Consequences of Faulty Measurement
The topic above is measurement, which is the issue of accurately measuring a person’s KSAs that are relevant to his or her job performance. We want to measure the KSAs accurately, so that the person we hire will possess those KSAs and be able to perform the job successfully. (For the moment, let’s ignore the topic of motivation—whether they want to do the job—and focus on whether they have the capabilities to do the job.)
So, what if we are unable to measure KSAs accurately, as might be the case when an applicant:
--lies on his/her resume
--has really slick interview skills but lacks job-relevant KSAs
--distorts their responses on a personality test to appear more conscientious
Or what if we cannot measure KSAs accurately because we are using a poorly developed test or an unstructured interview?
If we are not measuring accurately, what are the repercussions for the person and/or the organization?
Is it OK to distort or fake a little in an interview or on a personality test, or inflate on a resume, because everyone else is doing it? Why or why not?
Please provide a clear answers and explain.