Warum und wann weniger mehr ist: Die Implikationen von Sackett et al. (2022) für die Entscheidungsfindung in der Personalauswahl

When hiring employees, a main goal of many organizations is to make valid predictions of future job performance. “What are valid selection methods for predicting future job performance” is therefore a central question for scientists and practitioners. This question is answered in depth by Schmidt and Hunter (1998) and Sackett et al. (2022). In most selection procedures, multiple selection methods are used, often with the intention to increase predictive validity compared to using a single selection method. Therefore, Schmidt and Hunter (1998) also discussed to what extent selection methods show incremental validity over and above the use of general mental ability, when information from selection methods is combined mechanically using optimal regression weights. However, in practice, information is rarely combined using optimal regression weights. Therefore, we discuss how different weighting schemes affect the overall validity of a selection procedure, and why more information does not always result in better predictions. However, in practice, information is rarely combined mechanically at all, but is most often combined holistically ‘in the mind’, resulting in less valid predictions than mechanical combination. Therefore, we provide practical recommendations on how to combine information mechanically, such that valid job performance predictions are made without losing the acceptance of decision makers and other stakeholders.