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Assessment Centres

Products - Assessment/Development Centres

The benefits of Assessment and Development Centres

What are Assessment Centres? What are Development Centres? How are they different and what are they used for? What benefits will an organisation adopting these key development and assessment tools reap?

An introduction to Assessment Centres

An Assessment Centre – like a Development Centre – is a process, not a place. A group of participants take part in multiple activities designed to generate evidence of the Competencies that are strongly associated with success in the target job or job level. These activities include simulation exercises, which usually reflect the three working scenarios that are familiar to most of us:

Working alone;
Working one-to-one; and
Working in groups.

Depending on the need, the Assessment Centre might also incorporate other activities such as a competency-based interview or psychometric tests.

Participants are observed by trained assessors, who record what is said and done and then classify this behavioural evidence against pre-determined competencies. This evidence is then evaluated, which in recruitment situations sometimes involves the use of Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) to speed up the marking process whilst maintaining high levels of accuracy, consistency and fairness. The assessment decisions are made by pooling data about participants during what is often referred to as the 'assessor wash-up session'. This multiple assessment process is objective and reliable.

Why use an Assessment Centre?

Assessment Centres have proven success in predicting how well a person will perform in a new role.
Because this is a standardised process, everyone has the same opportunity to show their ability on the same basis.
Due to the use of multiple assessors, Assessment Centres are far more objective than a selection interview, which may rely solely on the views of one person.
Assessment Centres are fair in that participants can show a range of abilities in realistic and relevant simulation exercises and employers get a more rounded view of each individual.
Assessment Centres can project a highly professional image of an employer, which is particularly important when organisations are competing to attract and retain scarce talent.
Assessment Centres help employers to reduce the risk and costs of selecting or promoting the wrong people.

When are Assessment Centres used?

Assessment Centres have proven successful in predicting how well a person will perform even when their previous experience is less relevant to the new job. Hence, the popularity of this method in:

External management recruitment;
Graduate recruitment;
External and internal recruitment to new posts, perhaps stimulated by organisational expansion or restructuring (such recruitment often coincides with culture change and a need to transform behaviour); and
Internal promotion, for example to key leadership roles.

An introduction to Development Centres

Development Centres and Assessment Centres use the same methodology but with different purposes. Whilst Assessment Centres are generally used to recruit and select new employees, Development Centres are used to facilitate learning and improvement in current employees by providing them with an objective diagnosis of their strengths and 'gaps' in relation to a set of competencies.

Assessment Centres culminate in some form of selection decision and therefore represent the end of a recruitment or selection process.

Development Centres culminate in feedback and personal development planning and therefore represent the start of a learning process.

Development Centres usually include activities that help participants to gain maximum benefit from the feedback, and to engage in post-Centre learning. A self-development module is available for inclusion in a Development Centre timetable, which provides participants with a structured approach to setting learning goals and monitoring progress.

Development Centres often have a catalytic effect in preparing individuals to embark on a process of behavioural change in order to meet new business expectations, changing personal aspirations or more often a combination of both.

To facilitate this process, we offer a range of learning solutions including development options guides and competency-based workbooks. These are designed to encourage coaching and mentoring and leverage maximum value from the investment in the Development Centre experience.

Why use a Development Centre?

Development Centres have proven success in diagnosing individuals' current strengths and 'gaps' in relation to a set of competencies, thus providing a platform for future development.

Depending on the purpose of the centre, the process allows certain individuals to be pinpointed as having potential for future promotion, perhaps as part of succession planning.

Development Centres provide an objective and ethical means of helping people to benchmark their own effectiveness in a safe environment.

Development Centres can send a clear signal of the organisation's commitment to investing in learning and development.
When are Development Centres used?

Development Centres are extremely effective in diagnosing job-related strengths and gaps, and in identifying people with fast-track potential. Hence, the popularity of this method in:

Helping employees to benchmark their effectiveness against new competencies and values, perhaps as a response to organisational restructuring or a need to raise the 'performance bar' due to market pressures;
Identifying emerging talent, perhaps by using the Centre as an entry route into a virtual or real learning academy; and
Supporting the accelerated development of minority groups as part of 'positive action' programmes.

To find out more about Assessment Centres and Development Centres please call Harbour Future Leaders on +61 2 9929 4044 or e-mail us at comms@harbourfutureleaders.com.

Trial our Future Leader Development Centre program. Find out more by downloading the brochure.