Leadership genes? Should companies be allowed to use DNA tests to screen applicants?

[On Oct. 2016], Gartner analysts David Furlonger and Stephen Smith presented an idea at a symposium for information technology executives that the company itself acknowledges as “maverick” — a future where genetics plays a bigger role in the hiring process.

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Imagine a future, where new products or services offer employers a way to genetically screen job applicants for traits such as honesty, leadership, being a team player, having a high level of emotional intelligence. Is it even possible?

“If I was a company and one of these people came to me offering to do genetic testing for screening potential employees, I would hold onto my wallet,” said Jonathan Moreno, professor of ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Very little behavior can be predicted from genetics, he said.

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Genetic testing for job candidates reminds Moreno of the intelligence tests that were popular a hundred years ago, which didn’t give employers an edge.

Employers would be better off putting a candidate in a role-playing situations where they could see how the person worked as a part of team or solved problems, said Moreno.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: There Is No Leadership Gene