Selection, Training and Career Development of Naval Officers : A Long-Term Follow-Up Using Multivariate Techniques

1. Twenty five years ago the Adminalty Board approved recommendations for a radically new procedure for selection of officer cadets for the Royal Navy. 2. Under the new procedure candidates were ranked using a judgmental measure of personality and their performance in educational examinations. The former was an interpretation of candidates' behaviour in individual and group tasks and interview, performance in psychological tests, and headmasters' reports, and has remained essentially unchanged to the present day. 3. Selected candidates were given extensive training initially in general naval matters, later in specialist subjects, to prepare them for service in Seaman, Supply and Secretariat, Engineer and Electrical branches. 4. The first 300 officers selected have not passed through the zone of promotion to Commander. Records of their performance in selection, training and subsequent career have been analysed to, identify the abilities associated with success and the effectiveness of selection and training criteria for determination of these abilities. 5. Investigations of data structure using Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis have revealed the inter-relationship of examination and test scores, interview board marks, biographical items, training course results, superiors' assessments, and a synthetic variable denoting career success. Vectors representing these variables have been located in a three-dimensional framework with axes defined as personality, verbal-educational ability and spatial-mechanical ability. Comparative analyses of more recent samples show that the basic structure of this framework is stable. 6. The relation is depict in the-'-three-dimensional model, together, with results of predictive studies using Discriminatory Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis, show that success up to Commander's rank is associated with markedly different abilities in the various branches of the service and that short-term and long-tern, success are also distinct. 7. The conclusion is reached that discriminatory techniques could make a powerful contribution to present-day selection by facilitating optimum selection and placement of candidates in terms of relevant abilities.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

City University London

Year dc:date.issued

1971

Author dc:creator

• Gardner, K. E.

• HB Economic Theory