A survey of assessment center practices in organizations in the United States

122Citations
Citations of this article
75Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Two hundred fifteen organizations in the United States provided information about multiple aspects of their assessment centers, including design, usage, and their adherence to professional guidelines and research-based suggestions for the use of this method. Results reveal that centers are usually conducted for selection, promotion, and development purposes. Supervisor recommendation plays a sizable role in choosing center participants. Most often, line managers act as assessors; they typically arrive at participant ratings through a consensus process. In general, respondents indicate close adherence to recommendations for center design and assessor training. Recommendations involving other practices (e.g., informing participants, evaluating assessors, validating center results) are frequently not followed. Furthermore, methods thought to improve predictive validity of center ratings are underutilized. Variability in center practices according to industry and center purpose was revealed. We encourage practitioners to follow recommendations for center usage, and researchers to work to better understand moderators of center validity.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Spychalski, A. C., Quiñones, M. A., Gaugler, B. B., & Pohley, K. (1997). A survey of assessment center practices in organizations in the United States. Personnel Psychology, 50(1), 71–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1997.tb00901.x

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free