Nikolaou, I. & Georgiou, K. (2017). Serious gaming and applicants’ reactions; the role of openness to experience. In M. Armstrong, D. R. Sanchez & K. N. Bauer (2017): Gaming and Gamification IGNITE: Current Trends in Research and Application. 32nd Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Orlando, USA

1. Serious gaming and applicant
reactions: The role of openness
to experience
Ioannis Nikolaou & Konstantina Georgiou
Athens University of Economics and Business
Athens, Greece

2. Traditional Recruitment and Selection

3. Objective Assessment in Selection
• Psychometric Testing
• Situational Judgement Tests

4. Serious Games & Gamification
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” - Plato

5. Serious Games & Gamification

6. Applicant Reactions

7. Applicant Reactions Today
• The role of technology and social media
• Millennials @ work

8. Our research
• How applicants perceive and evaluate serious games / gamification?
• What is the role of openness to experience?

9. Situational Judgement Test Methodology

12. Soft Skills Assessment
• 1st phase (completed)
• Adaptability
• Resilience
• Flexibility
• Decision-Making
• 2nd phase (in progress)
• Accountability
• Learning Agility
• Teamwork
• Work Εthic

13. •N=131 (mean=26yrs, sd=5.3, 65% females, 71% graduates/postgraduates)
•Measures of soft skills-Owiwi
• Adaptability, Resilience, Flexibility, Decision-Making
•Measures of Applicant Reactions
• Test Fairness (4 items; Kluger & Rothstein, 1993)
• Predictive Validity Perceptions (3 items; Chan, et al. 1998)
• Reactions (10 items; Ryan & Sackett,1987)
• Organizational Attractiveness (15 items; Highhouse, Lievens & Sinar, 2003)
•Openness to Experience (IPIP)

14. Measures of Applicant Reactions
• Test Fairness (.64)
• Most people would say that this game is fair
• Predictive Validity Perceptions (.69)
• I am confident that the game can predict how well an applicant will perform
on the job
• Reactions (.78)
• It is appropriate for an employer to administer such a game.
• Organizational Attractiveness (.94)
• For me, this company would be a good place to work
• Openness to Experience (.70)

15. Positive Applicant Reactions to Gamification
3.63
2.83
3.73 3.73
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Test Fairness Predictive Validity Perceptions Reactions OrganizationalAttractiveness
Applicant Reactions means

16. Inter-correlation matrix

17. Regression Analyses
• Reactions (β=.40) and Predictive Validity Perceptions (β=.41)
are strongly associated with Organizational Attractiveness
(Adj. R2=.42, p=.00), even when controlling for Openness
• Non-significant impact of Openness on Organizational
Attractiveness

18. Moderation Analyses 1/2
• No moderating effects of Openness in the relationship
between the four soft skills and Organizational
Attractiveness, Predictive Validity Perceptions and Reactions
• No moderating effects of Openness in the relationship
between Test Fairness, Predictive Validity Perceptions,
Reactions and Organizational Attractiveness

19. Moderation Analyses 2/2
• Openness moderates the relationship between Flexibility,
Decision-Making and Test Fairness
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
low med high
TestFairness
Flexibility
Τhe moderating effect of Openness to Experinece
Openness to
Experience
high
med
low
-0.50
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
low med high
TestFairness
Decision-Making
Τhe moderating effect of Openness to Experience
Openness to
Experience
high
med
low

20. Conclusions
• Serious games and gamification seem to create positive
experiences among users
• # moderating effect of Openness to Experience, contrary to
our expectations
• Serious games and gamification can be a useful way of
assessing soft skills for hiring/staffing
• Need to further research to explore the small moderating
effects

21. Alliance Special Session
•More on gamification and the role of Technology on
Recruitment and Selection
• Saturday “Alliance of Organizational Psychology Special Session:
The Impact of Technology on Recruitment and Selection:
International Perspectives”, N. Hemisphere E4, 13:30-14:20