The Oxford Handbook of Personnel Psychology

Book excerpt: The field of Personnel Psychology is broadly concerned with the study of individual differences and their consequences for the organization. As human resource costs continue, for most organizations, to be the single largest operating cost (50-80% of annual expenditure), achieving optimal performance from individual employees is of paramount importance to the sustained development and financial performance of any organization. The Oxford Handbook of Personnel Psychology brings together contributions from leading international scholars within the field to present state-of-the-art reviews on topical and emergent issues, constructs, and research in personnel psychology. The book is divided into six sections: DT Individual Difference and Work Performance, DT Personnel Selection, DT Methodological Issues, DT Training and Development, DT Policies and Practices, DT Future Challenges. While the Handbook is primarily a review of current academic thinking and research in the area, the contributors keep a strong focus on the lessons for HR practitioners, and what lessons they can take from the cutting-edge work presented.