Story-game assessment center. Assessment center for managers: we train employees with the potential of competent managers Assessment how to prepare examples of questions

In organizations that keep up with the times, the HR department aims not only to ensure personnel records in the organization, but also solves issues related to the selection, training, development, motivation and evaluation of personnel. In a modern organization aimed at progress and development, a person becomes the most valuable resource. At the same time, skills and knowledge are certainly important, but personal characteristics also play a significant role. One of the methods is an assessment center (from the English assessment centre) or an assessment center. To date, this approach is one of the most accurate, since it uses various complementary techniques: such as business cases, interviews, psychometric and qualification tests, etc. With their help, the professional, psychological and personal qualities of an employee are evaluated, as well as potential opportunities in simulated situations that are closest to reality.

The assessment center, as a method of complex diagnostics of personnel, was developed by the German military after the First World War, since the methods of that time did not provide the necessary quality in the selection. The idea that formed the basis of the new method was innovative: to create situations that simulate combat missions as much as possible, and in the process evaluate the skills and behavior of the candidate. Subsequently, the method was adopted by the British army for the selection of junior officers, and the United States for the selection of intelligence officers. After only two decades, in 1956 the method moved into the civilian sector - AT&T built a separate center and began to evaluate enterprise managers. To date, thousands of enterprises around the world evaluate personnel using the assessment center. In Russia, the assessment center has been developed since the early 1990s.

The essence and objectives of the assessment center method

Assessment center (assessment center) is a comprehensive diagnostic method that includes a set of various private methods, the task of which is to assess potential the success of an employee in his professional activities based on the analysis of his behavior in specific modeling exercises.

The assessment is carried out by a specially trained group of expert observers (assessors, from the English assessor) based on specific criteria - competencies. Each competency has its own scale of behavioral indicators, and the assessment for each competency must be represented by the observations of at least two experts.

It is also important to note that the process evaluates not past merit or the current performance of an employee in his position, but potential success based on directly observed behavior (interaction with other participants, the mechanism for completing tasks, psychological state, etc.) Participants are also not compared with each other, the assessment is made in accordance with the scale of criteria.

At the end of the exercise, expert observers discuss and agree on the level of expression of each competence and make a final assessment. This approach ensures the credibility of the assessment center's assessment, and minimizes subjectivity.

Currently, the assessment center is used in solving many problems, such as: recruitment, selection to the personnel reserve for key positions, determining the direction of individual development, forming a management team, determining motivation systems. Of course, the list is incomplete, since each organization independently allocates tasks in accordance with the development strategy. In 2014, the NC RKCH Staff Assessment Federation conducted a study, the results of which concluded that 76% of managers use the assessment center to develop the organization's personnel, and most often in 74.1% the assessment center is used to evaluate middle managers.

Assessment center technology

The success of the assessment center, the positive economic effect and motivation, is directly related to the precise organization and implementation of all stages of the procedure, compliance with the principles and rules.

At the preparatory stage:

– the goals and objectives of the assessment center are determined (taking into account the strategic objectives of the organization, corporate culture and standards of professional activity),

- competencies are selected, determined, the matrix "competencies / criteria-methods" is compiled,

— modeling exercises are selected or developed,

— describes the requirements for the qualifications and experience of assessors; All observers-experts undergo special training,

- an organizational schedule for the assessment center is being developed (it includes a schedule that indicates the exact start and end time of each exercise, and an observation plan that indicates which of the assessors evaluates specific participants in each exercise, and also in which room each exercise is held from exercise)

— the rules for the use of the results obtained, as well as their storage, are fixed,

- organizational issues are resolved (premises, preparation of materials, etc.)

At the stage of the assessment center:

– ensuring that all activities are carried out in accordance with the agreed schedule,

- the procedures are clearly followed by all participants (it is especially important: - to exclude any discussion of candidates among the assessors during the performance of tasks by participants - independence of assessments is the key to minimizing subjectivity; - to exclude any discussion of exercises by candidates during breaks),

- Assessors must strictly follow the assessment format: observation - description - classification - assessment.

At the final stage:

— discussions are held among the assessors, during which each observer-expert must argue their assessments and conclusions with examples of behavior, if disagreements arise,

— all the data received from the assessors are summarized, and the final grades are displayed,

– a final report is drawn up with the results for each participant,

– feedback sessions are held with each participant (a personal conversation with an expert observer, where weaknesses and strengths are noted, with examples of behavior, areas of growth are determined, as well as necessary actions to improve competencies),

Who conducts the assessment center - key roles:

Assessor(observer-expert) - observes, describes the behavior of participants, classifies and assigns marks.

Leading– is responsible for compliance with the schedule, organizes the work of assessors, conducts briefings before each part of the assessment center, ensures compliance with the rules and procedures, manages the activity of all parties involved,

Administrator– is responsible for the organizational part of the assessment center: prepares the premises, organizes meals, distributes materials to participants (instructions, texts for exercises, answer sheets) and assessors (instructions for exercises, observation protocols, evaluation forms, instructions for role players, other auxiliary materials) , collects materials after the exercise, ensures compliance with the regulations, etc.

Role player- plays additional roles in tasks where intervention or interaction is required, often one of the assessors acts as such a player.

Very often, large companies train their own staff of assessors - for this they select specialists from various departments. However, many organizations prefer outsourcing, which has its advantages: the guarantee of the independence of the results, the objectivity of the assessment, the quality of the assessment.

What tools are used in the assessment center

As noted above, the assessment center is a comprehensive assessment method. The choice of methods depends directly on the tasks set, as well as financial and time resources. Most commonly used:

• Structured interview with an expert - collecting data on the experience and professional skills, tasks and career expectations of an employee
• Tests and questionnaires (professional, psychometric, etc.)
• Modeling exercises - creating situations that may arise at work in real life. Within the framework, participants need to find a group or individual solution, build a strategy, and come to the desired result.

Assessment Center - its own examination committee. Not a single incompetent employee will seep into the walls of the company.

To the accompaniment of talk of a new crisis, this prospect seems all the more tempting. How to organize your own assessment center? How costly is it? Experts shared step-by-step instructions and examples of tasks.

“The assessment center is a method of personnel assessment based on modeling the key points of the activity of the assessed person in order to identify professionally significant qualities that he has”, - gives the definition of the assessment center of the St. Petersburg Center for Psychological Support Ilgiz Valinurov, President of Business Connection Corporation.

For the first time in the foreseeable past, this method of assessment was used by the British army: in the 40s of the 20th century, young officers were offered to demonstrate their management skills in a situation simulating military operations. A few years later, the US Central Intelligence Agency borrowed a new method.

Therefore, perhaps it is to the scouts that we owe the fact that now the assessment center is used to assess personnel in thousands of companies. Who knows: were American Telephone and Telegraph employees retired CIA agents? One way or another, it was AT&T who introduced the "army" method into business practice. For these purposes, the company even built a separate building called "The Assessment Centre". Since then, this phrase has entered the lexicon of personnel specialists.

A Valuable Appraisal Method

“At present, more and more companies are turning to the issue of personnel assessment, as the issue of employee performance is very acute,” says Irina Kandaurova, managing partner of the HR-studio "Time of People". It is the assessment center that allows you to comprehensively evaluate a candidate or employee, that is, to weigh all his skills and abilities necessary to work in this position.

According to experts, the assessment center has a number of advantages over other methods. “For decades, this method has proven to be the most effective,” says Irina Kandaurova.

Moreover, according to Ilgiz Valinurov, the assessment center is a universal method that helps in all aspects of personnel management. The expert gives the following list: “The assessment center can be used to:

1. recruitment;
2. learning and development;
3. promotion of employees;
4. career management and mentoring;
5. motivating employees, getting feedback from them.

Proving the value of an assessment center, President of Business Connection Corporation refers to scientific studies: “How valid are the results of the assessment? Researchers from the British Psychological Society provide data on the validity of personnel assessment methods. They argue that the personnel assessment center (relevance of results 65-70%) allows you to evaluate the candidate with greater accuracy than the behavioral interview (48-61%), job simulation (54%) and even more so the traditional interview (5-19%) ".

The effectiveness of the assessment center in the practice of talent management and motivation is confirmed by Irina Kandaurova. According to her, the use of this technology makes it possible to form an individual development plan for each employee, taking into account his strengths and weaknesses.

“The developmental assessment center contributes to the formation of employee motivation for self-development and learning, which significantly increases the effectiveness of further training and development activities for company employees,” the expert continues.

Dear Commission

Who should be on the examination committee? According to Ilgiz Valinurova As a rule, assessments are carried out by external experts: HR consultants. Their qualifications and experience increase the speed of preparing, conducting and processing the results of the assessment. Also, managers of the customer company are necessarily involved in the assessment.

Thus, the corporate "examination committee" includes: HR consultants, a representative of the company's management team and the direct supervisor of the examinees or a leading specialist in this field.

Irina Kandaurova offers the following algorithm of actions for those who plan to create an assessment center based on their company:

1. Preparation of materials for the workshop on the development of competencies. Formation of a portfolio of competencies to determine the ideal profile of an employee.
2. Development of a profile of key competencies of an employee (at a certain position) in a group with the customer's experts and consultants (working session). In time, this stage can last from 2 weeks to 3 months.
3. Formation of an ideal profile, a description of the behavioral manifestations of a successful employee.
4. Development of evaluation procedures (it is desirable to develop evaluation procedures based on the actual activities of employees). Options.
5. Selection and training of observers (observers must have experience in similar work. 3-4 observers are required for a group of 7 people).
6. Development of evaluation sheets.
7. Development of a schedule and coordination of the time of the assessment center. In a group of up to 10 participants, 2 observers are assigned to each.
8. Conducting an assessment center (assessment takes from 1 to 2 days, depending on the category of employees).
9. Processing and analysis of the evaluation results (processing of the results is the most time-consuming stage of work. It can take from 2 weeks to 1 month).
10. Preparation of the final report and individual expert assessments of the participants of the assessment center and presentation of the report to the head.
11. Individual feedback for participants based on the results of the assessment center. This stage is necessary to develop an employee development plan, as well as to form motivation for development and training.
12. Development of a training program for employees.
13. Development of individual development plans for employees.

What assessment methods should be chosen? “Each company forms its own set of components for conducting assessment centers, depending on its needs, as well as time and financial resources,” says Ilgiz Valinurov. The expert offers the following options:

1. An interview with an expert, during which data is collected about the knowledge and experience of the employee.
2. Tests (psychological, professional, general).
3. Brief presentation of the participant to experts and other participants (sometimes audio and video recording is used).
4. Business game: under the guidance of an observer, a group of employees or candidates plays out a business situation according to a pre-prepared scenario.
5. Biographical survey.
6. Description of professional achievements.
7. Individual analysis of specific situations (case-study). The participant is invited to choose a specific strategy and tactics of action in the proposed situation.
8. Expert observation: based on its results, recommendations are made for each employee.

Initially, it was the business game that was the essence of the assessment. As we can see, now HR managers have much more opportunities at their disposal. There are other assessment methods - many of them are covered in the materials on our portal.

Visual material

The experts told what a typical check looks like in an assessment center. Irina Kandaurova shared with us the cases that are used in this procedure.

1. Task for the leader

You are the leader. A specialist Alexander works for you. He is an ambitious young man. He has been with the company for 3 years, started from scratch, but quickly grew up and is now a qualified specialist who knows the company's product well and shows consistently high results in his work. Today Alexander brought you a letter of resignation. You absolutely do not want to lose a qualified specialist. You decide to talk to Alexander. You have 5 minutes to think about what you will tell Alexander to prevent him from being fired from the company.

2. Task for the employee

You got a job at XXX 3 years ago when you were a marketing student at a prestigious university in Moscow. You graduated 2 years ago and hoped that your higher education would serve as a green signal for your career growth. You have been working as a specialist for 3 years already and show good results. But you would like career growth. You have decided to start looking for a job. You have job offers as a senior specialist with the prospect of moving to a managerial position after a probationary period. But the salary in the new place will be slightly lower than the one you have now. In addition, the corporate culture of the new company is more rigid than in XXX, and you doubt whether you will fit into it, but nevertheless decided to write a letter of resignation. Your manager wants to talk to you about your future.

Ilgiz Valinurov told what is included in the timing of the assessment procedure:

“A properly prepared assessment can be done in 3 hours:

Gathering of participants, tea/coffee - 15 minutes;
- welcome speech of the organizers or host about the procedure - 5 minutes;
- filling in professional or personal questionnaires - 30-60 minutes;
- presentations of participants - 30-60 minutes depending on the number of participants;
- conducting a business game: 3 minutes to explain the task, 15 minutes - individual work, 20 minutes - group work, 10 minutes for the presentation of the results, that is, approximately 50-60 minutes;
- summing up the results of the assessment and informing about further actions - 10 minutes.

That is, only 2.5-4 hours, depending on the number of participants and assessment procedures.”

long and expensive

It is obvious that the organization of an assessment center is a waste of time and resources.

Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to evaluate each candidate in this way. “It is advisable to apply this method to assess the most significant category of employees for the company. More often it is used to evaluate sales managers, purchasing managers, service personnel, management staff, ”says Irina Kandaurova. Sometimes, in order to save time, a mass assessment is used for candidates applying for the most demanded positions in the company.

Another difficulty in organizing your own assessment center is the high requirements for those who conduct it. “The assessment center is one of the most labor-intensive methods of assessment, requiring a high level of competence of the experts who conduct it,” says Irina Kandaurova

1 -1

You have been invited to an Assessment. Congratulations: it means that you are already in the final and the employer wants to evaluate you "in action". What will be required of you? About 5 ways to evaluate your competencies and 4 steps that will allow you to prepare for them, said the General Director of TESM LLC Tamara Shiukati.

Assessment- the procedure is quite common today, but no less exciting for candidates. According to our statistics, now the number of selection stages in the company has seriously increased: line specialists go through 4-5 stages, and managers go through up to 7 stages.

What is an assessment or assessment center - this is an assessment of the knowledge, skills and competencies of candidates through business games and tasks, where experts carefully observe the real behavior of the participant and evaluate his answers.

The competition for one good vacancy reaches about 10 specialists, and the employer wants to approach the selection process as carefully as possible and, as a result, tries to apply all, in his opinion, effective assessment methods in order to minimize his risks. Therefore, additional assessment tools are gaining popularity so actively.

And now such an assessment is carried out not when the interview is not enough, but in the case when the company has chosen 2-3 finalists and wants to evaluate them "in action".

Popular evaluation methods:

1. Tests- very different: from IQ assessment to specialized professional ones. They especially like to torment accountants of various levels, and it doesn’t matter what area of ​​​​work you are applying for - the test can be so comprehensive, as if it includes “accounting basics”. This method of assessing knowledge and competencies is now rather fading into the background and is mainly used only for vacancies, where candidates need to assess the ability to think analytically, work with a large amount of information, and respond quickly in a stressful situation.

Such testing can last up to 6 hours, when the candidate, being in a small meeting room, tries to answer hundreds of diverse questions ... this is not very comfortable.

2. Cases and business games at an interview, when you may be asked to sell something, discuss a discount and other "difficult" terms of the contract as part of the conversation.

This method of evaluation is gaining popularity, because the interviewer here and now can evaluate your creativity, wit or ability to carry yourself in difficult and stressful negotiations, defending the position of the company.

3. Homework, especially popular for IT professionals. Even before the interview, you are asked to complete the task, you send the result and wait for a decision.

Here you have the opportunity to solve the task quite calmly at home, the result will also be evaluated online, and either you will be invited for an interview, or you will be politely refused.

4. Presentation. In this case, you get a serious case for a decision, for example, "The company's product development strategy" or "visit our stores and present your ideas on ..." You carefully study the product, read a lot of information about the company, visit their stores. After that, prepare a presentation at home, and then speak live in front of a panel, which usually consists of HR specialists and senior management.

The speech lasts about 40 minutes, then you are asked various questions. Moreover, the presentation can take place both in Russian and in English. This method is very popular for evaluating salespeople, Key account, Brand and Product managers.

5. And, of course, Assessment Centers when, within the framework of one business game, specialists can evaluate several candidates at once, and for different vacancies. You just come at the appointed time and, together with other candidates (3-6 people), participate in business activities.

This event lasts from 3 to 6 hours. At the same time, 2-3 experts evaluate your behavior, and a professional trainer conducts the event itself. According to the feedback of the participants, a rather exhausting procedure.

All these assessment tools are actively used among the important stages of the selection of candidates in Western companies and more actively in Russian ones. Therefore, if you want to get a Job Offer, you need to prepare for such events very carefully and with all responsibility.

Many candidates refuse, for example, a case presentation, as they believe that the employer simply wants to "remove" ideas from the market. My experience shows that serious companies, Russian or Western, do not do this. There is only one task - to see you in action, evaluate your ideas, ability to communicate, respond in difficult situations and, if you are a really excellent specialist, invite you to work.

A few tips for those preparing to take the assessment:

1. Prepare responsibly for the assessment and don't let things take their course. Even if the task itself is not known to you in advance. Rely on the important competencies for this position, on what is most interesting for the employer to assess and "play out" all possible situations. Speaking of tests, rehearse on those that are available on the Internet, train your brain.

2. Try not to plan anything for this day in order to pass the assessment without rushing anywhere, giving it the necessary amount of time.

3. Be respectful of all participants: both those who evaluate you and those who in this case are your competitors. Employers always like it - endurance and the ability to hold on in stressful situations.

4. Be sure to get enough sleep, drink a cup of invigorating coffee and smile. This will definitely help!

Good luck to you!

When using the material, a hyperlink to the corresponding page of the portal site is required

This article was created after several requests to us by employees and candidates of companies with a request to help us through the assessment procedures. And in it we decided to highlight a few basic questions:

• What ?
• Is it possible to prepare for the assessment center?
• What is the process of preparing for passing the assessment center, and how long can something be done?

Experts (HR directors, HR managers, etc.) may also be interested ...

Learn to pass an assessment: is it possible?

Recently, we have been receiving requests that fit into two simple formulations: “Are you preparing for the assessment center? Is it possible to prepare for the assessment center?

Questions, of course, from individuals in whose companies it is planned to implement the assessment. Or those who have to go through this procedure again. People, as a rule, in such cases have a distant idea of ​​​​what it is. Or they feel fear. It seems to applicants that it is enough to know the correct answers in order to pass the assessment and get high results. Figuratively, they turn to us for “correct answers”.

In some companies (and I must say, quite large ones), the result of the assessment center is one of the components for making personnel management decisions, along with the assessment of the manager and the performance of the employee's unit.

We believe that it is possible and sometimes necessary to prepare for an assessment. But what does it mean to “prepare for an assessment”? This means:

1. know how the procedure will go;
2. be able to demonstrate the required skills at the proper level.

What is an assessment center (assessment center)?

First you need to understand why and how the assessment center is conducted. Such procedures are aimed at assessing the level of development of skills, i.e. the ability to act in a certain way in real time. Managers and HR-specialists of the company receive information that can be used for personnel decisions.

Conducting an assessment allows the organization to spend less resources: on promotion and training of employees. In most cases, the company is interested in the work of professionals, therefore, after the assessment, a collective or individual employee development plan is formed.

What categories of employees?

Most often, such a capacious and multifaceted procedure is carried out to assess the qualities of the managerial staff, the personnel reserve. Less often - employees and specialists. In our practice, there were several projects when we helped with the assessment of candidates for vacant positions and conducted an assessment center.

How is the assessment center?

The assessment center is a sequence of cases, exercises and activities aimed at identifying skills, abilities and attitudes. During the day, participants play various situations, solve problems, pass interviews, and perform test tasks.

The assessment for managers, as a rule, is aimed at studying the level of leadership and management (planning, motivation, control, decision making, etc.) competencies.

The assessment conducted for specialists is aimed at determining professional qualities and effective attitudes. For example, for sales managers it is necessary to have developed communication skills, empathy, the ability to see a partner in a client.

Assessment center report

After the assessment center (AC) is conducted, the observers form a report that reflects the degree of development of the assessed competencies of the participants. The report also provides recommendations for their development.

Feedback on the results of competency assessment

Usually, based on the results of the assessment, the participant is provided with feedback: the consultant comments on the assessments and talks about directions and ways to develop "sinking" skills and abilities. This procedure lasts about 1 hour.

Development of an Individual Development Plan (IDP)

In the ideal case, the continuation of the feedback becomes an IDP (Individual Development Plan), which describes the goal, objectives, methods and ways of developing competencies. As well as an indicative calendar plan for the implementation of the planned activities: trainings, individual sessions with a coach, reading literature ..

The implementation of the development plan may be accompanied by regular meetings with a coach or development consultant.

As you can see from the description, the assessment center is not something that should cause concern. Thus, to prepare for an assessment means to remove possible anxiety about the procedure and its results. And also to master certain skills enshrined in the company's competency model.

How to develop competencies

The duration of development depends on the reason for the “sinking” of competence. But first, a little about how we consider the structure of competence.

Competence, in our opinion, contains three components:

• behavioral skill (algorithm or technology of behavior);
• installation;
• natural ability.

Consider the example of the competence "Execution Management"

This managerial competence, which consists of a behavioral skill or algorithm - the ability to set a task, exercise control or check understanding. And this is a reproduction of a certain technology, which, by the way, can change.

This is followed by attitudes regarding this activity - his attitude (unconscious readiness to act in a certain way in a certain situation). For example, the manager considers this technology unimportant, believing that the subordinate can guess what he needs to do in most situations.

And the last component of competence is natural ability. In our case, how much a person is predisposed to a particular activity. Or what is given to him by nature))) For example, recent studies have confirmed the presence in the genome of a combination responsible for the manifestation of leadership qualities.

Thus, returning to the question of the duration of the development of a particular competence, we dare to assert that competences develop quickly and easily, where it is simply necessary to master the technology, develop a skill (a way to act in a certain way). At the same time, a person has a predisposition, and he wants it (considers it important to develop this skill). In this case, most often a person needs several sessions similar in format to the training. Further, it is only necessary to actively and systematically consolidate the acquired skill in one's activity.

Preparing for an assessment means developing your skills!

All of the above should be kept in mind if you are aware of your declining competencies and are planning to develop them for the upcoming assessment center in your company.

Preparation for the assessment center

If you want to prepare for the upcoming assessment center, we recommend:

1. Study corporate competencies (as a rule, this is open information in companies);
2. Conduct a self-assessment - "try on" the competencies for yourself - evaluate yourself in relation to the target level of manifestation of each competency for the level of your specialist. Try to give yourself two or three examples from your professional activities that confirm the manifestation of indicators of this competence. If you don't understand the indicators or the competency statement, ask your HR team for clarification. They should help you.

Don't be fooled by high self-esteem scores. As a rule, they are overestimated by 10-20%.

Further development can occur either independently or with the help of a manager or an HR specialist. Or with the involvement of third-party consultants.

Algorithm for preparing for the assessment center

As mentioned above, the algorithm of such a project will fit into several stages:

1. individual assessment center;
2. receiving reports and feedback from consultants;
3. drawing up an IPR;
4. development sessions: trainings, coaching meetings, etc.

How to behave during an assessment

An assessment is not an exam. Attempts to "please" observers and presenters, as a rule, are easily read. But they don't always count in a positive direction. Therefore, we recommend that you do not distort facts about yourself, do not try to appear better and much more active than in life. We advise you to relax and direct all your energy to solving the tasks set by the leader, to interacting with other participants.

Benefit for the company

When we first carried out such a project, we thought about the ethical side of the issue. To what extent will this affect the purity of the subsequent assessment carried out in the company, and the reliability of the result? Can we provide such a service?

For ourselves, we answered this question in the affirmative. If an employee has increased a skill as a result of such a project, then he has the right to demonstrate this increase in a corporate assessment. For the company, the assessment preparation project has an additional benefit - the employee is motivated for self-development and is ready to invest his own funds in this development.

Subsequent experience has also shown that some companies even recommend that their employees undergo an individual assessment and develop the competencies necessary for the job. But this happens when companies do not plan to evaluate their employees in the near future.

Thus, we are for development! Develop, gentlemen! Develop!

Any large company someday faces the problem of assessing its staff. Such monitoring is necessary to find out the level of efficiency (or, in other words, efficiency) of the work of employees.

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There are many methods and techniques for determining the fruitfulness of work. And among them, not the last place is occupied by the method of complex assessment of the Assessment center.

What it is?

Assessment Center (AC) is the most accurate and reliable of all personnel assessment methods.

With its help, you can not only get to know the employee in depth - his psychological qualities, advantages and disadvantages - but also identify:

• to what extent he corresponds to the position he occupies (or, perhaps, is going to take);
• What professional features does he have?

And also to find out his potential as a specialist.

This appraisal technique is a kind of key to the successful functioning of the company.

The history of the center

The AC was originally developed for the selection of officers in the army of Germany and Great Britain. It was in the 30s of the XX century. Then the method did not yet bear such a name, and intersected with the present only in its essence.

It was in those years that the assessment of the actions of the military in simulated situations was first used. This was done to study the skills of officers and their combat readiness, in order to unambiguously know how this person would behave if a similar situation occurred in reality. This became the basis for founding the Assessment center.

The method was further developed during the Second World War. Over time, such experiments smoothly moved into the business environment. In organizations, it has been used since 1956.

AT&T, America's largest company, then built a building designed specifically for employee evaluation and analysis. The name of the institution was just the Assessment center, and later the name was transferred to the methodology itself.

The method gradually began to spread and already in the 60-70s was used with might and main in industrial companies in the USA and Great Britain. In Russia, it appeared in the 90s, when the old methods stopped producing results.

Currently, AC is rightfully considered one of the best evaluation methods.

Goals and objectives of the evaluation method

An acute shortage of talented managers at all levels of management is the No. 1 problem in any large company. It is this situation that pushes managers to search for such employees who will bring the enterprise to the forefront, and not drag it to the bottom.

The identification of competent capable managers among managers and ordinary workers is the main goal of the Assessment center.

The objectives of the method are as follows:

• Provide the organization with competent staff (in case the method is used in recruitment).
• Diagnose company employees in terms of their training and development needs. Encourage staff to self-develop.
• Make the most accurate assessment of the professional qualities of managers and other specialists.
• Optimize the management function of the organization.
• Form a personnel reserve. Find those people among employees who are capable of becoming leaders. Determine for them a program of further development and advancement.

AC will make it possible to make the correct placement and "castling" among the company's personnel.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Assessment center

This technique has its pros and cons.

Typology

There are several types of ACs:

• Traditional- diagnostics of personnel competencies.
• Strategic- Forecast of the development of the organization, determination of the strategy for further actions and the direction of the company's work.
• Team building- such an AS unites managers of different levels and specialists into one team.
• Developing- Assessment center of this type creates conditions for staff development.
• Individual- a comprehensive assessment of the head.

The assessment center, as a way of assessing personnel, has its own principles and rules.

Principles

The score must be:

• complex;
• independent;
• unambiguous.

All participants must have equal opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and talents and be under the same conditions.

Evaluation is only the visible behavior of the subjects, without studying the internal causes. This allows you to understand exactly what is needed for a correct objective analysis: how an employee behaves in a particular situation that has developed at work, and how high his efficiency is.

Method Rules

• It is necessary to eliminate as much as possible the factors that can affect the outcome of the test.
• The opportunity for participants to deliberately behave in a way that pleases the expert by anticipating his expectations should be minimized.
• Be sure all exercises and tests must contain clear instructions, including: procedure; rules of behavior.
• You can not stop the subjects in the process of completing the task in order to do something else.

Stages of the AC

The Assessment Center consists of several stages.

I

Drawing up a successful profile necessary for a certain position.

At this stage, experts discuss with managers what competencies the employee should have.

For example, for a middle manager, this is:

• impact on staff;
• self-organization;
• ability to make decisions, etc.

All competencies (this is the ability to solve professional problems) when assessed are a scale with a description.

Each position has its own specific level of competencies that an employee must have in order to be in this position. The stage allows you to determine at what phase of development each of the necessary abilities of the subject is.

II

Evaluation process.

Several approaches are used here:

• business game;
• interview;
• testing.

A business game is precisely those simulated situations that are the basis of the AC.

Such conditions for evaluation can be, for example: negotiations, work to attract clients, management, etc. The game is played in front of specially trained observers.

Game example:

The director of the company encouraged his employees with a bonus and appointed its issuance for a certain period. But at the time of receipt of funds was less than expected. Task: you need to choose among the employees who to give remuneration and who to refuse. And explain your verdict to those who were left without a bonus.

The managers of one company where a similar game was held explained their decision as follows: they either told those who were left without a bonus that they did not earn it, or that they (managers) did everything possible, but a higher manager ordered in his own way.

The test and interviews after the simulation of business cases allow you to combine the assessments into one whole, and make the resulting result especially accurate.

III

Results.

After the performance of the working situation is over, the observers of the game display the participant's scores for all the necessary competencies.

This forms a profile of each subject, in which a measure of the development of his abilities is clearly outlined. Everything is recorded in the report for the head.

It's worth talking about feedback. All results are communicated to the participants. Shortcomings are indicated and recommendations for improving skills are given. This enhances the motivation of the company's specialists for self-development.

Methodology for diagnosing professional abilities

It is clear that of the two candidates with the same functional professional skills for a managerial position, the one whose competencies are at a high level is the most suitable. Because skills are easy to learn, especially if the applicant for the position learns quickly, but it is not so easy to develop competence to the desired level.

This is at least 1.5–2 years:

• efforts aimed specifically at improving a particular ability;
• regular trainings;
• practical activities in this direction.

So, the diagnosis consists of three points:

• competency model.
• Assessment tools.
• Combining tools with practice.

Assessment tools

Means of evaluation in AC are divided into 2 types: ascertaining and promoting.

Ascertaining tools:

• diagnosis;
• control measurements;
• business characteristic;
• promotion recommendations.

Promotion tools:

• rating;
• expert selection;
• public consolidation of competency models;
• stratification;
• rotation.

The use of these tools in AC allows you to give the most objective assessment of employees.

What is assessed during the AS?

Although each leadership position has its own “profile of success”, in most cases the following criteria are evaluated on a five-point scale:

• intellectual;
• emotional;
• communication;
• self-esteem;
• leadership skills.

The scale indicators are:

• Absolute incompetence- the employee is irresponsible, and does not feel the desire to change, much less develop.
• Temporary incompetence- Competence can be developed.
• Average- the employee is reliable in normal situations.
• High competence- the specialist is particularly reliable, even in non-standard cases.
• Leader score- a member of the AU is calm in case of force majeure and is able to manage any number of subordinates in the most difficult situations.

The results of the Assessment center are compiled as a report for each participant in the program.

The assessment center is the most effective way to assess the potential of personnel. And its results are not only the identification of a possible manager, but also a great achievement for the participants, regardless of the outcome of the test.

Because each of them, with the help of feedback, will definitely find out their main mistakes and receive recommendations for working on themselves.

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