
Assessment Centres and Development Centres are a powerful starting point to understand the strengths and development areas of either existing personnel or potential hires. Both typically comprise of a specifically selected set of exercises, such as psychometric testing, personality profiling, group exercises, focused interviews and presentations. Performance is then analysed in order to identify relative strengths and weaknesses, ideally with findings put into context with your organisation’s competency framework and/or performance management system.
Assessment Centres and Development Centres, whilst having necessary but subtle differences in their administration and atmosphere, are similar. The differentiator between the two is in their purpose.
Choosing the right person to fill a job vacancy can be fraught with difficulties and the costs of making the wrong selection decisions are high (estimates range from 20% to 50% of salary). The more senior the appointment, the more potential there is for the damage to be wide-ranging and long-lasting. The question then of “How best to select the right candidate?” is answered in two words – Assessment Centres.
Development Centres on the other hand are designed to help participants learn more about themselves by receiving feedback in order to better focus on their development needs. When combined with an understanding of your organisation’s business goals, and particularly when complimented with effective feedback, a powerful and positive driver for change is created in most people.
Development and Assessment Centres delivered for organisations within the transport, healthcare, communications, local government and energy sectors. With state of the art, proprietary methodologies that deliver management information that can be put into a useable context.
To find out more about how Summit can design and facilitate highly effective assessment and development centres for you, please call us on 0845 052 3701.