Why do people spend thousands of pounds buying or commissioning specialist reports when an intelligent reading of their Computergrams would provide all the evidence for purusing a course of action or not at a fraction of the price? The answer is that ridiculous human quirk that says that unless something cost a lot of money, it can’t be valid: the Institute of Personnel Management reports that a US recruitment firm marketed its tests as ideal for selecting management high-flyers in the UK – and no doubt left many satisfied customers, notwithstanding the fact that – it failed to disclose – the thing had been developed for a US motel chain for choosing chambermaids that would meet its exacting requirements for scrupulous cleanliness, conscientiousness and punctuality.
