SIOP’s LEC Assessment for the 2020s Debrief

By Nikki Blacksmith LEC Planning Committee Member

It’s hard to believe but SIOP’s 2019 LEC is over and the planning for SIOP 2020 LEC is underway! I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the annual consortium and start translating the amazing insights and discussions had during LEC into action.

SIOP’s 2019 Leading Edge Consortium, Advancing the Edge: Assessment for the 2020s (LEC), had record-breaking attendance. In fact, it SOLD OUT! What was even more exciting was that about 20% of the audience were non-SIOP members. Their unique perspectives and expertise greatly contributed to and heightened the conversation about where the field of assessment needs to head in the future.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our speakers for providing truly engaging presentations and sharing imperative and thought-provoking insights. 

The SIOP LEC planning committee is working hard on putting together a report that summarizes major takeaways, but here are a few teasers:

Assessment is a very hot and lively topic right now. The amount of venture capital funding being poured into HR technology is growing quickly. According to one report, in Q1 of 2019, $1.74 billion was invested. I-O psychologists need to be key players in the growing industry. We need to build strategic partnerships with experts from other fields including marketing and communication professionals, data scientists, lawyers, policy makers, and software developers and designers.

Rapidly advancing technology available to enhance the testing experience and data processing and analytics are the biggest, most obvious drivers in the fast-paced evolution of the assessment field. In response, there is a growing focus on improving the user (i.e., job seekers, employees) experience. With the changing use of how companies are collecting and using voluminous people-related data, a host of new issues has emerged that is causing I-Os to rethink things like the standards and principles of validity and the ethics of the assessment testing. It will be critical that I-Os are involved in the conversations with policy makers in order to influence new regulations and policies. Discrimination, bias, data security, and data privacy are prominent issues right now. We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us.

I’m bummed the event is already over but extremely energized to get to work and ensure I-Os are not only part of the changing field but are the ones driving and shaping it as well. Stay tuned for our upcoming report that summarizes key issues raised at the event and offers ideas for how I-Os can be active leaders in the future of assessment. Even better, if you were at the LEC or would like to contribute thought pieces to the report, please email me at comms@siop.org.

Resources

Are you just so excited you can’t wait for the key topics report? No worries, I’ve got you covered. Below are some recent articles and resources related to the LEC topics.

You can find the “#LEC19” photo album on SIOP’s Facebook page. If you were at this year’s event, we encourage you to share your photos with us at socialmedia@siop.org.

• White papers
  • Artificial Intelligence in Talent Assessment and Selection
  • Recent Trends in Pre-Employment Assessment
  • Social Media and Selection
  • Mobile Devices and Selection
  • Big Data at Work
  • Test Adaptation and Measurement Equivalence
• Videos
  • Dr. Tara Behrend on automation of jobs and tasks
  • Dr. Fred Oswald on big data and algorithms
  • Dr. Dan Putka on artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Dr. Tina Burke on data visualization 
  • Dr. Richard Landers on I-O and machine learning in HR
• Blogs and Articles
  • Progress and Opportunities with Big Data in I-O, an interview with Dr. Scott Tonidanel
  • The One Constant of the Workplace: Technological Change, an interview with Dr. Denise M/ Rousseau
  • The Evolution of Automation in Talent Assessment and Selection
  • Enhancing Judgment: The Case for Human-Algorithm Collaboration
  • Brainwave Helmets and Algorithmic Copilots: A Black Mirror Episode or Just Modern Performance Assessment
  • Department of Labor Relies on SIOP for Adverse Impact Guidance
• Top 10 Workplace Trends (SIOP)
• The New Talent Landscape (SHRM)
• Beware of Automated Hiring (New York Times)
• HR Technology Market 2020: Disruption Ahead (Bersin)
• AI Hiring Tools Can Be Just as Biased as Humans (Economic Times)
• Help Wanted: An Examination of Hiring Algorithms, Equity, and Bias (upturn.org)
• From Jetsons to Reality, or Almost: What Employees Need to Know About Robots and AI in the Workplace (The National Law Review)
• Law on Hiring Robots Could Trigger Litigation for Employers (Bloomberg)
• How Facial Analysis in Job Interviews Could Reinforce Inequality (PBS)