INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES THAT INFLUENCE ERFORMANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS What Should We Assess? Kevin R. Murphy Handbook of Workplace Assessment Evidence-Based Practices for Selecting and Developing Organizational Talent John C. Scott Douglas H. Reynolds, Editors Foreword by Allan H. Church and Janine Waclawski Assessment in organizations can be carried out for a variety of purposes, many with high stakes for both individuals and organizations.The stakes can be particularly high when assessments are used to make decisions about personnel selection and placement or about advancement and development of individuals once they have been hired. If assessments focus on traits, attributes, or outcomes that are not relevant to success and effectiveness, both organizations and individuals may end up making poor decisions about the fit between people and jobs. If assessments are appropriately focused but poorly executed (perhaps the right attributes are measured, but they
