and embedded in the expert system architecture. However, more effort should be made into data analysis to define parameters and their relations for the purpose of designing rules. Thus, the binary logistic regression and an ANOVA statistical test were conducted to identify which parameters can be assumed as relevant indicators regarding the performance of periodical technical inspection inspectors. In this study, the expert system application has resulted in faster response, greater efficiency, and increased objectivity. That is of utmost importance for providing an efficient and transparent periodical technical inspection system.
... Some of the conventional methods used for selecting applicant during recruitment are applicant application form analysis, telephone screening, aptitude test and so on, depending on the organization personnel recruitment requirements [13] [14]. However, due to the complexities of personnel selection process for recruitment and with the high rated contributions of expert system methodology to human resource operations [15], various expert systems were developed to reduce the complexity (high time complexity) of personnel selection process for recruitment. The fact that personnel selection process possesses different behavior that must be considered when carrying out the process, the expert systems developed during other research work considered some of these behaviors to minimize the complexities of personnel selection process. ...
... The explanatory mode of such systems also works as double -check or safeguard and permits the human user to override the computer decision -making if the reasoning is inaccurate or subject to policy exception [16]. According to Byun and Suh [5], the HRM domains of planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance evaluation, compensation, training and labor -management relations are the most appropriate for the development of ES. Roberts [25] noted that ES have the potential to assist with a variety of tasks including selecting new employees, matching people to jobs, planning career paths and training new and old employees. ...
Considering the strategic role of human resources and the inadequacy of human resource information systems to provide information for efficient decision making, this paper proposes a framework for the design and development of a human resource decision support system. The study explores the main components that should comprise an integrated human resource management system, highlighting their relationships, the decision tools that can be put into practice and the levels of analysis that must be conducted. Concluding, future steps towards the full scale decision support system are discussed.
... Hence, non-experts can use ES to produce solutions by accessing to the expert knowledge base (Lawler & Eliot, 1996). However, there exist only a few attempts to develop ES in the HR field (for example (Byun & Suh, 1994;Sturman et al., 1996). ...
Despite the extensive research in human capital management and performance measurement, intelligent treasoning mechanisms, which integrate human resource (HR) practices into strategic-level shareholder decisions, are still emerging. This paper discusses a novel approach of designing a decision-modeling tool, which assesses the impact of contemporary human resource management (HRM) practices to the shareholder value and satisfaction. The underlying research addresses the problem of establishing HRM interrelationships in order to drive the overall business performance from the shareholder value perspective. The proposed methodology tool utilizes the fuzzy causal characteristics of fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to generate a hierarchical and dynamic network of interconnected HR performance drivers. The intelligent computing characteristics of FCMs are also employed to establish a dynamic feedback and bi-directional alignment of HRM practices and strategic improvement. Finally, this research provides a practical insight on the applicability of soft approaches in capturing and illustrating the effect of HRM practices.
... For instance, Satao (1996) developed a HRIS for educational institutions, which combined the functions of payroll and personnel departments. Martinsons (1994) benchmarked the HRIS in Canada and Hong Kong and developed a knowledge-based system for manpower planning, recruiting, management development and performance appraisal (Martinsons, 1997; Byun and Suh, 1994). A HRIS has also been developed and used by the US Navy shipyard with more than 80,000 employees (Niehaus, 1995). ...
The casual nature of employment in the construction industry makes planning human asset requirements a vague exercise. Human resource information systems (HRISs) offer a means of coping with these problems through improvements in the reliability, accuracy and accessibility of the human resources (HR) information. Aimed at improving the understanding of construction HRISs, interviews were carried out with three leading construction companies in Australia. The HR needs of the companies were examined by identifying the HR related functions and activities conducted, the internal and external users of HR information, the type of data needed, and the specific purpose of those data. Twenty-three HR activities were identified and grouped into seven major functions: project management and control, strategic planning, review and analysis, employee profile, employee performance, human resource development, payroll and accounting support, and information systems outside the company. The HR information for each function was established. The findings of this study may facilitate the development of a HRIS for construction companies.
... Therefore, many expert systems have been developed for use specifically in the HRM field. Byun and Suh also provide an excellent overview of the ways in which expert system can be successful in assisting managers in critical decision-making [2]. They suggest that the HRM domains of planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance evaluation, compensation, training, and labor-management relationships are the most appropriate for the development of ES. ...
Knowledge management (KM) is an important strategy in business management and competition in 21st century. Companies must manage their valuable knowledge and experience more aggressively to enhance competitive advantage and human resource management (HRM). In this paper, we present a web-based training system named ETES - employee training expert system and the methodologies of its implementation. ETES applied rule-based expert system technology to infer the learning type for employees. Moreover, ETES uses association rule mining to find training strategies and learning map for personal learning. Besides, ETES provides different training materials for employees according to their learning aptitudes, records and occupations. The system has been tested and is now in pilot use by Teraauto Corporation which is a high-profits listed securities company in Taiwan.
System reengineering is broadly defined as the use of engineering knowledge or artifacts from existing systems to build new ones and is a technology for improving system quality and productivity. Traditionally, this work has focused on reusing existing software systems, (i.e., software programs, files, and databases). However, knowledge-based systems have also been developed within these organizations and are growing in popularity. It will soon be necessary for us not only to reuse existing databases but also to reuse the existing expert systems to create new expert systems and expert database systems.
Purpose
The authors aim to investigate whether ability electronic human resource management (e-HRM) practices, opportunity enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM can possibly lead to development of sustainable e-HRM systems. Finally, the authors also examined if sustainable e-HRM systems can enhance firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was developed using dynamic capability view perspective. The study tests theoretical model and presents findings by analysing data (partial least squares structural equation modelling method) gathered from 151 South African firms.
Findings
The findings indicate that ability enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM practices can result in development of sustainable e-HRM systems, and findings also indicate that sustainable e-HRM systems can improve firm performance.
Practical implications
Emphasis is required on ability enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM practices to develop sustainable e-HRM systems. Once workforce understand the complete benefits of e-HRM, they will start using this system on a regular basis for activities including goal setting, and performance measurement. The development of sustainable e-HRM systems will improve firm performance especially from cost control and customer satisfaction perspective.
Originality/value
This study advances the conceptual debate in the e-HRM domain through the development and testing of theoretical model.
Project team work depends considerably on the contribution of its members and its management as well. Cooperation among members depends on the leader who is supposed to encourage interactions, growth and knowledge exchange among members. To identify the importance of each individual, a leader/manager must evaluate individual contributions. On the basis of such assessments, necessary and possible actions will be undertaken to improve the achievements of the team as a whole. A leader usually has defective and incomplete information at his disposal and, besides, is subjective. To solve the aforesaid problem, fuzzy approach and fuzzy logic are used. Fuzzy logic, as a method for soft-computing, as input values employs data with the following features; uncertainty and partial verity, indistinctive borders among particular categories. Fuzzy evaluation system has been designed to reduce evaluation subjectivity.
Isletmeler icin insan kaynaklari yonetiminde performans degerlendirmesi, problemin belirsiz ve yetersiz bilgiyle olusturulmasi yuzunden karmasik ve zaman alici bir islemdir. Bu zorluklari ortadan kaldirmak icin yapay sinir aglari, uzman sistemler, bulanik mantik ve genetik algoritmalar gibi yapay zekâ teknikleri kullanilabilir. Bu calismada; bir isletmede calisanlarin yillik performanslarinin degerlendirilmesi icin bir bulanik uzman sistem gelistirilmis ve uygulanmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar, bulanik uzman sistem ile performans degerlendirmenin tutarli ve saglikli oldugunu gostermistir.
System reengineering is broadly defined as the use of engineering knowledge or artifacts from existing systems to build new ones and is a technology for improving system quality and productivity. Traditionally this work has focused on reusing existing software systems (i.e., software programs, files, and databases). However, knowledge-based systems have also been developed within these organizations and are growing in popularity. It will soon be necessary for us not only to reuse existing databases, but also to reuse the existing expert systems to create new expert systems and expert database systems.
To provide an appropriate expert system development technique which is dependent on a particular domain, selecting the best knowledge representation technique is regarded as one of the most important tasks. We evaluated and selected key knowledge representation techniques confined to human resource management problem domains including planning, selection, placement, compensations, performance evaluation, training and labor-management relations. Two exploratory phases are presented. In the first phase, we scored rules, frames, semantic nets and predicate logic representation techniques in terms of Likert's rating scheme. In the second phase, we prioritized them using the combined Analytic Hierarchy Process.
Today, artificial intelligence especially the expert systems are used in science, engineering, business, manufacturing, management and many other fields. Human resource is one of the most strategic resources for a society and so forth for every type of organization, therefore offering a reasonable and intelligent service for employees of an organization is very essential. For this purpose, we have to pay a special attention collecting correct information about job applicants and employees of the organization. It would help the managers for optimal decision making in respect to selection process, recruitment, job rotation, training, payment system, job classification, evaluation and the other personnel operations.This research work is going to present a model for design and subsequently implement an expert system for:•Making preferences and selection of suitable applicants for a considered job with respect to job and organizational requirements (selection).•The selection of suitable jobs for applicants and correct job rotation with respect to organizational requirements and jobs classification (appointment).•Determination of the salary and benefit for the applicants based on their qualifications.
The purpose of this study was to begin the development and testing of an Expert System (ES) to screen officer personnel records being considered for Command and General Staff College (CGSC). The study included a review of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) literature relevant to the military and human resource management, problem selection, knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, knowledge encoding, and knowledge testing and evaluation. The AI computer language PROLOG was used to develop a basic rule-based expert system called BOARDEX. Data from mock officer personnel records obtained from U.S. Army Total Personnel Command (PERSCOM) were entered into BOARDEX. Results from BOARDEX were correlated to votes generated by a board consisting of 10 human experts from the U.S. Army War College Class of 1996. The results show that BOARDEX's decisions are not statistically different from the decisions made by human experts.
The commercial emergence of knowledge-based information technology
represents a tremendous opportunity to enhance the practice of human
resource management. Unfortunately, much of the potential of
knowledge-based systems (KBS) to leverage expertise and promote
organizational learning remains unrealized because of poor management
and piecemeal adoption of the technology. With the impending shortage of
skilled professionals in many economies, it is imperative to consider
this technology in the human resource planning process. Critically
examines the applicability of KBS to HRM activities. Defines basic
concepts while benefits, costs and limitations are considered. Profiles
current applications which help to manage and leverage human resources.
Isletmeler icin insan kaynaklari yonetiminde performans degerlendirmesi, problemin belirsiz ve yetersiz bilgiyle olusturulmasi yuzunden karmasik ve zaman alici bir islemdir. Bu zorluklari ortadan kaldirmak icin yapay sinir aglari, uzman sistemler, bulanik mantik ve genetik algoritmalar gibi yapay zekâ teknikleri kullanilabilir. Bu calismada; bir isletmede calisanlarin yillik performanslarinin degerlendirilmesi icin bir bulanik uzman sistem gelistirilmis ve uygulanmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar, bulanik uzman sistem ile performans degerlendirmenin tutarli ve saglikli oldugunu gostermistir.
Intelligent solutions, based on expert systems (ES), to solve complicated practical problems in various sectors are becoming more and more widespread nowadays. Expert systems are being developed and deployed worldwide in myriad applications, mainly because of their symbolic reasoning and its explanation capabilities. Provides an overview for the operations researcher of the expert systems methodology, as well as their historical and current use in business. Aims to present and focus on the wide range of business areas of ES applications, avoiding an in-depth analysis of all the applications -- with varying success -- recorded in the literature. Reveals that, although still regarded as a novel methodology, ES are shown to have matured to the point of offering real practical benefits in many of their applications.
Evaluation performance in human resource management is complicated and time-consuming task for companies because of problem is formed with ambiguous and insufficient information. Artificial intelligence techniques like artificial neural networks, expert systems, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms can be used to overcome these issues. In this work, a fuzzy expert system has been developed and applied for evaluating annual performance of employees in a company. The obtained results proved that the fuzzy expert system is appropriate and consistent for performance evaluation.
This paper examines the potential organizational impact of expert systems (ES's), in particular, the impact on decision making, organizational structure, degree of decentralization, level of organizational effectiveness, content of organizational roles, leadership and power, communications and information flow and the personnel requirements of the organization. Generally, the nature and magnitude of the impact can be described as a function of many factors, four of which are considered in this paper: the suitability of tasks to ES's, the purpose of use of the ES, the ES tools used and the ES computing environment.
The authors examine primarily knowledge-based expert systems: systems that achieve expert-level performance using explicit representations of knowledge. Based on a review of some actual expert-system projects, guidelines are proposed for choosing appropriate applications and managing the development process. The emphasis is on capturing some of the relevant experience with systems that clearly fit the authors' model, rather than trying to define precisely what is or is not an expert system. The emphasis has been on the explicit representation of knowledge in a system, rather than system performance.
Used decision theoretic equations to estimate the impact of the Programmer Aptitude Test (PAT) on productivity if used to select new computer programers for 1 yr in the federal government and the national economy. A newly developed technique was used to estimate the standard deviation of the dollar value of employee job performance, which in the past has been the most difficult and expensive item of required information. For the federal government and the US economy separately, results are presented for different selection ratios and for different assumed values for the validity of previously used selection procedures. The impact of the PAT on programmer productivity was substantial for all combinations of assumptions. Results support the conclusion that hundreds of millions of dollars in increased productivity could be realized by increasing the validity of selection decisions in this occupation. Similarities between computer programers and other occupations are discussed. It is concluded that the impact of valid selection procedures on work-force productivity is considerably greater than most personnel psychologists have believed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Expert System projects are often based on collaboration with a single domain expert. This leads to difficulties in judging the suitabilitity of the chosen task and in acquiring the detailed knowledge required to carry out the task. This paper considers some of the advantages of using a diverse collection of domain experts.
Effective job placement as a sphere of employment management in an organization is generally regarded as critical for positive maintenance of the organization and for a resulting increase in company-wide productivity. Managers of a personnel department in an organization have commonly tried various approaches to achieve philosophy effective job placement as a crucial part of employment management based on the principle of right-person-in-right-place. However, these approaches are usually dependent on rule of thumb without consideration of the methodologies for identifying aptitudes and personalities of employees. Therefore, more appropriate methodologies and subsequent computer-aided systems are required to evaluate current employees' potential and appropriate placement. This study, as a phase of developing the entire employment management systems in this organization (POSCO), suggests an expert system leading to a running system as a means for effective job placement. We also discuss methodologies to be applied for each lifecycle in constructing the expert system, especially focusing on the main components of the expert system such as structure of rule base, inference engine, and user interface.
The MS/OR community has, as its common mission, the development of tools and procedures to improve problem solving and decision making. This report discusses the advances needed to combine human thinking with intelligent machines to achieve a more productive society. Areas of high potential include research in expert systems, conflict resolution, agenda setting, decision making in an organizational setting, and empirical studies of individual behavior. The resources currently being applied to research in decision making and problem solving are modest and are not commensurate with the opportunities or the human resources available for exploiting them.
The effect of budget‐based incentive compensation schemes is a fundamental issue in developing and implementing organizational control systems. This study investigates the effect of alternative compensation schemes on performance and satisfaction. A theoretical model outlining the primary relationships is formulated and related hypotheses specified. The hypotheses reflect an integration of agency theory and organization behavior research. Across‐group and within‐group effects are investigated using both single‐period and multiperiod analyses. A laboratory study involving 40 subjects is undertaken and the findings provide insights into the individual and group effects of alternative compensation schemes and the dynamics of changing Compensation schemes on productivity and satisfaction. Specifically, a relationship is found between compensation schemes and performance. The effect on performance is independent of the compensation scheme's perceived fairness. Satisfaction is a function of the congruence between the preferred scheme and the implemented scheme.
Human resource information systems (HRIS) have become a major MIS subfunction within the personnel areas of many large corporations. This article traces the development of HRIS as an entity independent of centralized MIS, assesses its current operation and technological base, and considers its future role in the firm, especially its relationship to the centralized MIS function. The results of a survey of HRIS professionals from 171 U.S. corporations are described in order to provide an overview of the current design, operations, and effectiveness of HRIS. The findings of the survey are discussed in terms of their implications for management of human resource information systems.
The MS/OR profession has, in a single generation, grown from birth to a lively adulthood and is playing an important role in the management of our private and public institutions. This success should raise our aspirations. We should aspire to increase the impact of MS/OR by incorporating the AI kit of tools that can be applied to ill-structured, knowledge-rich, nonquantitative decision domains that characterize the work of top management and that characterize the great policy decisions that face our society.
The unemployment insurance econometric forecasting model (UIEFM) provides legislative policy simulations to the Virginia Employment Commission. One mode of the UIEFM, the economic projection program, generates alternative economic and policy forecasts. These forecasts are used by mode 2, the financial forecast program, to project trust fund balances, receipts, and benefits over a 10-year horizon. Three major unemployment insurance legislative policy problems are examined: (1) excess solvency, (2) the impact of benefit increases on solvency, and (3) pool tax volatility. The fiscal impact of each policy problem is estimated by means of UIEFM policy simulations.
Increased awareness of expert systems technology, and the availability of relevant software, has tempted many O.R. groups to investigate the expert systems approach. This paper considers the strategies open to O.R. groups interested in employing expert systems, reviews some of the relevant software, and discusses what those O.R. groups who have already investigated the use of expert systems methods are actually doing.
Some of the authors' experience of developing expert systems is discussed. The development of an expert system that helps bankers analyse company accounts is presented. The use of expert system methods as vehicles for decision analysis, and the possibilities for producing systems that act as O.R. consultants are also discussed.
An abstract is not available.
Based on likely future changes in faculty evaluation practices, this paper examines how institutions of higher education might operationalize performance evaluation as related to research, teaching, and service. A model is developed that allows coupling performance evaluation and relevant market considerations with merit pay, tenure, and promotion decisions. The approach is specifically applicable to tenure-track faculty members in colleges and universities.
This study compares specific and general performance standards as managerial decision aids. Sixty-four federal government comptrollers familiar with performance standards as a basis for judging performance evaluated five performance profiles and then assigned performance ratings. These profiles varied in levels of objective performance, prior performance, and the order in which they were evaluated. The results show that the specificity of performance standards moderates the relationship between objective and rated performance, with specific standards resulting in more accurate ratings than general standards. While objective performance was the most important determinant of performance rating, the gender of the rater, the order of evaluation, and prior performance ratings biased judgments in the general but not the specific performance standard condition. Specific performance standards are concluded to be useful decision aids that minimize performance rating bias and have potential as evaluation tools for groups, profit centers, organizations, and technology innovations.
This paper describes a method for the valuation of personnel selection systems that is based on contributions from accounting, utility theory, psychometric techniques, Markov processes, labor economics, and present-value analysis. The model developed here can be used by managers to assess the usefulness of proposed selection procedures. It extends previous work in the area by including both the stochastic nature of the employment process and the time value of the associated costs and benefits.
Decision analysis was used to study negotiations in the health care context. This paper found that analytical methods could answer several important questions related to complex negotiations, including whether contracts promote the interest of both parties, whether a decision aid could better meet the priorities of both parties, and whether one negotiator is more successful than the other in repeated negotiations. The paper concluded that micro-health care negotiations can be traced and studied with existing mathematical theories of negotiation.
This is a review of Expert Systems (ES) in the finance and banking areas. Their purpose, mode of operation and some design issues are discussed. This overview also looks at the most advanced research developments concerning strategic business planning, management, negotiation, and the use of qualitative reasoning for corporate assessment.
A project is underway to increase the effective use of personnel by creating a knowledge-based assistant for supervisors. The Programmed Evaluation of Personnel (PEOPL) is designed to permit the combination of quantitative and qualitative data to standardize supervisory ratings. The full scope of the project will combine subjective experience with data from psychological research which assesses employee performance. Peopl combines heuristic, subjective experience with experimental data to establish performance standards for use in a comprehensive system for personnel use. In this way, organizations can assess corporate needs, evaluate the current pool of employees, place them where they may be used more efficiently, and determine what jobs remain undone.
The U.S. Navy has been trying for years to develop a model to automate its personnel assignment process The requirement of rotating navy personnel frequently between sea duty and shore duty in accordance with multiple policies makes modeling efforts difficult. However, without a model to optimize assignments with regard to multiple policies, navy managers do not know the real impact of personnel assignments. This limits their ability to make effective decisions. This paper summarizes our effort to develop a large-scale network model for the navy's assignment problem. The navy has accepted this model for implementation, replacing the current manual assignment process. The approach in this paper can be generalized to a wide variety of perosnnel assignment problems.
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to some important barriers to the practical application of expert systems to management problems. By drawing attention to these barriers, we show two findings: (a) that certain types of knowledge found in management situations are more likely to lead to the successful adoption of management expert systems (MESs) than others; (b) that a potential exists for an alternative form of MES application. The first finding has implications for knowledge elicitation. We propose that MESs developed from academic knowledge, which we define in specific terms, are more likely to succeed than those developed from working with managers in the field. Alternatively, feasibility studies should include an analysis of the type of knowledge which a manager is capable of providing to ensure that suitable knowledge is available for knowledge elicitation purposes. The second finding has implications for the developers of MESs at both research and commercial levels. We suggest the need for a check-list MES application, capable of converting responses to strategic and operational questions into managerial actions.
This article illustrates the substantial effects employee movements (i.e., movements due to employee promotions, transfers, and separations) have on the value of a human resource intervention. Two methods for estimating differential employee movements are presented and their resulting utility estimates are contrasted and compared. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure are discussed as well as the value such information provides to organizational decision makers.
The success of numerous expert systems in practical applications warrants a more formal approach to their development and evaluation. Reliability assurance of expert systems requires a methodology for the specification and evaluation of these systems. Expert systems are a new class of software system, but some traditional techniques of software development may be adapted to their construction. However, the specification of an expert system differs from that of a more traditional software program in that parts of the specification are permitted to be only partially described when development starts.Specifications have two important purposes: as contracts between suppliers and clients, and as blueprints for implementation. A specification consists of a problem specification and a solution specification. The problem specification plays the role of contract and states explicitly what the problem to be solved is, and the constraints that the final product must satisfy. The solution specification plays the role of blueprint and has two major aspects: analyzing how a human expert solves the problem, and proposing an equivalent automated solution. We propose an approach to the specification of expert systems that is flexible, yet rigorous enough to cover the important features of a wide range of potential expert system applications. We describe fully each of the components of an expert system specification and we relate specification to the issues of evaluation and maintenance of expert systems.
This paper provides an overview, based on a literature analysis, of such expert systems that are currently available or being developed. Furthermore, the state of the art, the goals, and the application opportunities for expert systems in organizational and managerial tasks are analyzed and their base in organizational theory is discussed. Due to the multitude and heterogeneity of tasks associated with an organization, we have structured this paper along the application areas documented in the literature: structural organization, process organization, office systems and administration, personnel management and leadership, and project management. Although some cases permit classification in more than one area, for the most part this classification is free of overlapping.
The study was primarily concerned with the validity of several utility models as predictors of job choices and job ratings. The subjects were persons seeking professional employment in the public schools. The utility models differed in their form and in the scaling methods used in their construction. Job choices were used to determine and compare the validity of the models. With respect to the validity of the models as predictors of job choices, it appeared that a two-stage rating model was generally superior. Job ratings were also used to determine the validity of the models and to test several hypotheses concerning their validity relative to one another.
While some areas of information technology are gradually slackening into the position of competitive necessity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is emerging as a competitive weapon. The three areas of AI that have immediate economic values are robotics, natural language processing, and expert systems (ES). ES have the potential of becoming useful managerial tools in decision-making. They can handle ill-structured problems and exhibit features that will complement existing management information systems and decision support systems. Recognising the potentials of ES in management, this study investigates their present state of development, competitive implications, depth of penetration in business organizations, and future application areas. The trend and level of management expert systems application in Singapore are compared with those in the US.
Managers frequently find themselves involved with problems in which decisions are difficult to reach due to the complexity of the problems or the number of factors involved. Furthermore, many such problems, particularly those dealing with strategic management issues, are problems in which there is no one “right” answer. This paper examines the development of expert systems in the strategic planning area by focusing on the strategic option of corporate divestment. This option is receiving increasing attention from managers; however, managers find it difficult to adequately integrate all factors that must be considered when reaching a decision. Further, there are relatively few “experts” available to firms considering such a move. Thus, this research proposes and describes the creation and development of an expert system to be applied to the general area of strategic management while using the divestment option as an example. The basic development concept could serve as a model for other uses of expert systems in the strategic planning field.
The development of expert systems for such professionals as doctors diagnosing and treating infectious diseases and geologists exploring for mineral deposits has led to suggestions that expert systems be developed for managers in public and private organizations who make manufacturing, marketing, financial, personnel, and other decisions. This paper describes briefly some of the systems of this type that have already been developed, with an emphasis on the logic expressions used in them, examines other fruitful areas for system development, and identifies software requirements for the implementation of such systems.
Key human resource (HR) issues in IS for the 1990s were identified by separate Delphi studies of IS executives and human resource executives in Fortune 500 firms. Three rounds of survey of participants were used to move opinions toward consensus. For IS executives, acquiring a stronger business orientation was the top ranked issue. For HR executives, better HR planning was the top ranked issue. Six issues were ranked in the top ten by both groups: however ranking differed considerably. The article discusses survey methodology, analyzes results, and provides conclusions.
Evaluating personnel suitability is very important for decision-makers to select a best candidate under various evaluation criteria or to seek an optimal matching between personnel and jobs within the constraints dictated by available human resources and jobs. By means of aggregating decision-makers' fuzzy assessment about criteria weightings and personnel suitability ratings relative to various evaluation criteria, the fuzzy suitability indices can be obtained. Combining the concepts of fuzzy set theory and the weighted complete bipartite graph, a polynomial time algorithm for personnel placement under fuzzy environment is developed. Using this algorithm, the decision-makers can maximize personnel utilization and increase job effectiveness.
Expert Systems are often touted as the next major research frontier for scholars interested in developing computer based applications to support business decision making activities. This paper explores the process of building an expert system for planners performing strategic situation assessment. A Situation Assessment Expert System (SAES), in experimental use at the Oregon State University College of Business is presented. The process of building this system has provided important insights for future system designers working in the strategic planning domain. The paper proposes a framework for future system construction.
Over the last decade there have been several efforts at building knowledge based "expertsystems�, mostly in the scientific and medical arenas. Despite the fact that almost all suchsystems are in their experimental stages, designers are optimistic about their eventual success.In the last few years, there have been many references to the possibility of expert systems inthe management literature. However, what is lacking is a clear theoretical perspective on howvarious management problems differ in nature from problems in other domains, and theimplications of these differences for knowledge based decision support systems formanagement. In this paper, I examine some of these differences, what they suggest in terms ofthe functionality that a computer based system must have in order to support organizationaldecision making, and the scope of such a system as a decision aid. The discussion is groundedin the context of a computer based system called PLANET that exhibits some of the desiredfunctionality.
This paper reports on the results of a survey of knowledge engineers from private organizations, and empirically examines the state of expert systems (ES) in organizational contexts. The knowledge engineers were asked to rate issues related to successful implementation, the extent of use in key areas, the original motivations for implementation, the perceived benefits, and the effects on end users of the systems. Factor analysis (varimax rotation) was used to reduce the number of issues so that reasonable conclusions in these areas could be drawn. The study resulted in several findings. Among these are: (i) knowledge acquisition and knowledge engineering should be separated in the overall ES development process and assigned to different ES team members; (ii) knowledge acquisition is the "bottleneck" in ES development; (iii) expert systems benefit organizations by helping personnel make more consistent, timely, and accurate decisions in hopes of improving competitiveness; and (iv) expert systems have not had dysfunctional effects on end users, such as lower job satisfaction, as seen in other automated technologies studies. Associated research issues are discussed and implications for practice are given.
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