President's Message

by Paul Kaiser

Stay with me a moment, while I recount a story recently read.

A young man/boy of indeterminate age--could be 16, no more than 20--leaves home and family to join a wagon train of pioneers hoping for a better life on the western frontier. As with all coming-of-age stories, our young man encounters many of those experiences needed to reach maturity. On the trail he finds a mentor: an odd fellow who quotes Walt Whitman. He endures hardships, experiences love, and almost finds himself. One day, a wagon master's hired hand succumbs to the rigors of prairie travel. As the casket lowers, the poetry-loving mentor turns to our hero and reveals, "Someday, it won't be somebody else."

Frequently of late I hear tales of distress from our assessment colleagues around the country. The common refrain is that the concept of civil service is in peril. Personnel departments and public-sector testing organizations are being downsized to the brink of dysfunction, emasculated to the point of impotency, and worse, sometimes buried. The resonant fear is the bell tolls for merit-based employee selection as we know it. How can this be?

The American character is imbued with certain beliefs. We are a nation of optimists. We believe that hard work will result in personal achievement. We believe all persons are created equal. We believe that success in America should be based upon individual merit. At the beginning of this century, however, merit had a different definition from now. People got ahead in America because they were to- the-manor-born or because of whom they knew or because they supported the victorious political party. The emergence of the "scientific method" as the gateway to America's future combined with a groundswell of dissatisfaction with patronage. Together these impulses forged the concept of civil service--citizens qualify for jobs based on merit and fitness for those jobs. Standardized testing was perceived as being scientific: it was fair, and helped to drive nails into the coffin of the spoils system. But, as we near the 21st century, some feel that the final resting place for merit and assessment is being dug. Is it?

As practicing assessment professionals, we know that what we do is valuable to organizational success. Study after study demonstrates that job performance is related to measurable cognitive abilities. We know that non-cognitive measures can improve the accuracy of performance prediction. Yet, while we are discovering better and stronger ways to predict success based on merit-system assessments, our services and contributions are becoming increasingly unneeded, unwanted and unloved. Must it be this way? What can we do about it?

As one who writes tests for a living, I know that questions are relatively easy to generate. I've got questions. I've even got a drawer full of distracters and misleads. What I haven't got are the key answers. Therefore, I have invited two individuals who have some insights and answers to take part in the Presidential Forum session at this June's IPMAAC conference.

One is Charles Blockett, current Director of Selection and Classification for the State of Michigan and President-Elect of IPMA-US. Mr. Blockett believes that we in personnel do provide valuable contributions to the workplace, that there are methods that we, as practitioners, can employ to increase the value of those contributions, and that there are ways of making these contributions known and appreciated. The other is George Sinnott, President of the New York State Civil Service Commission. Since Commissioner Sinnott's appointment two years ago, he has implemented a number of initiatives for improving New York State's civil service system. These efforts have resulted in improvements in the standards and delivery of merit system services. They were accomplished in a highly complex and restrictive political and legal environment. Their realization has improved public perception of the State's merit system administration and has blunted the force of many of its critics. This is a civil service 'success story' that reinforces our profession's commitment to merit system principles. It will be both informative and refreshing.

Plans for this June's conference in Newport Beach have been finalized. Conference co-chairs, Mike Willihnganz and David Dye, have done a wonderful job of assembling an exciting program of general and concurrent session speakers. Be sure to read their report on the conference in this issue of the ACN. Mabel Miramon, host committee chair, promises a great party with ample opportunity to network with your colleagues from across the nation in a relaxed, social atmosphere. Be certain to sign up for the Southern-California-style beach party at Newport Dunes. Thanks in advance to the Personnel Testing Council of Southern California who will sponsor a reception on Tuesday and the Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC) who will host a reception on Wednesday evening. All indications are that this will be the best attended IPMAAC conference yet. I urge you to register for the conference and reserve your hotel room now. If you are a first time conference participant, remember to sign up for the workshops at a discounted rate.

Many thanks to those IPMAAC members who completed the organization survey. One-hundred and fifty members shared their opinions and comments. This information will prove invaluable in charting IPMAAC's future direction. The results clearly show that there are areas where the membership feels we could be doing better. I will be discussing the survey responses with the Board of Directors at our June meeting and will work with the Board to address your concerns. I will also share the survey results with the membership during the business meeting at the conference.

During May, MAPAC and IPMAAC co-sponsored an Examination Planning workshop in Philadelphia. The workshop was very well attended and provided much desired training to assessment professionals in the Northeast. Similar joint ventures are planned with WRIB in the fall and MAPAC (the oral- interviewing workshop) by the end of the year. IPMAAC is very interested in finding ways to deliver low-cost, quality training to any region in the country. If your organization could benefit from such training or if you would like to see workshops offered in your region, contact Kristine Smith, training committee chair, at (909) 387-6086.

In April, we invited the regional assessment organizations to share space on IPMAAC Online. I am very pleased with the response we have received from the PTCs, MAPAC and WRIPAC. A number of organizations have "signed on" and are sharing membership, newsletter and program information with their fellow organizations throughout the country. Visit the Home Page for up-to-date information on the activities of the regional assessment communities. If your PTC would like to join with others on the network, contact Bill Waldron, Kris Smith or me-- we'd be delighted to help.

I look forward to seeing you all at the conference. Be sure to stop by the President's reception on Sunday night and say hello. See you in June!