HR recruiters are constantly faced with the challenge of fitting the right candidate to a given job. While there are several methods of assessment, no one method can completely assess individuals in a fair, objective, and unbiased manner. An improvisation over all these methods is the Assessment and Development (A&D) center method, which uses a combination of selection tools. There is significant research support for this method which has been found to be a good predictor of individual performance on the job. This article describes the A&D center method, its origins, and advantages.
Assessment and development (A&D)centers are a uniquely fair and effective method of making decisions pertaining to selection and promotion of personnel in an organization. This is because it combines the virtues of different methods of selection, which enables this methodology to make up for the deficiencies of any one method of assessment. An A&D center is not a physical location but a methodology for making selection and promotion decisions. It involves a number of assessments of an individual that provides a clear picture of what that individual has to offer. It typically includes different exercises and simulations to test an individual on varied dimensions. In 1973, the first International Congress on the Assessment Center Method was conducted. The growth in its adoption led to the formulation of a formal definition of this method which was endorsed during the 17th International Congress on the Assessment Center Method, May 1989. The definition given is as follows:
"An assessment center consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Multiple trained observers and techniques are used. Judgements about behaviors are made, in major part, from specifically developed assessment simulations. These judgements are pooled in a meeting among the assessors or by a statistical integration process." |
