Objective Criterion Measures

Abstract

This chapter is about objective measures of job performance relevant for serving as criteria in a personnel selection context. It first reviews eight of the most common objective performance criteria (e.g., turnover, production rates, job knowledge tests), points out some inherent problems with them such as criterion contamination, especially deficiency, and describes recent technological advance in their measurements. These include automated performance monitoring and interpretation of behavioral data, reviewed in more detail in a final section. The chapter concludes that objective performance data often reflect only part of the performance criterion domain and must be carefully examined for relevance, completeness, and fairness. When used thoughtfully within a multidimensional, construct-oriented framework that incorporates both task-relevant outputs and contextual indicators (e.g., performance ratings), objective performance measures can enhance both applied decision-making and selection research validity.