Personnel selection systems and diversity

Abstract

Personnel selection systems affect diversity because they are the way organizations choose who is hired. Research on personnel selection systems and diversity is reviewed, with a particular focus on racial/ethnic diversity. Topics covered include the interrelated concepts of adverse impact and subgroup mean differences, research on why mean differences exist, and which selection predictors (particularly, cognitive ability tests) are most likely to cause adverse impact due to these mean differences. The historical perspective that organizations face a dilemma due to cognitive ability tests having the greatest validity and largest racial/ethnic subgroup mean differences is reviewed. Additionally, recent research is covered that suggests the validity of cognitive ability tests has been substantially overestimated, which has significant implications for the “validity-diversity dilemma.”