Darany Associates
Public Sector Selections Solutions

Selection Thoughts

 

Welcome to PSST.  This is a space where we share thoughts that we have gained by having the privilege of working for and with many of those who helped to shape our profession, such as our founder, Ted Darany.  If you read Ted’s biography (provided in the "Our Founder" section on this site), you will note that he worked for State and Federal agencies during the critical development period following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  During that time, he was instrumental in founding professional organizations that continue to serve as vital resources to practitioners. He was a true advocate of the value and importance of sound selection, instilling in us a love of our profession and a passion for pursuing excellence in it.  Through his teaching and his encouragement of professional involvement, we have had the opportunity to learn from so many of those brilliant, dedicated people who were "in the room" so to speak as much of our profession was taking shape.

Whether you are new to selection, a seasoned professional, or someone who fits into the wide range of selection program customers, it is our hope that these brief insights will provide perspective and, perhaps, even inspiration.  In the end, it is our objective to promote and preserve the ideas and values that have shaped our profession.  Using Ted’s own words from a presentation to the Personnel Testing Council of Arizona in 2006, "We have the best story around.  We need to discover and develop the best ways to tell it."

This is our effort to preserve and continue the story.  The acronym "PSST" was chosen for two reasons.  First, it reflects the idea that the power of sound selection tends to remain one of the "best kept secrets" and we need to pass it on.  Also, Ted loved acronyms.  Much of his work (WRIB, DELPOE, DELFE, . . .) has an acronym associated with it.  Rumor has it that he would sometimes start with the acronym and then come up with words to fit.  We had some pretty lively discussions as some of them evolved since they occasionally took humorous (and less printable) turns.  Thus, it is in keeping with Ted’s spirit and his dedication to public sector selection that we offer PSST.

Note: The PSST offerings are written by Darany Associate, Kristine Smith with input and insight from fellow associates, Christie Jacques and Jennifer French. If you’d like to comment on the content or suggest ideas for future topics, please contact Kristine at ksmith@daranyassociates.com.

 
 
 
 

PSST #4 - Testing Challenges. Part 1: Continuous Adaptation

We previously mentioned what a great story those of us in selection have to share. However, like any good story, there are some complexities. Think about your favorite story involving some kind of hero, real or fictional. The story seldom goes like this: A person inherently has amazing talents, these talents are immediately recognized, with the person smoothly sailing along to great fame and fortune. Hero stories always involve an evolution in which challenges are faced and overcome. Our “Why Test?” discussion set the stage for the heroism potential of selection by identifying the superpowers of valid testing: fairness, achievement of public accountability, and economic benefit. However, even with such incredible strengths, the path is not easy because our work isn’t just about rules and metrics. It requires that we understand and work within a context that is dynamic and complex.

This context is well described in the preface of Staffing The Public Service by Albert P. Maslow:

“In the 1980's all public employers face a contracted economy, shrinking budgets, and a huge supply of applicants. There is a real danger that agencies may be pressed to revert to policies that limit competition and that enforce arbitrary rules for qualifying and ranking applicants who will be hired. At the same time, all agencies confront demands for technical sophistication and accountability, especially in their staffing programs. Personnel officials and their staffs must deal with a cascade of new and complex social, legal, and policy constraints, changing demographics in the workforce, and rapid advances in technology. These contextual factors and the ability of personnel professionals to use the array of assessment and selection procedures available to them will, in large part, determine the effectiveness of the staffing function.”

Replace “1980's” with “2020's” and “personnel” with “human resources”, and Maslow’s narrative is equally applicable today. Social, legal, policy, economic, and demographic issues influence and shape the organizations in which we work. At that time, the “rapid advances in technology” included basic data processing, applicant tracking, and those giant cellular phones. Though we are presently dealing with issues such as virtual testing environments, the effects are the same - a dynamic environment of constant learning, growth, and changing boundaries. One could argue that this is true for all professions, but the unique place we occupy, that nexus of organizations, individuals, and work, increases the intensity of the impact.

The important take away is awareness. Public services often reflect the changes going on in the world. As those who provide the workforce, we must be prepared to be at the forefront of such change. We cannot think of our work as simply following rules and filling slots, we must understand the world in which our organizations operate and enable them to fulfill their role in it. This might mean finding ways to assess with greater precision, assess new or evolving areas, define and develop assessments for new kinds of work, or reinvent our approaches as work and society evolve. When we interact with our customers (executives, department heads, managers, and applicants), we must consider their perspective within this broad and ever-changing framework.

The idea of continuous adaptation may seem overwhelming at times. Just ask anyone who has lived through installation of a new automated system or a radical policy shift following the election of a new governor, mayor, etc. However, it certainly ensures that our work will always be interesting. There will always be something new to learn, some challenge to address, some improvement to make. Consistent with many of those hero stories, we will find success by staying true to our roots and committing ourselves to utilizing that super power called valid testing. By steadfastly using that power to pursue fairness, accountability, and return on investment in our organizations, we will be prepared to meet any challenges we face.

Darany Associates