[2] It was a key piece of Governor Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette's Progressive Era reform agenda.

[6] In 1972, Governor Patrick Lucey issued an executive order creating an affirmative action unit in the Bureau of Personnel, to encourage the hiring and promotion of women and minority candidates.

[8] The Office's mission was radically changed by administration of Governor Scott Walker, whose signature law, 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, ended collective bargaining rights for state employees and forbid the state government from negotiating union contracts with public employee unions.

The administrator of the Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection required a merit-based process, and would be appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation, and would then have a guaranteed five-year term.

[1] The Division of Administrative Services managed internal department operations, including spending, accounting, information technology, personnel, payroll, procurement, planning, analysis, and preparation of the budget.

To support their mission, they were tasked with developing and administering the state's civil service examinations and assessments, then provided lists of qualified candidates to the agencies for their selection.

The division also supported the Wisconsin City County Services program, which provided personnel support services to local government agencies for a fee, and assisted state agencies in complying with protective occupation determinations and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.