Case Studies Manufacturing Company Predicts Performance using Criteria

The Challenge

A manufacturer of biomedical products wanted to increase its overall productivity by incorporating pre-employment testing into its employee selection process.

The Solution

The company administered the Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST) to a sample of 52 of its manufacturing associates. Management assigned each employee an overall performance rating on a 5-point scale. The overall rating measured an employee's performance in several key areas, including overall productivity, attention to detail, and work habits. Performance ratings for these incumbent employees were then compared to their CBST scores.

The Results

CBST scores and job performance ratings for the sample group were positively correlated (.29) and statistically significant (p < .05). Employees who received raw scores of 33 or less on the CBST received an average performance rating of 3.1, whereas employees in the higher-scoring group (34 or better) received an average performance rating of 4.0. Moreover, no employees in the high-scoring group received unsatisfactory performance ratings, whereas 28% of employees in the lower-scoring group received unsatisfactory performance ratings. The chart below illustrates the average performance gap between employees who received high scores on the test and those who did not fare as well.

Based on the results of this pilot study, the company implemented the CBST as a selection measure for all of its manufacturing associates.