Utility Analysis in Public Sector Personnel Management: Current Issues and Keys to Implementation
While utility analysis is often encouraged as the “final step” necessary in any evaluation of a human resources intervention (e.g., selection, training, performance evaluation program), anecdotal evidence appears to suggest that, in practice, it is rarely done, particularly in the public sector. Therefore, a brief history and nontechnical explanation of utility analysis is provided. Several examples from the literature are given. In addition, current issues and keys to more successful implementation are discussed in order to acknowledge the realities of trying to incorporate utility analyses into the evaluation of human resources programs in applied settings. It is hoped that increased awareness of these critical issues and potential roadblocks to the use of utility analysis will increase its use and ultimately improve our ability to critically assess and continually improve the success of our human resources.