The diversity-validity dilemma (+ free articles!!)

The latest issue of Personnel Psychology has some great articles in it and right now they're free! So before you do anything else, get while the gettin's good, because normally each article will run ya $30.

So what's in there? The main attraction is a great series of articles on the "diversity-validity" dilemma, which Pyburn, Ployhart, and Kravitz in their article on the legal context, define as:

"The ability of organizations to simultaneously identify high-quality candidates and establish a diverse work force can be hindered by the fact that many of the more predictive selection procedures negatively influence the pass rates of racioethnic minority group members (non-Whites) and women."

This article is a great short read that goes over the major legal points, including adverse impact and the major court cases.

The next article, by Ployhart and Holtz, is a print-and-save type article (yes it's that good) that summarizes the various strategies employers can use to help resolve the dilemma. The article includes a couple of great tables, including one that summarizes most selection mechanisms with their corresponding criterion-related validity and d-values (pp. 155-156) and another that summarizes the various resolutions to the dilemma (pp. 158-163).

Bottom line from that article? I'll let the authors say it:

"Among the most effective strategies, the only strategy that does not also reduce validity is assessing the full range of KSAOs." (bold added)

Hallelujah. Yes, certain assessment methods tend to work better than others (e.g., structured interviews, job knowledge tests) but the best approach is plain old fashioned good practice: Start with job analysis and use the testing methods that best target the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that rise to the top. It really is pretty simple.

The third article in the series is another fabulous one, this time targeting the role that affirmative action (AA) plays in the dilemma.

In it, Kravitz provides a great overview of the basis of AA, attitudes about AA, and provides some answers to some controversial issues, including:

- Does discrimination still occur? (Answer: you bet)
- What is the economic impact of AA on target groups? (A: it's complicated)
- What is the economic impact of AA on organizations? (A: apparently very little)
- Does AA lead to stigmatization of target group members by others? (A: it can)
- Does AA lead to self-stigmatization of target group members? (A: hard to say)

The article then wraps up with some great practical recommendations, the two most important of which are strong, visible, ongoing support of management and the development of an appropriate culture.

Last but not least, don't miss the other great content in this issue, including Mount et al.'s article, Incremental validity of perceptual speed and accuracy over general mental ability and Taylor et al.'s article The transportability of job information across countries.

Now get out there and get some free content!

October '07 TIP: Alternatives and Title VII

You legal buffs out there know that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended in 1991) there exists a "burden shifting" framework that lays out how an employment discrimination case (hypothetically) proceeds:

1 - The plaintiff must show that the employer is using a particular employment practice (e.g., a selection test) that results in disparate (or adverse) impact against a legally protected group; if successful,

2 - The employer must show that the practice was/is job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity; if successful,

3 - The plaintiff must show that there is an alternative employment practice (e.g., a different type of test) that would serve the employer's needs, be equally valid, and have less adverse impact and the employer refuses to adopt it. The classic case is plaintiffs suing over a written knowledge test and suggesting a personality or performance test should have been used.

You may also know that plaintiffs rarely win employment lawsuits (for many reasons, but one of which is employers are getting better at #2 above), and there seems to be a shift toward the third prong of the case--showing that there are alternative testing mechanisms out there that are equally as valid and with less adverse impact.

The October issue of the Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP) contains two articles (both by individuals who have served as expert witnesses in discrimination cases) that touch on this subject and are worth a read:

Slippery slope of "alternatives" altering the topography of employment testing? by James Sharf

and

Less adverse alternatives: Making progress and avoiding red herrings by James Outtz

Also in this issue, a great analysis of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Parents v. Seattle School District by Art Gutman and Eric Dunleavy that reviews in detail the current status of affirmative action.

Links a go-go for October 1, 2007

Good reading for October 1, 2007

The new affirmative action (about schools, but lessons for employers)

2007 ILG National Conference Highlights

Don't automatically dismiss people that been fired

Court rules EEOC may proceed with discrimination case against L.A. Weight Loss

Visa and using credit scores in the hiring process

Hiring supervisors and leaders (the #1 problem of most organizations, IMHO)

Deloitte demonstrates just how creative recruiting can be

How many names does it take to get to a hire?

Who does The Gap think it is? Monster?