The Uses of a Personnel Classification in the Public Service
| Author | Lewis Meriam |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271622411300129 |
| Published date | 01 May 1924 |
| Date | 01 May 1924 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
215
PERSONNEL
CLASSIFICATION
IN
THE
PUBLIC
SERVICE
District
of
Columbia
on
the
work
of
the
Personnel
Classification
Board
instead
of
upon
a
duties
classification
and
is
doing
nothing
whatsoever
with
regard
to
the
125,000
positions
outside
of
the
District
of
Columbia
included
under
the
terms
of
the
Classification
Act
of
1923.
The
Uses
of
a
Personnel
Classification
in
the
Public
Service
By
LEWIS
MERIAM
Bureau
of
Public
Personnel
Administration
PERSONNEL
classification
or
re-
i.
classification
is
generally
one
of
the
major
reforms
instituted
when
gov-
ernments,
national,
state,
county
or
municipal,
endeavor
to
put
their
houses
in
order.
Why?
What
are
the
practi-
cal
uses
of
a
personnel
classification
that
make
it
an
item
of
first
impor-
tance
in
modernizing
government?
To
no
one
is
this
question
of
greater
importance
than
to
him
who
is
actually
confronted
with
the
task
of
classifying
government
positions.
The
merits
of
a
classification
depend
upon
its
adapta-
bility
for
serving
certain
practical
ends.
To
make
it
serve
those
ends,
the
per-
sons
who
develop
the
classification
must
clearly
perceive
what
those
ends
are.
They
must
know
what
they
are
doing
and
why.
It
is
to
be
regretted
that
experience
demonstrates
the
ne-
cessity
for
expounding
anything
so
obvious,
but
unfortunately
at
least
one
great
job
of
reclassification
has
gone
wrong
because
persons
responsible
for
its
development
have
failed
to
recog-
nize
and
provide
for
achieving
all
the
good
that
is
to
be
derived
from
a
sound
personnel
classification.
CLASSIFICATION
AND
THE
MERIT
SYSTEM
With
the
merit
system
and
civil
serv-
ice
reform,
citizens
in
general
are
fairly
familiar.
They
believe
in
the
princi-
ple,
though
some
may
criticise
its
ap-
plication
and
question
its
practical
results.
A
sound
personnel
classifi-
cation
is
the
instrument
for
perfecting
the
application
of
the
merit
system
and
making
the
tests
accurate
determinants
of
the
fitness
of
the
candidates
for
the
positions.
The
first
requisite
for
thorough
and
scientific
application
of
the
merit
sys-
tem
is
the
complete
survey
of
all
posi-
tions
to
be
filled
through
it
to
determine
the
duties
of
those
positions,
their
re-
sponsibilities,
and
the
qualifications
which
a
person
must
possess
to
justify
his
assignment
to
such
duties.
The
fist
duty
that
a
civil
service
commission
owes
to
the
public
is
to
se-
cure
properly
qualified
employes
and
to
prevent
persons
not
possessed
of
the
requisite
qualifications
from
securing
the
positions.
Important
as
this
duty
is
with
respect
to
minor
routine
posi-
tions,
it
is
infinitely
more
important
with
respect
to
the
upper
scientific,
technical,
professional
or
administra- .
tive
positions
where
salaries
are
more
attractive
and
where
the
chances
of
an
unqualified
employe
causing
serious
indirect
losses
and
doing
irreparable
mischief
are
markedly
greater.
A
good
classification
should
publish
for
each
class
of
positions
in
the
service
a
clear
statement
of
the
duties
of
the
po-
sitions
in
that
class
and
the
qualifica-
tions
necessary
for
entrance
into
it,
so
that
a
public
comparison
will
be
possi-
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