I think it’s worth explaining the term “Assessment Center” first.
Assessment Center (assessment)- one of the methods of comprehensive personnel assessment, based on the use of complementary methods, focused on assessing the real qualities of employees, their psychological and professional features, compliance with the requirements of job positions, as well as identifying the potential of specialists.
The assessment is carried out according to a set of criteria, competencies. The set of competencies for assessment (competency model) is unique for each company and is a reflection of the requirements that the company places on its employees.
The method originated in the West during the Second World War. In the UK it was used to recruit junior officers, and in the US it was used to recruit scouts. Subsequently, it was adopted by business organizations, and at present in the West, almost every big company applies this method to staff appraisal. In Russia, the method has been used since the early 1990s and has already won the sympathy of professionals.
The results of the Assessment Center are used to perform the following personnel management functions:
- Selection. Every organization wants to be able to identify and select the best employees. The carefully designed Assessment procedure makes it possible to select ideal candidates for any vacancy.
- Staff placement. Every organization wants each of its employees to fill the right position. For example, an organization has several managerial positions with different levels responsibility. The Assessment procedure can provide management with the most complete information so that the placement of applicants for designated positions is as efficient as possible.
- Education and development. The Assessment procedure helps to identify the potential of each employee. This greatly facilitates the formation curricula and career plans. The candidates themselves have the opportunity to see for themselves what skills they need to develop on their own.
- Promotion. The results of the Assessment can be the basis for promotion of an employee, as they help to highlight those who have managerial potential. Such employees are offered positions with a wider range of powers and a greater level of responsibility.
- Career management and mentoring. Sometimes the results of the Assessment tests help people make a choice in the field of vacancy or education. They help to determine those areas of activity in which a person can express himself most clearly.
- Getting Feedback. The results of the Assessment can determine whether the training provided has benefited the employees.
In the life of every more or less large enterprise, sooner or later there is a need for a personnel assessment procedure. The most commonly used method of assessment is appraisal. But, certification has long become a formal procedure, a superficial method of personnel assessment and does not give an idea of development potential employees. In order to achieve the most complete and objective assessment of personnel, it is worth using the Assessment Center technology, as the most accurate form of assessment.
Assessment of participants in the Assessment is made by observing their actual behavior in business games Oh. Outwardly, the method is similar to training: participants are offered business games and tasks, but their goal is not to develop skills and abilities, but equal opportunities for everyone to show their strengths and weak sides. In each task, an expert is assigned to each participant.
An expert observes an employee in a specially simulated situation. He records in detail the behavior of his ward, which relates to the observed competence, in a specially designed form and evaluates it. The forms contain the results of an assessment of the behavior of an employee in a particular task. For each exercise, a separate form is filled out. Based on the results of the observation, recommendations are made for each employee.
The procedure of the Assessment Center takes place in a calm and friendly atmosphere. Employees of the enterprise have the opportunity to communicate with each other in an informal setting and look at their work and the work of their colleagues from a different angle. For the most part, it all depends on how the management of the enterprise presents the need for this event to employees.
Depending on the needs of the company, observers can be selected from among the company's employees or invite third-party consultants. In the first case, the company has a long experience in conducting assessment activities using the Assessment Center technology, companies independently train their employees in the technique of observation during the assessment. There are some "buts" in this evaluation option. People, as a rule, are not able to objectively evaluate those with whom they work side by side day in and day out. Sooner or later, personal sympathies or dislikes will appear, which will interfere with observations. And therefore, the involvement of outside consultants to conduct the Assessment Center increases the degree of objectivity in the assessment of personnel.
And now, in fact, - my impressions of participation in the Assessment Center as an observer. I participated in a project to assess the level of competence of sales managers of a large manufacturing company as part of a group of consultants involved. At the initial stage of the development of the competency model - the basis for assessment, and the preparation of assessment tools, I did not participate. But an important point for the observer is that the competency model consisted of 10 points, the number for observation is optimal, because the more competencies, the more difficult it is to observe and evaluate.
My work on the evaluation began with participation in the training of observers. During the training, I and other observers studied in detail the characteristics of the corporate culture of the company in which the assessment will be carried out, job description and other documents regulating the activities of sales managers, as well as a competency model. Studying the competency model, we not only memorized the names of the assessment criteria and their description, but also independently modeled the options for the manifestation of competencies depending on the production situation in which the assessed employees may find themselves.
The training program for observers also includes training in filling out observer forms. It should be noted that this procedure is not simple, because the observer simultaneously records the behavior of his observed, identifies in the behavior the elements of the manifestation of a particular competence and evaluates the level of development of competence. Each exercise has its own unique observation form. In this project that I describe, in each exercise we assessed 4 - 5 competencies.
In order to make it clear how to assess competencies in the exercises during the training, the observers played all the exercises themselves, watched each other's behavior and assessed the competencies according to the observers' forms. Summing up, it becomes clear that no matter how experienced the observer is, you need to prepare for each Assessment Center, and really prepare, reading materials about the upcoming assessment is not enough.
The appraisal itself took one working day. As a rule, the number of observers required for an assessment is calculated according to the formula: for one observer - two assessed. In the described project, 12 employees were evaluated, 6 observers were trained for their evaluation. To ensure the objectivity and accuracy of the assessment, several rules are taken into account when organizing the Assessment Center:
- The exercises are designed in such a way that the assessed competencies are unambiguously manifested - we checked this during the training of observers.
- Each competence is examined in at least two exercises - we also checked this during the training.
- One observer in the exercise evaluates a maximum of two participants at the same time - I should note that it is rather difficult to evaluate two participants, during the exercise you cannot ask, as in the famous film: “A little slower, I'm writing!”.
- During the evaluation day, the observer from exercise to exercise evaluates different participants. This is necessary so that there is no getting used to the observed, so that the eye is not “blurred”.
Prior to the start of the evaluation, each of the observers received a folder with materials for observation. This folder contained:
- Plan for the evaluation session;
- Competency model for assessment;
- Brief description of the exercises;
- Forms for observation;
- To comply with the fourth rule of the organization of the Assessment Center, the materials for observers included an observation schedule, which indicates which observer observes whom in which exercise.
In general, everything is simple and clear, on the one hand, but time-consuming and responsible, on the other.
However, with the end of the evaluation session, my participation in the project did not end. An important moment of the Assessment Center is an integrative session - a discussion of the results of the participation of each assessed person in the exercises and an assessment of the degree of development of competencies. If there are doubts about the correctness of the assessment, during the integrative session there is an opportunity to watch the video recording of the Assessment. Participants are warned that the recording will take place before the start of the assessment, and at the end of the project the recording is deleted.
It was a very interesting experience. Having looked at the “kitchen” of the Assessment Center from the inside, I can say for sure that this method allows an employee to demonstrate his capabilities and abilities in situations that are as close as possible to his daily work. During the assessment procedure, participants fully reveal themselves in communication with colleagues, and it immediately becomes clear who can and wants to work in a team, and who is more comfortable being “on their own”, who is ready to accept the company’s values, and who is focused on the primary satisfaction personal interests. I will not deny that it was also a difficult experience - the observers bear a huge responsibility for the correctness of the assessment of the participants, because the further professional fate of the company's employees and the fate of the entire company as a whole depends on this, which is why the training stage of observers is so important. Perhaps it is the awareness of the responsibility of the results that leads many companies to the decision to use professional observers - consultants in the project.
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Companies do not run smoothly. At one “perfect” moment, the result suddenly turns out to be lower than expected. And not always people can understand why the efficiency of their work has decreased. What happened?
The reasons for failures in the work of companies sometimes cannot be explained even by competent managers. Often in such cases management decisions are applied, which then give rise to a tangle of new problems that need to be unraveled.
Seven times measure cut once. Before making a decision, you need to collect the necessary information. Information about the state of material resources is relatively easy to obtain. But exhaustive information about human resources is more difficult.
In fact, the human resource can be measured. Managers are familiar with such methods of assessing the potential of their subordinates as psychological tests, different kinds interview, assessment center.
We give data on accuracy various ways personnel research taken from foreign sources
The most accurate methods of personnel assessment are structured interviews and assessment centers. The last one is the most difficult.
The assessment center method originated in the West during the Second World War. In the UK it was used to recruit junior officers, and in the US it was used to recruit scouts. Subsequently, it was adopted by business organizations, and at present, in the West, almost every large company uses this method to evaluate personnel.
The assessment center came to Russia in the early 1990s. Now this way of studying human resources has received a new impetus. And if the heads of enterprises more often resorted to the assessment center, then, perhaps, at the crisis stages of the development of firms, the heads of middle managers and other workers would be less likely to “fly”.
Indeed, as a result of the correct assessment of the personnel, each team member will find a worthy application, and the leader will strengthen his authority thanks to the ability to take care of human resources. Such a synergistic effect contributes to the increasing popularity of this method of personnel assessment.
Competence is in vogue. Competence is a set of behavioral characteristics, required by the employee for the successful completion of a task.. In other words, from the point of view of personnel assessment, this is not a profession, not an area of human awareness of anything, but desired set of qualities .
It is customary to single out two factors that determine successful work. The first is knowledge, skills and abilities that can be acquired in the learning process and confirmed with diplomas and certificates. The second relates to personality. AT English language it is called performance. These are the qualities that enable us to use knowledge, make decisions, deal with challenging tasks, mobilize, communicate with people, etc. Before the assessment of the company's personnel using the "assessment center" method, competencies are determined. The identification of competencies required for a position is based on an analysis of the activities in this position.
Competences are as varied as life itself, the world around. Competency examples: leadership, teamwork, courage and perseverance, customer focus, decision making, ability to consider human factor, communicative qualities.
Here we want to warn the reader against hasty conclusions. After all, you might think that every company needs some standard set of competencies. Naturally, everyone needs leaders, and people who can work in a team, etc. But not everyone good quality suitable for all occasions.
For example, one company sets itself the task of capturing a new market. Another company is striving to retain the already won positions. Obviously, when selecting sales specialists for the first company, you will need people who are assertive and aggressive in the good sense of the word, that is, sellers of the “hunter” type. The second company will need sellers of the “farmer” type - people who are able to carefully “cultivate the existing plot of land”, “hill up the cultivated fruits”. When evaluating candidates for the positions of sales representatives using the assessment center method, the competencies for the first and second business structures will differ.
The concept of competence used in the assessment center method can sometimes contradict the commonly used meaning of this word. For example, for the competence "ability to work in a team", one of the main qualities will be adaptability, the ability of a person to "fit" into a certain team. At the same time, people who are competent in their professional field, may be considered unsuitable if they failed to work well with other team members.
The choice of competence is of great importance for the entire process of personnel assessment. An error made at this stage of work is automatically transferred to all its other stages. The standard procedure for an assessment center usually includes a study of company employees or job candidates in five to ten competencies.
Down and Out trouble started. An assessment center should be held after careful preparation. We have already spoken about one component of the preparatory process - the identification of competencies. At the same time, the evaluation parameters are determined. Within each competence, several behavioral manifestations are distinguished.
The next steps in preparing for the study are the definition of assessment criteria, the development of a program for a specific assessment center and the preparation of tasks for the assessed personnel, the training of assessors.
What can we measure. As people work on a task, they are monitored. At this stage of the assessment center, information about the assessed personnel is collected. The action or behavioral manifestation of a person is exactly what should be measured. With regard to competence, each action can be assessed as positive and negative. Evaluators record the actions of the observed and qualify them, that is, they attribute them to manifestations of one or another competence.
As a result, these positive and negative manifestations are compared, and the person receives a final assessment for the entire competence.
In the assessment center, five-point and nine-point scales are most common.
For example, in a five-point scale, the highest score - "five" - is considered 80% of positive manifestations and the absence of negative ones; the lowest score ("one") is called, on the contrary, 80% of negative manifestations of behavior and the absence of positive ones. The acceptable level of competence development reflects the average score ("three") - this is 60% of positive patterns of behavior and the presence of some negative patterns.
Thus, people's behavior is reflected in numbers, which give the results a form that is convenient for analysis.
The procedure of "live" work with people lasts a total of at least four hours, otherwise it will not be effective enough.
The results of observations in the "assessment center" method are carefully processed. This stage is the longest in the whole process. Progress report, in addition to quantitative assessments, may include a detailed conclusion about the people subjected to the assessment, which reflects the qualitative characteristics of the personnel.
Do not confuse assessment with diagnosis. First, evaluators never try to "diagnose". Secondly, no conclusions are drawn during the observation. This happens later, at the end of work with the assessed people. Thirdly, assessors do their best to get away from subjective perception, changing each other during the assessment center. The worker under study is first observed by one, then by another, then by a third, and so on. The conclusion about the competence of the employee is made on the basis of an assessment of his behavior by all the researchers who took part in the work.
Fourthly, the same algorithm of actions has been developed for all evaluators, which each of them strictly follows.
As for the “diagnosis” or psychological type, its definition is not included in the task of the assessment center. Also, evaluators are not asked to identify the reasons for this or that behavior of people. These are completely different tasks.
How to organize work. There are two approaches to working with a customer. First, the customer provides his own set of competencies, according to which the staff should be evaluated. In the second approach, the researchers themselves identify and describe the necessary competencies, based on the analysis of the position. After the tasks are specified, the assessment methodology is prepared, "live" work with the customer's personnel begins. It can be carried out not only by appraisers of a specialized company, but also by the customer's own resources or jointly. We believe that it is possible to evaluate your own personnel using the “assessment center” method if there are trained appraisers in the personnel department of the enterprise, a clear methodology for observing people in the process of performing tasks and an evaluation system has been developed. In our opinion, any person, if he is sufficiently insightful, observant, has high intellectual and communication skills, can become a good staff appraiser. Our experience shows that teamwork personnel managers and appraisers, drawn from specialized firms, is extremely effective.
What is the assessment for? Our agency conducted several campaigns to assess the personnel of various firms using the "assessment center" method. This led to a number of interesting conclusions. What are the objectives of the evaluation campaign?
First, an individual approach to people is developed. The potential of employees, which has not yet been fully realized, can be identified and assessed. It becomes clear to the management in which direction this or that subordinate should develop. It turns out that one needs to be taught time management, the other - the art of communication, the third - the ability to make decisions. Secondly, the system of personnel selection criteria is determined. After the evaluation activities, new employees are selected more carefully, the probability of error when choosing a suitable candidate is sharply reduced. Thirdly, of course, they open various disadvantages in the work of management with personnel and ways to eliminate them are determined.
On tight turns. Experience shows that the study of the professional qualities of the company's employees using the "assessment center" method is effective when hiring new people for work, during the audit and certification of personnel, when developing programs for training and developing employees, before taking serious management decisions. Of course, personnel assessment can also provide significant assistance in overcoming crisis situations.
Assessment Center or Assessment Center(Assessment Center, Assessment Center) is a conglomeration of methods for a comprehensive assessment of personnel for specific customer tasks based on certain criteria (competencies). The Assessment Center is designed primarily to identify the potential of an employee.
The Assessment Center will allow solving the following tasks with an accuracy of 87%:
- Selection of the best candidate for vacant position
- Identifying the potential of an employee/candidate
- Formation of a personnel reserve
- Drawing up programs for individual development and corporate programs staff training
Competencies is a set of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and motives, described in terms of observed work behavior.
There are professional, managerial and corporate, and personal competencies.
Professional competencies- these are the requirements for the professional behavior of an employee, described in behavioral indicators. professional conduct develops if the initial level of these competencies is not lower than acceptable.
Managerial competencies- these are the requirements for the company's leaders, described in behavioral indicators. Develop if the initial level of these competencies is not lower than acceptable.
Corporate competencies are the values of the company for all employees, described in the language of observable behavior. Developed with the help of a system of requirements and regular assessment of the fulfillment of these requirements.
Personal competencies- These are the individual characteristics of a person's personality, manifested in behavior. Most often do not develop within the framework corporate business(they are commonly used in hiring, as well as for the formation of talent management programs).
Competence Model is a description of behavioral indicators by levels of manifestation according to the scale adopted by the Company.
Competence system- these are several competency models combined into a single system of requirements for the company's personnel. The competency framework should not contain more than 9 competencies in total.
Which models you need to develop in your company depends life cycle company, and most importantly on the objectives of the assessment.
Below is an example of a description of one competency:
Leadership is the ability to make people want to follow you
- Takes responsibility for team performance
- Sets the rules and organizes the work of the group
- Uses information about the individual characteristics of employees when setting tasks and delegating authority
- Pays attention and time to the development of employees
Stages of development and implementation of the Assessment Center
1. Development of a competency model
In order to conduct an assessment using this technology, it is necessary to first select competencies and develop a competency model.
Depending on goals estimates use different models. If we want to assess the managerial potential of an employee, then we need to build a managerial competency model. If we need to evaluate an ordinary employee for compliance with the position and develop recommendations for professional development, then we need to develop a professional model. If you need to solve two problems at once, then you need to develop a system consisting of professional and managerial competencies.
Corporate model is used when a company is building a proactive personnel policy, systematically approaches the assessment, development and career advancement of employees in the Company. In this case, there is a common set of competencies for all employees in the company, and the level of requirements for these competencies depends on the level of the hierarchy in the organizational structure.
Competences can be selected from the “competence library”, or you can conduct a focus group with internal experts.
First selected a large number of useful competencies, then, using the method of paired comparisons, a few of the most important for achieving goals (professional, managerial, or corporate, aimed at realizing the Company's mission) are left.
An example of a managerial competency model:
- Leadership
- Cooperation
- Motivation to achieve
- Ability to develop
- Making decisions
The competency model is a description of competencies by levels of manifestation according to the selected scale.
The scales describe from 4 to 9 levels.
Below is an example of a 5-level scale:
0 - level of incompetence, describes unacceptable behavior.
1 - the level of limited competence, describes the behavior in which the employee can be effective only within the framework of the template.
2 - basic level, describes the desired behavior within the competence in standard situations.
3 - skill level, describes the behavior of an employee in non-standard situations of increased complexity, requirements for mentors.
4 – strategic level, describes behavior with a long-term perspective, actions in the interests of the Company as a whole.
An example of a description of competencies by levels of manifestation according to the chosen scale in the language of behavioral indicators
| score | Level | Description of behavioral indicators |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Strategic |
In addition to level 3
|
| 3 | Skill level |
In addition to level 2
|
| 2 | Base |
|
| 1 | Limited |
|
| 0 | Incompetent |
|
One of the stages of passing the competition for a vacancy in serious companies is the assessment center, AC (assessment centre), or, in other words, the “assessment center”.
Interview in the format of the assessment center, what is it?
The assessment center or assessment interview is usually conducted at the final stages, when the pool of finalists has already been determined, and the employer wants to choose the best of the best. An assessment is a rather expensive procedure for a company, and for a candidate it is an opportunity to assess their competencies and qualities deeply and without prejudice. Therefore, whether you passed the assessment successfully or not, the experience will remain with you, which is not unimportant for the next step.
The assessment center can be held internal forces company, or a specialist from a third-party company (for example, Ecopsy, SHL, DDI) may be invited.
Assessment interview. What do we evaluate?
The main objective of this event is to assess the competence of the candidate. Competences are carefully selected in advance, their primacy and importance are discussed. As a rule, 5+- competencies are chosen for the assessment, which are top-priority for the successful completion of tasks in the company. Using this method, you can assess the potential of the candidate, his strengths and weaknesses. This is the most accurate assessment method that gives a complete picture of the candidate.
Then tasks are developed with clear and understandable evaluation criteria. After the assessment itself, the specialist takes several days to decipher the results.
The assessment center, on average, lasts from several hours to one working day, which is exactly how much time is needed for the candidate to open up as much as possible and show the real level of competencies.
All tasks that a person must complete are designed in such a way that, using the example of solving specific tasks, you can see and evaluate several parameters at once.
An assessment center may include:
- Testing, questionnaires
- In-Depth Interview
- Competency interview
- Business games (simulation)
- Pair role-playing games
- Presentation on a given topic (with analytics)
- Group role-playing games with role distribution
Not necessarily all the components described above will meet you during the assessment, often this event includes interviews and business games.
How is the assessment
Assessment is a kind of group interview and is similar to business training, where the candidate participates in business games and completes assignments. During the AC, business cases close to reality are modeled, solving which the candidate shows certain qualities.
Consider an example of an analytical presentation
The assessor gives the task, explains what is expected from the candidate and clearly fixes the time, and then leaves the candidate alone. The candidate receives material on the basis of which he needs to solve a business problem. For example, he received statistics on the development of different markets, and he needs to make a proposal to enter a specific market with some kind of product. Or he receives a description of the company's work for the last 2 years, data on employees, a profit and loss statement, and other inputs. He needs to offer a solution that will help bring the company out of the crisis.
After a certain time, the assessor returns and begins to check the result of the work, that is, listen to the candidate's presentation, which will contain data analysis and some solution. And the observers at this time record the information provided by the candidate: how competently he assessed the situation, whether he used the provided analytics, how convincingly he speaks, conveying his idea, etc.
Consider an example of a paired role-playing game
The candidate receives a task from the assessor, which describes the situation where 2 employees are involved: the candidate (supervisor) and the subordinate (the assessor himself can play the role of the subordinate). There is a description of the merits of the subordinate, his behavior, the importance for the company and the department. The manager (our candidate) needs to give him feedback after an unfulfilled assignment that had consequences.
The assessor retires again and gives the candidate time to prepare the interview. When the allotted preparation time runs out, the facilitator returns to the room, and a dialogue is played out between them. Observers at this time describe the leadership style of the candidate, how he reacted to one or another phrase of the subordinate, etc.
Consider an example of a group role-playing game
The candidate receives a description of the situation in which he plays the role of the head of sales for a particular region. Over the past three months, sales have dropped by X%, and he, along with the heads of marketing, purchasing, customer service, needs to develop a plan. The reasons for the drop in sales are clear, there are certain introductory ones. Each of the participants has his own position (plays a role, studies the material in advance), there is a participant with whom it is most difficult to agree, who has a different point of view, there is one who will support the candidate during the conversation, and there is one who will be inert, will not participate in the discussion. Candidate task-end the meeting with a plan of action for the next quarter, with which all participants in the meeting would agree. 
After a certain time, which is given to study the situation and data, the assessor returns to the room with other "heads of departments", and the discussion begins.
Observers at this time record how well the candidate understood the situation, how he defends his position, whether he hears others, whether he involves passive participants, etc.
Observers
At any stage, an internal HR can join the interview, who is also interested in hearing how the candidate solves certain tasks. Usually at the assessment center there are 1-2 observers for each candidate who do not interfere in the process and do not ask questions, they note important points, their thoughts.
Observers play an important role in the assessment center. Their task is to record and describe in as much detail as possible the behavior of the candidate during the performance of tasks, they use the NOKO technology - observation, description, classification, evaluation. Observers may be employees of a third-party company that conducts the assessment, or internal employees companies in leadership positions. Thus, managers have the opportunity to get to know the candidate before his employment.
In-Depth Interview
Often, at the request of the company, an in-depth interview is conducted at the assessment. AC can begin with it. Such an interview is conducted by an independent specialist - a psychologist or even a psychiatrist. The result of this conversation is psychological picture candidate. The assessment center is a stressful, but very effective method of assessment that benefits not only the company, but also the candidate.
Competency interview
It is a structured conversation, one on one. Distinctive features are tight timelines, refinements, attention to detail.
Evaluation and feedback
At the end of the AC, the observers and the facilitator discuss the behavior of the candidate and give marks. This process negates the risk of subjective assessment, allows you to accurately assess the qualities and potential of a person.
After the scores are summarized, the assessment company provides a written report on the candidate to internal HR, and after that the candidate receives feedback.
Assessment center (assessment center) is an organized technology for assessing knowledge, skills, business qualities employees. This is a universal, most accurate group assessment diagnostic for selecting a candidate for a vacant position. The assessment center helps HR departments to analyze the competencies of employees, to adequately assess whether they correspond to their position. The assessment is carried out by our own personnel service or external consultants, consulting companies.
Tasks and goals of the assessment center
Evaluating the performance of an employee is a necessity for successful business.
Conducting helps to assess the potential success of an employee in professional activity in real time. This can be both compliance with the position held, and the ability to solve tasks. Experts do not evaluate past achievements and current work. They pay attention to the possibility of effective work in other conditions than the current ones.
Evaluative diagnostics helps to realize a number of tasks.
- Reliable assessment of the level of personnel competence.
- Identification of the potential of specialists and employees for further development and career advancement.
- Efficient selection of personnel, accurate placement of personnel within the company in order to form a personnel reserve.
- Career guidance, drawing up a plan for the individual development of staff.
- Formation of the management team, corporate training.
- Optimization of personnel management (selection of participants for vacant and managerial positions).
Each company identifies its own tasks, and the results of the assessment center are needed to solve them. Managers use them for further staff development.
Additional advantages of the assessment center are the high reliability of the method and the reliability of the assessment result, since it is carried out by specially trained experts according to a clear algorithm, in accordance with the specified criteria.
Conditions for the effectiveness of assessment center methods
There are clear requirements for the methodology for conducting an assessment center. These are standardized methods, proper training of observers, organization feedback. A professional approach to the assessment procedure will help to avoid mistakes, as it pursues a specific goal, taking into account the characteristics of the company and its corporate values.
A necessary condition for effectiveness is the interest of employees in personal and professional development, the desire to expand competence, understanding the significance of the results of the assessment center.
In turn, managers should not turn the test into an exam. Wage should not depend on the outcome of the evaluation. It is used solely as a basis for the career growth of specialists.
The assessment center is held separately for managers and subordinates, employees with similar responsibilities can be combined. The results are not defined as low or high, are not submitted for public discussion. Mistakes, inaccuracies, and the transition to personalities are unacceptable, as this provokes conflicts and stress, and demotivates employees. The real effect is observed under strict observance of the conditions and organizational rules holding an assessment center.
Conducting an assessment
The assessment center procedure is carried out by trained specialists or one specialist who can combine all tasks.
- Expert Observer
The specialist, who had received training and a number of trainings, participated in the assessment center under the guidance of an instructor. The observer-expert has information about the assessment methodology, the content of the exercises, is familiar with the characteristics of the company, the tasks of the test. He must have the skills to describe behavior, the ability to summarize assessments and organize feedback.
- Leading
Responsible for the maintenance of diagnostic technology. The facilitator must have some training and experience as an observer. He manages the activity of the participants, instructs and organizes them, supervises the work of the experts.
- Administrator
A position that does not require special training. The administrator is responsible for the technical base, prepares the premises, issues the materials and paraphernalia necessary to complete the tasks.
- Role player
It can be an expert observer, any person who has information about the assessment technique. The player acts as a partner for the participants.
- Program designer
Develops the concept of the program, selects exercises depending on the goals, schedules the assessment.
- Exercise developer
Is subordinate to the designer and develops specific exercises. The developer has a degree in social psychology or management.
The assessment center is conducted by its own staff or external consultants. The use of external companies with experience gives an undeniable advantage: it guarantees the independence of the result, the absence of subjectivity, errors, and high speed and impeccable quality of evaluation.
Key competency assessment methods and their main principles
Methods of conducting an assessment center are different. They depend on the parameters being evaluated and what is being investigated. The choice is most often determined financial resources companies.
Main personnel assessment methods are the following.
- Certification. The procedure for its implementation is set out in official documents approved by the company's management. The evaluation criterion is professional standard specialties and positions. In the course of certification, the qualifications of an employee, the level of his theoretical knowledge and practical skills, business and personal qualities. Certification as effective method assessment center is held periodically, from one to three times a year.
- Interview. Personnel assessment method based on questions and answers. It can be carried out in a free form or in accordance with a pre-designed scheme. The most effective interview is situational-behavioral, when the employee is asked to remember the work situation, evaluate his participation in it and reproduce the behavior model. Questions should be specific, without ambiguous interpretation.
- Business games. Personnel assessment is carried out using situations that simulate business activity. This method The assessment center helps to simulate the actions of personnel in a given situation, assess their stress resistance, behavior, ability to respond quickly and make decisions, and interact with colleagues.
- Modeling situations. This is an assessment center method in which situations that arise in real work are reproduced. Participants make an individual or collective decision, look for a way out of the situation, show originality in order to achieve the goal as quickly as possible. Experts observe the discussion, draw conclusions about the competence of employees, their organizational abilities.
Stages of the assessment center
Proper organization is the key successful evaluation center. Lack of attention to at least one stage can affect the effectiveness of the methodology and the attitude of participants to the process. In addition, the principle of equality of conditions for all must be respected.
1. Preparatory
It defines the purpose of the assessment and professional competence on which the main emphasis should be placed. An organizational schedule is drawn up, tasks are formed. Observers are selected from the customer's side. They pass special training. At the preparatory stage, all issues related to the choice of premises, working conditions, and preparation of materials are resolved. Participants are informed about the objectives, methods of the assessment center and possible solutions taken on the basis of the test results. In conclusion, the participants give written consent to the processing of personal data.
2. Analysis of activities and formulation of evaluation criteria
This is the stage of researching the characteristics of the assessed employees, the specifics of the organization, and the patterns of interaction in the company. A list of evaluation criteria is formed.
3. Designing evaluation procedures
An organizational plan for the implementation of the program is created, relevant procedures and evaluation methods are determined.
4. Training of experts (observers)
To work as experts, interviewers, observers, employees are selected who undergo special training within the framework of a specific program of the assessment center.
5. Program implementation, evaluation
The stage includes the implementation of a program of evaluation procedures for the collection of personal personnel information. This is the conduct of business games, exercises (both team and individual), testing, interviews - in accordance with the scheduled schedule. The presenter and observers-experts participate. They evaluate the actions of the participants according to certain scheme: observation, description, classification and evaluation of behavior. During the stage, an understanding of the specifics of the activities of the participants and the structure of the organization is achieved.
6. Analysis of the results and preparation of materials for transfer to the customer
At this stage, all information and results obtained according to a special scheme (qualitative and quantitative analysis) are brought together. Each observer justifies his assessment. The result of the employee is discussed, the results are summed up. A report on the work done is compiled, in which the points are noted, the individual characteristics of the participants are prescribed, their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed. The result is presented to the head of the company. Based on the results of the test, a conclusion is made about compliance with business requirements and the position held.
7. The final stage - feedback
At this stage, personnel decisions are made, a training and development program is being built, personnel reserves and introduce others organizational changes accepted and approved at the first stage of the assessment.
The number of stages and their fundamental content can be changed (reduced, supplemented) depending on the set managerial and psychological tasks.
The result of the evaluation center
The results of the assessment center are not the only basis for acceptance personnel decision for individual employees. They only suggest how to improve the work of the staff and the company as a whole. A personal conversation is also held with the employee, in which his strengths and weaknesses, possible resources for improving professional competence are noted.
The advantage of the assessment center is that it allows not only to evaluate skills and abilities, but also to draw up an individual development program for a single employee. At the same time, technologies are universal: they are suitable for large enterprises and small firms. The results of the personnel audit are also used to motivate employees and increase labor productivity.
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