Assessment and Development Centres

by Ballantyne,Iain

• ISBN13: 9780566085994
• ISBN10: 0566085992
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-05-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Since the first edition of this book, the level of interest and the varied forms of assessment and development centres have mushroomed. Iain Ballantyne and Nigel Povah's book looks at the entire process, from the underlying concepts to the most effective methods of validation - not forgetting the organisational politics involved.The main objectives of the book are:- to establish a thorough understanding of the principles and practice of assessment and development centres;- to provide sufficient knowledge to enable practitioners to run their own events in a professional manner;- to help readers to recognise when they may need to call on outside expertise, and- to equip readers to ask pertinent questions of any prospective advisers.This new edition includes guidance to reflect the significant developments within the technology, along with further advice on quality control, process improvements and further refinements to the increasingly popular development centre concept.Assessment and Development Centres represents a practical approach which is sure of a warm welcome from HR professionals.

Author Biography

Iain Ballantyne is an independent business psychologist, until recently Principal Consultant with Nigel Povah at Assessment & Development Consultants Ltd. Nigel Povah is the Managing Director of Assessment & Development Consultants

Table of Contents

List of Figures	vii
Preface to the Second Edition	ix
Preface to the First Edition	xi
1 What is an Assessment Centre?	1	(11)
What is assessment centre technology?
Defining assessment centre technology: the key features
Where did these centres come from?
Tracing the growth of assessment centres
Estimated current usage
Where has the growth come from?
Costs and benefits
Spin-off benefits
Strategic use of assessment centre technology
2 Getting Started	12	(15)
Why an assessment centre?
Implementing an assessment centre
Validity of assessment centres
Justifying the cost: utility analysis
Selling the concept
Using consultants
3 Defining the Job Needs	27	(16)
Job analysis
Why is the job analysis being conducted?
Structure of a typical job analysis
Who to involve in the job analysis
Common queries about job analysis
4 Designing the Assessment Centre Content	43	(22)
General issues
The criteria-exercise matrix
The exercise effect
Types of exercise
Variations in exercise design
Developing the exercises
Bespoke versus off-the-shelf exercises
Additional assessment methods
5 Planning for the Assessment Centre	65	(17)
The variety of people to be brought together
The number of people involved
Scheduling the exercises
The master schedule
Room allocation
Equipment needs
Services at the facility
Briefing procedures
Checklists
6 Assessor Training	82	(22)
Choosing assessors
Assessor training: objectives and duration
Assessor training strategies
Assessor training: content
The benefits of assessor training
Roleplayer training
7 Running the Assessment Centre	104	(17)
Starting the event
Administering exercises
Quality control
Closing remarks to participants
Preparing for the assessor discussion
The assessor discussion
8 Life after an Assessment Centre	121	(13)
The assessment centre report
Feedback
Actioning the development plan
9 Validating the Assessment Centre	134	(8)
Qualitative validation
Quantitative research
Reliability
Assessment centre validity
10 Development Centres	142	(20)
Assessment centres versus development centres
Key features of development centres
Growth of development centres
Evolution of development centres
Ongoing challenges for development centres
Validating development centres
The role of 360° feedback in development centres
Future prospects for development centres
11 Current Issues and Future Trends	162	(15)
The use of technology
New ingredients
The construct validity debate
Equal opportunities and diversity
Cultural issues and international centres
What next?
Appendix	177	(32)
Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Assessment and Development Centres
Best Practice Guidelines
British Psychological Society
Bibliography	209	(8)
Index	217