Is There a Science of Personnel Selection?

PECIALISTS in the personnel field have had a rude awakening. In the past they have assumed that they could accomplish their objectives by concentrating their efforts on the employees who constitute the bulk of the employed staff. They have directed their attention to better selection methods, better training, and better counseling for technical and clerical employees. But personnel specialists soon found that these programs were not adequate. Having good rank and file workers was not a complete answer. Therefore, in the last five years, they have increasingly turned their attention to programs for the better selection and training of supervisors. The importance of this present effort should not be underestimated-repeated studies of morale have underlined the importance of good supervision. But we will soon learn, as some have already learned, that present efforts are still inadequate, and that the primary goal must be to obtain better administrators by the use of better selection methods and better training. Only when we have obtained good administrators will we find that our efforts to improve the selection of supervisors, technicians, and clerks can be fully successful. Until then