A Global Survey of Assessment Centre Practices

A Research Report by a&dc and Colorado State University

Dan Hughes
Director of Product Development, a&dc

Philippa Riley
Senior Consultant, a&dc

Ali Shalfrooshan
Consultant, a&dc

Alyssa Gibbons
Assistant Professor, Colorado State University

George Thornton
Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University
Contents

Acknowledgments 3
Executive Summary 4
1. Introduction 8

2. Survey Sample 10

3. Assessment Centre Usage 14

4. Job Analysis and Competencies 20

5. Assessment Centre Design 27

6. Assessors 37

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7. Data Integration and Feedback 47

8. Use of Technology 54

9. Centre Evaluation and Outcomes 59

Appendix: Breakdown of Contributing Countries 65

References 67

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Acknowledgments

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Executive Summary

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1. Introduction

1.1 About this Report

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1.2 Purpose of this Survey

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1.3 Survey Methodology

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1.4 Reviewing the Results

Please note that in this report there may be percentages presented that do not add up to 100%. In
some cases, this is due to the rounding of individual percentage figures to the nearest whole number
in the analysis stage, which means that the final aggregate percentage may occasionally be slightly
above or below 100%. In other cases, questions allowed respondents to provide multiple answers (eg
tick all that apply).

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2. Survey Sample

2.1 Survey Respondents

Figure 2.1: Continental spread of respondents (N=543)

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Figure 2.2: Please indicate your current role and whether you work internally within an organisation
or as an external consultant for multiple organisations (N=513)

Figure 2.3: What functions have you performed personally in relation to this Centre? (N=438)

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2.2 Organisations Using ACs

Figure 2.4: Approximately how many employees work in this organisation overall? (N=508)

Figure 2.5: Does this organisation have offices in more than one country? (N=508)

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Figure 2.6: What is the main industry sector of this organisation? (N=443)

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3. Assessment Centre Usage

3.1 Use of the AC Methodology

Figure 3.1: How long has the organisation/business unit been using the Assessment and/or
Development Centre method, whether for this specific Centre or for other Centres? (N=461)

Figure 3.2: Do you expect the use of Assessment and/or Development Centres in this
organisation/business unit to increase or decrease over the next 3 years? (N=480)

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3.2 Purpose of the AC or DC

Figure 3.3: What is the primary purpose of this Assessment or Development Centre? (N=440)

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Table 3.1: Primary purpose of the Assessment or Development Centre, by geographical region
(N=439)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania Total
America
(N=228) America (N=36) (N=89) (N=29) (N=439)
(N=40)
(N=17)

Selection
(only or primarily)
Selection and
development
(equal emphasis)
Development
(only or primarily)

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Figure 3.4: What level of staff is assessed in this Assessment/Development Centre? (N=441)

Figure 3.5: Primary purpose of the Assessment or Development Centre, by level of staff (N=440)

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3.3 Multinational versus National Use

Figure 3.6: In which country or countries has this Centre been used? (N=398)

3.4 Number of Participants Assessed Per Year

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Figure 3.7: On average, how many Participants are expected to go through this Centre in a 12-month
period? (N=402)

Table 3.2: Participants expected to go through the Centre in a 12-month period, by geographical
region (N=401)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania Total
America
(N=204) America (N=33) (N=84) (N=26) (N=401)
(N=38)
(N=16)

1-25

26-50

51-100

101-250

251-500

501-1000

More than 1000

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4. Job Analysis and Competencies

4.1 Job Analysis

Figure 4.1: Which of the following job analysis techniques were used to design this
Assessment/Development Centre? (N=419)

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4.2 Type of Competencies Measured

Communicating Information

Relating to Others

Achieving Results
Leading and Influencing
Organising and Planning
Problem Solving and Decision Making

Adapting and Coping

Figure 4.2: To what extent are each of these categories assessed in this Centre?

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Table 4.1: Competencies assessed in centre, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania
America
(N=59-218) America (N=8-34) (N=29-87) (N=9-28)
(N=12-37)
(N=2-15)

Communicating Information

Relating to Others

Achieving Results

Leading and Influencing

Organising and Planning

Problem Solving and

Decision Making

Adapting and Coping

Other

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4.3 Number of Competencies

Figure 4.3: How many competencies/dimensions are assessed across this Centre? (N=419)

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Table 4.2: Number of competencies/dimensions assessed across the Centre, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Oceania
America Africa (N=33) Asia (N=87)
(N=218) America (N=28)
(N=37)
(N=15)

Fewer than 4

4-5

6-7

8-10

11-15

More than 15

Figure 4.4: On average, how many competencies/dimensions are measured per simulation exercise?
(N=410)

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Table 4.3: Average number of competencies/dimensions measured per simulation exercise, by
geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Oceania
America Africa (N=31) Asia (N=85)
(N=217) America (N=28)
(N=36)
(N=13)

2-3

4-5

6-7

8-9

10 or more

4.4 Number of Times Competencies are Assessed

Figure 4.5: On average, how many times is each competency/dimension measured across all of the
simulation exercises in this Centre? (N=406)

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5. Assessment Centre Design

5.1 Duration of the Centre

Figure 5.1: On average, how long do Participants spend in the Centre from start to finish? (N=437)

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Table 5.1: Duration of Centre, by geographical region (N=437)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Oceania
America Asia (N=89)
(N=227) America (N=36) (N=29)
(N=40)
(N=16)

0.5 days or less

1 day

1.5 days

2 days

2.5 days

3 days

3.5 days

4 days

More than 4 days

5.2 Number of Participants Assessed Per Centre

Figure 5.2: On average, how many Participants are assessed during one administration of the Centre?
(N=437)

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5.3 Exercise Designers

Figure 5.3: Who designed the simulation exercises used at this Centre? (N=404)

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Table 5.2: Who designed the simulation exercises used at the Centre, by geographical region (N=404)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania
America
(N=210) America (N=33) (N=82) (N=27)
(N=36)
(N=15)

Internal Psychologists and/or HR

Professionals

Other internal resource

External HR Consultants and/or

Psychologists
Pre-designed 'off-the-shelf'
exercises, without modifications
Pre-designed 'off-the-shelf'
exercises, modified or adapted

5.4 Distinct versus Integrated Exercises

Figure 5.4: Are the simulation exercises in this Centre distinct and administered one at a time, or
integrated together? (N=424)

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5.5 Number of Exercises

Figure 5.5: How many simulation exercises / different exercise components are used in this Centre?
(N=418)

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Table 5.3: Number of exercises per Centre, by geographical region (N=418)

South &
North
Number of Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania Total
America
Exercises (N=219) America (N=32) (N=86) (N=28) (N=418)
(N=37)
(N=15)

More than 8

8 Exercises

7 Exercises

6 Exercises

5 Exercises

4 Exercises

3 Exercises

2 Exercises

1 Exercise

5.6 Type of Exercises

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Figure 5.6: Which types of simulation exercise are used in this Centre? (N=419)

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Table 5.4: Types of simulation exercises used, by geographical region (N=419)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Oceania
America Asia (N=85)
(N=211) America (N=33) (N=27)
(N=35)
(N=15)
Analysis/Case study
exercise

Role-play

Oral Presentation

Competency-Based/
Behavioural event
interview
Group Discussion with no
assigned roles

In-basket/Inbox exercise

Group Discussion with

assigned roles

Situational interview

Scheduling/Planning
exercise

Fact find

5.7 Other Assessment Methods Used

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Figure 5.7: Which types of other assessment methods are used in this Centre? (N=338)

5.8 Cultural Adaptations

Figure 5.8: In what ways, if any, were the features of this AC adapted specifically to fit the culture of
the country or countries where it has been used? (N=299)

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6. Assessors

6.1 Assessor to Participant Ratios

Figure 6.1: What is the typical ratio of Assessors to Participants on this Centre? (N=404)

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Figure 6.2: Ratio of Assessors to Participants, by purpose of the Centre (N=402)

Figure 6.3: Ratio of Assessors to Participants, by geographical region (N=402)

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6.2 Assessor Background

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Figure 6.4: Profile of Assessors, by purpose of the Centre

Table 6.1: Profile of Assessors, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Oceania
America Africa (N=32) Asia (N=80)
(N=208) America (N=25)
(N=32)
(N=15)

Line Managers

Internal HR
Professionals
Internal
Psychologists
Other Internal
staff
External HR
Professionals
External
Psychologists

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6.3 Duration of Assessor Training

Figure 6.5: What is the duration of training given to Assessors for this Centre? (N=376)

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Table 6.2: Duration of training, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania
America
(N=204) America (N=28) (N=69) (N=26)
(N=36)
(N=12)

No specific training given

0.5 days or less

Between 0.5 and 1.5 days

2 or more days

6.4 Content of Assessor Training

Figure 6.6: Which of the following content areas are covered in the Assessor training? (N=337)

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Table 6.3: Content of Assessor training, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania
America
(N=186) America (N=26) (N=60) (N=23)
(N=33)
(N=8)

Competencies or dimensions

Content of the exercises and

other assessments

Procedures for evaluating and

rating Participants

Ability to use ORCE

methodology
Strategies and procedures for
providing oral and/or written
feedback
Organisational policies/
procedures for managing
Centre data
Ability to act objective and
consistently as a Roleplayer

Knowledge of organisation and

target job or job family
Demonstration of ability to give
accurate feedback on
performance

6.5 Assessor Evaluation and Certification

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Figure 6.7: Are Assessors formally evaluated (certified) before they are allowed to assess Participants
in the Centre? (N=363)

Figure 6.8: How is the competence of Assessors evaluated? (N=374)

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Table 6.4: Methods of Assessor evaluation, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Oceania
America Asia (N=78)
(N=190) America (N=32) (N=24)
(N=34)
(N=15)

Not sure what evaluation

methods are used

Completion of minimum
number of training hours
Written test covering
knowledge of practice
and procedures of AC
Practice assessment of
mock Participant(s)

Supervised assessment
by experienced Assessor

Group consensus
criterion

6.6 Guidance Provided to Assessors

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Figure 6.9: What guidance or aids are provided to Assessors for this Centre? (N=386)

Table 6.5: Forms for guidance provided to Assessors, by geographical region

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Oceania
America Asia (N=75)
(N=204) America (N=31) (N=25)
(N=35)
(N=15)
No guidance or aids
provided
Competency/dimension
definitions
Examples of potential
behaviours by
dimension/competency

Behavioural checklists

Behaviourally anchored
rating scales (BARS)

Other form of rating scale

Model answers

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7. Data Integration and Feedback

7.1 Integration Method

Figure 7.1: What method is used to integrate Participant data from the Centre? (N=382)

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Figure 7.2: Method used to integrate Participant data, by Centre primary purpose (N=370)

Table 7.1: Method used to integrate Participant data, by geographical region (N=381)

South &
North
Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania Total
America
(N=204) America (N=30) (N=76) (N=24) (N=381)
(N=34)
(N=13)

Assessor discussion
leading to consensus

Combination of
discussion and statistical
aggregation
Statistical aggregation
only with no Assessor
discussion

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7.2 Recipients of Feedback

Figure 7.3: Who receives feedback about the Participants performance on the Centre? (N=390)

7.3 Feedback Timing

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Figure 7.4: When do Participants receive feedback about their performance on this Centre? (N=385)

Table 7.2: When do Participants receive feedback, by primary purpose of the Centre (N=384)

At specified Directly upon Within one More than one

Primary purpose of After each
intervals during completion of week of the week after the
the Centre exercise
the Centre the Centre Centre Centre

Selection (only or
primarily)
Selection and
development (equal
emphasis)
Development (only or
primarily)

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7.4 Type of Feedback and Development Opportunities Provided

Figure 7.5: Kinds of feedback and development opportunities provided to Participants (N=383)

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Figure 7.6: Kinds of feedback and development opportunities provided, by purpose of the Centre

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8. Use of Technology

Figure 8.1: Proportion of respondents using technology in their Centre (N=394)

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Figure 8.2: Use of technology, by geographical region

8.1 Participant Technology Features

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Figure 8.3: To what extent are different technology features currently being used in this Assessment
Centre or Development Centre, and what features are likely to be introduced in the next 2 years?
(N=394, Participant features shown only)

8.2 Assessor and Centre Coordinator Technology Features

Figure 8.4: To what extent are different technology features currently being used in this Assessment
Centre or Development Centre, and what features are likely to be introduced in the next 2 years?
(N=394, Assessor and Centre Coordinator features shown only)

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8.3 Perceived Benefits of Technology Usage

Figure 8.5: If this Centre does have technology features, in your view what impact have these had on
each of the factors listed below? (N=187)

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9. Centre Evaluation and Outcomes

9.1 Centre Evaluation

Figure 9.1: What methods have you used to evaluate the effectiveness of this Centre? (N=381)

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Table 9.1: Methods used to evaluate effectiveness, by geographical region

South &
North
Methods used to evaluate Europe Central Africa Asia Oceania
America
effectiveness (N=197) America (N=29) (N=78) (N=25)
(N=36)
(N=15)
No evaluation has been
conducted to date
Participant reaction measures
(questionnaires or interviews)
Assessor reaction measures
(questionnaires or interviews)
Reactions from other
stakeholders (eg senior
management)
Measurement of behavioural
change following participation
in the Centre
Content validation of Centre
with internal or external
experts
Predictive validation of
Participant scores against
future job performance
Concurrent validation of
Participant scores with current
job performance
Construct validation using
internal structure analysis
Construct validation using data
from outside the Centre
Adverse impact/fairness
analysis
Return on Investment/Utility
analysis

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9.2 Stakeholder Perceptions

Figure 9.2: In your opinion, how supportive is senior management in the organisation of this Centre?

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Figure 9.3: In your opinion, what is the perception held by Assessors and Participants about this
Centre after going through it?

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Figure 9.4: Participant and Assessor perceptions, by purpose of the Centre

9.3 Return on Investment

Figure 9.5: In your opinion, how would you evaluate the overall Return on Investment (ROI) for this
Centre, taking account of both financial and non-financial outcomes (N=387)?

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Table 9.2: Overall Return on Investment, by purpose of Centre (N=387)

Small positive Moderate Substantial

Purpose of Centre Negative ROI No returns
ROI positive ROI positive ROI

Selection
(only or primarily)
Selection and
development
(equal emphasis)
Development
(only or primarily)

9.4 Challenges to the Centre

Table 9.3: Has the Centre been subject to formal or informal challenges?

South &
Europe North Oceania Total
Central Africa Asia
(N=201/ America (N=24/ (N=386/
America (N=32) (N=78)
204)* (N=36) 25)* 390)*
(N=15)
Formal legal challenges
(law suits, court cases)

Other challenges
(complaints, union
opposition, objections)

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Appendix: Breakdown of Contributing Countries
Continental Region Inclusive Countries Respondent Count % of Total Sample

Europe

North America

South & Central America

Africa

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Asia

Oceania

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References

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