ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT

CENTRES www.humanikaconsulting.com

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“No duty the Executive had

to perform was so trying as

to put the right man in the

right place.”

-Thomas Jefferson

How did I do on the organizational wants?

1. Understand bench strength

2. Speed learning and development

3. Link assessment and development

4. Provide fair and reliable judgments

5. Decrease total assessment center costs 3

Summary

• What is an assessment centre?

• Benefits of Assessment Centres

• Brief Assessment Center History

• Who uses assessment centres?

• Uses of the Assessment Center Method

• Why do employers use assessment centres?

• Types of Assessment Centre

• What happens at an assessment centre?

• How will you be assessed?

• What are assessors looking for?

• What happens after an assessment centre?

• How can you prepare for assessment centres?

• Further help and information

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Assessment: Defining the Terms

• Personnel Assessment: a systematic approach to

gathering information about individuals

• Personnel Assessment Tool: any test or procedure (for

example, ability test, structured interview, work sample)

used to measure an individual’s employment or career-

related qualifications and interests

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U.S. Department of Labor, Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good

Practices, 1999

What is an assessment centre?

• Good news! Normally only 5% of the original

applicants will get this far

• A series of exercises, carried out individually or in a small group over one or two days, designed to measure the competencies needed in graduate recruits

• The final stage in the selection process 6

Assessment centres are about

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Meeting people:

selectors, current

graduates, senior staff,

other candidates

Gathering information:

about the organisation,

the job, and the working

culture

Demonstrating your

potential:

tests and exercises

about your

competencies

Assessment Center Defined

An assessment center consists of 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.

- International Taskforce, 2009

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How do employers try to get it right?

1990s 2000s

• Interviews 99% 99%

• References 96% 96%

• Personality tests 35% 64%

• Cognitive tests 30% 70%

• Assessment centres 21% 59%

[Source :University of Liverpool - c. 2000]

Note: The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2006 Summer Review found that 83% of their members use final round assessment centres or

selection events. 9

The AC Big “10”…

1. Job analysis (behaviors)

2. Behavioral classification (dimensions)

3. Links: behaviors dimensions exercises

4. Multiple assessments

5. Simulations

6. Multiple assessors

7. Assessor training

8. Recording behavior

9. Reports

10. Data integration

Observation Rating Judgment 10

Assessment Center Scheme

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• Provide a comprehensive overview of an

individual’s strengths and weaknesses;

• Are standardised, every candidate has the

same opportunity to demonstrate their

skills;

• Are more objective then interviews alone,

which may be biased by the interviewers’

interpretations;

• Allows applicants to demonstrate many

abilities in a variety of different situations;

• Can be tailored to suit the position and the

type of skills required;

• Provide information to place successful

candidate in the appropriate section of the

organisation.

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• Employer • Graduate • An opportunity to share your working

style and strengths;

• Success does not hinge on two interviews;

• If you are successful in securing the position the candidate can be more confident that it will suit you and that the employer feels you have potential to advance;

• A fair and more equitable hiring practice;

• Attendance at an assessment centre gives you an opportunity to assess the organisation and whether you’d like to work for it;

• You have gained valuable experience for next time

Brief Assessment Center History

• Used by Germans in 1st World War to select officers

• Used by U.S. to select spies (OSS)

• In Private Industry, 1st used by AT&T to predict performance of managers (Management Progress Study)

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AT&T Manager Progress Study

• 1st application of AC method in US industry (Douglas Bray)

• Longitudinal study of 400+ recently hired managers

• Inbasket, LGD, manufacturing game, interview, personal history, p&p tests (g & personality)

• Predicted progress over a 15 year period

• Implemented throughout the whole Bell system

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From then to now…

• 1960s: AT&T shared…

– IBM, Sears, Standard Oil, GE, J.C. Penny

• 1966: Bray & Grant: Psych Monographs Paper

• 1969: Conferences being held on AC Method

• 1970: Byham article in Harvard Business Review

• 1973: 1st International Conference on Assessment Center Methods (ICACM ) Meeting; DDI Established

• 1975: AC Guidelines Published

• Today: Hundreds of studies, Thousands of ACs conducted, Millions Assessed!

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Who uses assessment centres?

Most large graduate recruiters including:

• The Civil Service

• Local government; the NHS

• Manufacturing companies

• Banks, chartered accountants

• Advertising agencies

• Consultancies

• The armed forces, police etc

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• Selection and Promotion

• Diagnosis

– Identification of training & developmental needs

• Development

– Skill enhancement through simulations

– Not the same as diagnosis (Carrick & Williams, 1999)

Why do employers use assessment centres?

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Why do

employers use

Assessment

Centres?

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‘The assessment centre is an

integrated process of simulations

designed to generate behaviour

similar to that required for success

in a target job or job level. It

enables candidates’ performance

to be measured objectively against

specific key criteria’ Association

of Graduate Recruiters (2008)

Why do we use assessment centres?

• Accuracy – right person, right

job

• Ability to observe ‘on the job’

performance

• Equity – fair for everyone

• Buy-in – for assessors and

candidates

• Cost of poor selection –

morale, retention, impact on

work

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Types of Assessment Centre What types of Assessment would you expect at an Assessment Centre?

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• Numerical Reasoning • Verbal Reasoning • Comprehension • Diagrammatic or abstract reasoning • Analytical thinking • Personality tests or profiles

Psychometric Assessment

• Case Studies • In-tray Exercises • Group Discussions • Group Exercises • Presentations • Role Plays • Proposal • Problem Solving Projects • Social Events

Work-based Activities and Simulation Exercises

• One on one • Panel • Behavioural or Competency based

Interviews

What happens at an assessment centre?

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Individual exercises:

• Written tasks

• In-tray exercises

• Psychometric tests

• Presentations

• Interviews

A number of different exercises, which are likely to include:

Plus socialising with assessors, fellow-candidates and recent graduates

A typical 1-day assessment centre

• Introduction of participants and candidates

• Company presentation

• Individual presentations

• Coffee break, socialising informally

• Psychometric testing

• In-tray exercise

• Buffet lunch, socialising informally

• Group exercise, solving a work-related problem

• Interviews, ½ hour, skills-based 22

The most

frequently-

used exercises

at assessment

centres

• Interview 97%

• Psychometric test 91%

• Group discussion 89%

• Personality test 79%

• Case study 71%

• Presentation 61%

• In-tray exercise 48% 23

Psychometric Tests

• Aptitude Tests - measure skills relevant to position

– Verbal comprehension - evaluate logic of text

– Numerical reasoning - interpret statistical data

– Diagrammatic reasoning - recognise patterns

– Watch timing – complete as many as possible

• Personality Questionnaires

– Look at personality style

– No right or wrong answers

– Be spontaneous, don’t try to second-guess

– Tests include built-in checks

– Employers may be looking for different personality profiles

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How will you be

assessed?

• By people with clipboards!

• On a range of competencies that are

important in the job you are applying

for

• By more than one person

• On your own merits

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What are

assessors

looking for?

• Evidence of the competencies needed to perform well in the job

• You have already been assessed on these on paper and at first interview…

• The assessment centre will look particularly at your ability to work with others, influence and persuade – and how others respond to you

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Qualities and Competencies

• What employers are looking for

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In general companies are looking for the following qualities: Cognitive /Intellectual Strategic thinking, analysis and judgement, planning and organising Interpersonal Managing others, assertiveness, oral and verbal communication Adaptability Versatility, resilience, creativity, dealing with ambiguity Results Orientation Energy and initiative, achievement motivation Social Persuasive, confidence, multicultural sensitivity, values and integrity

Interview

Simulation

Scheduling

Exercise

Business

Game

Leaderless

Group

Discussion

1. Decisiveness X (X) (X)

2. Leadership (X) (X) (X)

3. Management

Control X X X

4. Oral

Communication (X) X (X)

5. Planning and

Organization X (X) X

6. Problem

Analysis/Judgment (X) (X) (X) X

7. Resilience (X) (X) X X

8. Sensitivity (X) X X X

9. Written

Communication

(Reaction Forms) X X X X

Dimensions By Exercise Grid

To be measured in four Participant Reaction Forms

X Quality typically measurable in this particular exercise

( ) Parentheses indicate an exercise that is a particularly strong measure of that quality

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Group exercises

• Discussions

• Practical tasks

• Role play

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Group Discussions

• Discussion of a general topic, e.g.

– Should tolls be introduced on all motorways?

– What can be done to improve the NHS?

– How can the problems associated with excessive alcohol

consumption be tackled?

• Discussion of a scenario:

– Assessment of bids for lottery funding

– Shipwreck/desert survival

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Group Exercises

Practical tasks, e.g.

• Constructing a Lego tower or paper

chain

• Creating an advertising campaign

for a specific product

• Crossing a “shark-infested river”

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Role Play

• Discussion of a given topic or

problem

• Each member of the group

allocated a role, e.g. Marketing

Manager/Finance Director

• You will have information that

other members of the group do

not

• Need to reach an agreement or

produce a recommendation

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What are assessors looking for in group

activities?

• Interpersonal skills

• Persuasiveness

• Co-operation and teamwork

• Analysis, judgement and decision-making

• Initiative and creativity

• Time management

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Case Studies

• May be one of the group exercises and discussions, often

involving role-play ..

• … or an individual task

• Will need to study the information you are presented with,

pick out the key points and reach decisions …

• … which you may need to write up in a report or to present

verbally

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Presentations

• You may be given a topic in

advance or allocated one on the

day

• Keep visual aids simple and

relevant

• You will be allowed to use notes –

small cards are best

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In-Tray Exercises

• Simulates the work you will

be doing if selected

• You will be given a number

of messages – plus attached

documents – that you might

find in your inbox one

morning

• Need to sort, prioritise and

take or recommend action

• Time-limited: new emails

(and even phone

calls) may keep coming in!

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Interviews

• Likely to be more challenging and probing than

previous interviews …

• … but will be with a different interviewer so be

prepared for some of the same points to be covered

…

• … especially anything that has emerged as a weak

point at previous interviews

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The Social Side

• May include coffee breaks/lunch

with the assessors and/or meetings

with recent graduates

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• Not part of the formal assessment …

• … but anything you say or do could be remembered

Data Integration Options

• Group Discussion

– Administrator role is critical

– Leads to higher-quality assessor evidence—peer pressure

– Beware of process losses!

• Statistical/Mechanical

– May be more or less acceptable to organizational decision makers,

depending on particular circumstances

– Can be more effective than “clinical” model

– Requires research base to develop formula

• Combination of both

– Example: consensus on dimension profile, statistical rule to determine

overall assessment rating 39

Assessor Report Form Interview Simulation

1 – Very little or none of the quality was shown.

2 – A less than satisfactory degree was shown.

3 – A satisfactory amount was shown.

4 – A greater than satisfactory amount was shown.

5 – A great deal of the quality was shown.

(1) Decisiveness: ______

(Readiness to make decisions, render judgments,

take action or commit oneself.)

(2) Judgment: ______

(Ability to develop alternative solutions to

problems, to evaluate courses of action and

reach logical decisions.)

Participant:______________

(Name)

Assessor: ______________

(Name)

Date: ____________

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Decisiveness:

Readiness to make decisions, render

judgments, take action or commit oneself.

Assessor Your

Business Game _____ _____

Interview Simulation _____ _____

Leaderless Group Discussion _____ _____

_____ _____

Overall _________

Initiative:

Actively influencing events rather than

passively accepting; self-starting. Takes

action beyond what is necessarily called

for. Originates actions rather than just

responding.

Assessor Your

Business Game _____ _____

Leaderless Group Discussion _____ _____

Overall _________

Assessors:

_____________________________ Participant:_______________________

_____________________________ Date: ______________

_____________________________

Assessor Discussion Form

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Dimension Assessor #1 Assessor #2 Assessor #3 Final Rating

Decisiveness

Initiative

Judgment

Leadership

Management

Control

Oral

Communication

Planning &

Organization

Problem

Analysis

Resilience

Sensitivity

Written

Communication

Overall Score

Assessment Center ---

Sample Final Rating

Form

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Sources of Rater Bias

• Halo effect– rate high or low due to irrelevant feature or global impression • Leniency error– tendency to give everyone higher ratings • Severity error– tendency to give everyone lower ratings • Central tendency– avoid extreme ratings for specific or on all dimensions • Contrast effect– rating of one person is affected by rating of another • Hawthorne effect– rating distortion (usually high) due to being attended to in a study • Self-fulfilling prophecy (experimenter effect)– selective attention given to what is expected or

desired • Misplaced precision error– faults in the rating, design, or treatment may invalidate the precision of

the other • Law of the instrument– a favorite instrument will probably find only what it’s designed to find • Number magic– the use of numbers carries the impression of greater precision than may be

present

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Key Steps to

Valid Assessments

Step 1: Identify job-relevant

competencies

Step 2: Design the assessment

strategy

Step 3: Identify assessment tools

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Step 1: Identify Job-relevant Competencies

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Do you have job analysis/competency data?

IF NO • Conduct a job analysis – A study of what job holders do on the job,

what competencies must be employed to do it, what resources are

used in doing it, and the conditions under which it is done

• Why do a job analysis

– It forms the basis for applicant assessment tools

– It helps provide legal defensibility

– It makes good business sense

– It enhances the validity and utility of human resource products

Step 1: Identify Job-relevant Competencies

IF YES

Proceed to the next step

Step 2: Design the assessment strategy

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Do you have job analysis/competency data?

Step 2: Design the Assessment Strategy

– Number of applicants

– Volume of hires

– History of litigation

– Degree of customer contact

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– Turnover

– Diversity issues

– Job stress

• One or more assessment options can be used to

determine a person’s ability to successfully perform

a job

• The appropriate assessments for a given situation

will depend on a number of factors, such as:

Step 2: Design the Assessment Strategy

Other considerations

• Resources

– Budget available for assessment

– Time available for development and implementation

– Staff available to administer assessment

• Job-relevant competencies to be assessed

• Tools used to assess these competencies

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Step 2: Design the Assessment Strategy

1) Is the assessment tool reliable and valid?

2) How are the assessments scored?

– Formula to combine assessment scores

– Setting of passing scores

– Veterans’ preference 49

Questions to Address

Step 2: Design the

Assessment Strategy

3. In what order will applicants take the assessments?

One common model:

• Hurdle 1: Screening

• Hurdle 2: Performance-based Assessment

• Hurdle 3: Interview

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Questions to Address (cont.)

Step 3: Identify Assessment Tools

Hurdle 1: Screening tools may be used to narrow large candidate

pools

Examples:

– Accomplishment Record

– Biographical Data Questionnaire (Biodata)

– Cognitive Ability Test

– Job Knowledge Test

– Personality Test

– Situational Judgment Test (SJT)

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Step 3: Identify

Assessment Tools

Hurdle 2: Performance-based assessments measure an

applicant’s ability to perform job-related activities (best used when

a limited number of applicants is expected)

Examples:

• Assessment Center

• Work Sample

• Writing Assessment

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Step 3: Identify Assessment Tools

Hurdle 3: Structured interview should be

used as a final assessment method or when the

applicant pool is moderate or small in size

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© Development Dimensions Int’l, Inc., MMXI. All rights reserved. 54

Training and Development

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Connect Assessment Insights with Development Activities

• Provide a “fix” for things assessed

• Save money by not training people on what they know or are good at

• Take advantage of Key Actions to speed training

• Provide multiple practice opportunities where Key Actions overlap—most important Key Actions

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Interaction Essentials

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B = Behaviorally-defined Key Actions

B= Behaviorally-defined Key Actions which are

Interaction Essentials

B B

B B

B B

B

B B

B

B

B B

B

B

B B

B

B

B B

B

Coaching Delegating

B = Behaviorally-defined Key Actions

B

B

Influencing Others Decision Making

How Development Components Are Linked

Determination of focus Key Action

development needs based on assessment report and discussion with

manager

Training to learn and practice focus needs

Deliberate Practice with manager or others

Follow-up development and reinforcement to assure training sticks

Adoption of Key Actions into ongoing personal skill set

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Ongoing Practice and Measurement of Key Actions

• Reminders of key learnings and forms provided in training

• Additional simulations for more practice

• Games to build skills

• Ways to collect ongoing feedback (Social Media)

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Advantages of Linking Assessment

with Training and Development

• Focuses training and development efforts

• Guides deliberate practices

• Motivates learners (understand need)

• Speeds training and development

• Decreases training and development costs

• Makes assessment and training/ development into

an integrated system 59

Other Considerations

• To use assessment tools properly, you must be

aware of both the benefits and limitations of any

assessment strategy

• Agencies can develop and administer some of these

methods independently. However, some of the

options require a high level of technical expertise to

develop and implement

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One Final Thought

“Hiring decisions have long-term consequences for an

organization’s productivity and performance. Therefore,

quality—not speed—should be the primary measure of

the success of hiring decisions and the underlying hiring

process.”

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Identifying Talent through Technology ─ Automated Hiring Systems in Federal

Agencies. U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, August 2004.

For Better IndONEsia 62

Learning and Giving