Understanding Developmental Assessment Centers

Assessment centers are “a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Multiple trained observers and techniques are used. Judgments about behaviors are made, in major part, from specifically developed assessment simulations. These judgments are pooled in a meeting among the assessors or by a statistical integration process”. (Task Force on Assessment Center Guidelines, 1989) 

Video1 - All About Assessment Centres 

Through the years the original conceptualization of assessment centers has changed dramatically (Howard, 1997). Three changes seem most noteworthy;

1. The output of assessment centers is still important, much more attention has been paid to assessment center ‘processes’. 

2. The application of assessment centers has moved beyond selection/placement/promotion purposes. 

3. Multiple stakeholders are involved in assessment centers. These stakeholders include assessees, assessors, assessment center users, and the organization.

Assessment centers by definition, need to produce ‘true’ and valid assessments of an assessee’s strengths and weaknesses on the various dimensions. Moreover, developmental assessment centers assume that participants accept and act upon the feedback built around these assessments in the belief of their intrinsic validity (Thornton, Larsh, Layer, & Kaman, 1999). Thus, the quality of assessor decisions is at the core of acceptance of feedback and the motivation to thereby pursue developmental training activities.

Figure 1 - Process Model of Performance Ratings (Landy & Farr, 1980, p. 94).

Various components of this model can be easily transferable to (developmental) assessment centers. For instance, in this application ‘roles’ refer to assessors, assessments, and role-players and ‘results’ refer to the ratings of assessees’ strengths and weaknesses, the developmental feedback formulated, and the action plans (including any training and developmental assignments). The remainder structures the studies considered in terms of these five components.

In developmental assessment centers the results of the rating process primarily refer to the (final or within-exercise) ratings on the various dimensions. These dimensional ratings are expected to provide a detailed and valid portrayal of managerial strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the results also refer to the developmental feedback, training activities, and action plans suggested to participants.

An examination of the quality of these results in developmental assessment centers should comprise of three criteria (Thornton et al., 1999, Carrick & Williams, 1998).

1. The quality of the dimensional ratings, namely these dimensional ratings should be valid indicants of managerial abilities. This refers to the construct validity issue in assessment centers.

2. Developmental feedback.

3. Developmental activities suggested to participants.

Howard (1997) noted that “[assessment center] dimensions have always been muddled collections of traits (e.g., energy), learned skills (planning), readily demonstrable behaviors (oral communication), basic abilities (mental ability), attitudes (social objectivity), motives (need for achievement), or knowledge (industry knowledge), and other attributes or behaviors” (p. 22).

Development assessment centers have the combination of a clear and precise feedback and a pragmatic on‐the‐job follow‐up of what was learned in the simulations, can be a powerful instrument in enhancing the competencies of a business organization and its employees in terms of reliable and accelerated development within a dynamic and turbulent environment (Steven H. Appelbaum et al, 1998).

References

Appelbaum, S.H., Harel, V. and Shapiro, B. (1998), "The developmental assessment centre: the next generation", Career Development International, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 5-12.

Carrick, P., and Williams, R. (1998). ‘Development centres: A review of assumptions’, Human Resource Management Journal, 9, 77-92.

Howard, A. (1997). ‘A reassessment of assessment centers, challenges for the 21st century’, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 12, 13-52.

Task Force on Assessment Center Guidelines (1989). ‘Guidelines and ethical considerations for assessment center operations’, Public Personnel Management, 18, 457-470.

Thornton, G.C. III, Larsh, S. Layer, S., and Kaman, V. (1999, May). ‘Reactions to attribute-based feedback and exercise-based feedback in developmental assessment centers’, Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.