Assessment center examples. Optimization of personnel management of the organization and formation of corporate culture

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, professional, psychological and personal qualities employee, 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 give required quality in 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.

Today, large companies want to make sure that their potential employees are competent enough to fulfill their labor obligations, therefore, before employment, the Assessment Center is often used as a method of personnel assessment. During the application of this technology, employees will be given practical tasks close to reality, and applicants, in turn, must demonstrate behavior patterns. The results of the study are used by the commission for subsequent personnel decisions.

As part of an experiment, the Assessment Center (AC) method was first used in the United States in the 1950s by the largest communications company, AT&T. Further

the technology began to be applied at the above enterprise on an ongoing basis, and already in the 60s other large corporations followed the example of AT&T. Within the organization, their own centers for testing personnel were created. Already in the new millennium, thousands of ACs appeared around the world, including centers on the territory of the Russian Federation.

One of the founders of the method was D. McClelland, who defined the basic rules for assessing employees, while any manifestation of oppression based on gender, ethnic or social factors is excluded. The list of principles includes the use of samples and the definition of intentions that affect labor efficiency.

Today, AC is considered one of the most authoritative methods for assessing the readiness of personnel. The number of organizations resorting to compiling their own centers is steadily growing every year. In Russia, the technique began to gain popularity after the collapse of the USSR - the transition to market relations required a more efficient organization of labor. Now, in the post-crisis period, the number of Assessment Centers is growing.

Tasks of the Assessment Center

Assessment center is conducted to determine the professional skills of a specialist. The emphasis is on testing the practical skills of a specialist in typical production situations. In general, this method helps to cope with the following tasks:

creation of a personnel reserve;
recertification of the management team;
corporate coaching;
professional adaptation of new specialists in the workplace.

The above was only an indicative list, since each organization can set its own tasks within the framework of the use of AC. The only requirement is the observance of the rights of employees provided for by the Constitution and the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. In addition, it is important to take into account the overall development strategy of the enterprise.

According to statistics, more than 75% use the AC method exclusively for the development of existing staff. When selecting employees, the results of training in the Assessment Center are not taken into account or, at least, are not a priority. Systematic verification of the staff of the organization ensures the high efficiency of the labor process.

Organization of the process

Usually, the assessment of employees within the framework of the AC is carried out by personnel specialists. Key qualities that consultants should possess include:

justice;
honesty;
no prejudice.

The quality of the assessment often depends on the level of training of the HR specialist. It is also worth noting that official representatives of the company participate in the evaluation of employees (usually they are given special forms). There are situations when the process is managed by the employer himself.

Definition of Competence

The main parameter for checking company employees is competence. The term "competence" should be understood as a set of professional skills that help in solving certain labor problems. Specialists distinguish three classes of competencies:

vision (type of thinking, planning, foresight, systemic thoughts);
actions (level of motivation, expediency of decision-making, purposefulness);
communication (leadership, ability to influence other employees).

AC methods

The main methods used in the Assessment Center include modeling, testing, interviewing.

Modeling

Specialists develop situations that subordinates may potentially encounter in the work environment. The training participants are tasked with developing a solution to the problem. Depending on the characteristics of the task, it can be performed both individually and in a group of people. The commission observes the process of solving problems and draws conclusions.

An example task is to determine the budget for each branch, while each specialist must defend the interests of his department. “I will be the first to reach a compromise solution,” is how each participant should ideally think. Also, there are often situations when a certain employee is asked to have a conversation with a subordinate who violates labor discipline. Here, emphasis should be placed on the possibility of providing the right arguments, having a moderate conversation, using the right expressions. According to the data of the NC RChK, the principle of a role-playing game is most often used in Russian ACs.

Testing

Testing is carried out in order to check the personal and professional quality potential employee, which are important for the effective performance of work. The tests use various psychometric methods. Questionnaires can also be offered to specialists to provide detailed answers. The data obtained as a result of testing helps to better organize information.

Interviewing

During the interview, it turns out how interested the employee is in the company. Also, the employer may be interested in what career goals he wants to achieve in the administration. As for the requirements for compiling an interview, specialists need to ask only accurately posed questions.

As for the tools used in the organization of the Assessment Center as a method of personnel assessment, they depend on the specific method and budget that the organization allocates to the AC.

Stages

The effectiveness of the Assessment depends on how well it was planned. For best results, it is important to include all of the following steps:

Training. At this stage, the objectives of the Assessment are determined, which need to be given special attention. Based on the goals set, they develop tasks, a program and approaches to testing. In addition, organizational issues are resolved (informing participants about the training, collecting materials, allocating premises for groups of workers).
Important! Evaluation is carried out only after receiving an agreement from the employee in writing. The employer also needs to obtain permission to process personal data.
Conducting AC. The program is determined by the chosen methodology, whether it will be testing, interviewing, etc. Experts observe and evaluate, with no discussion allowed to ensure an impartial process.
Conclusion. For each participant of the training, the total marks are calculated individually. To ensure objectivity, each assessment must be justified. Further, a full-fledged report is compiled with all the final results, which are handed over to the head of the company. The final moment will be informing candidates or already employees about the grades received.

How long does the Assessment Center take?

The whole procedure, including assignments and assessment, takes from several hours to 3 days. The evaluation procedure may be extended due to the occurrence of disputable situations. It usually takes one day to analyze the results.

Evaluation features

The technology format should be considered from two points of view: when a new specialist is hired, and when a specialist from the reserve who is already working in the company is being evaluated.

When an Assessment is conducted by a new candidate, HR officers first check his CV, CV and other documents. After that, the employee is invited to undergo an interview, where testing and interviews take place. The data obtained will be sufficient for decisions taken, while the principle of the game is applied only in large companies, where up to ten candidates can apply for one position, and any error is not allowed. It should be understood that the assessment is quite expensive for the company.

It is possible that a game session may be required when training an already working character when it comes to the most important positions. The game session is followed by an integral session where everyone discusses scores.

Today, quite often one has to listen to the mention of a technology called "assessment". What it is? What characterizes this concept? Read more about everything below.

What is an assessment

The definition of "assessment" refers to the method used in order to competently evaluate employees. It is based on the modeling of the main points of the functioning of employees, which makes it possible to determine how developed their important professional qualities are, as well as to predict their potential.

The primary application of the assessment technique is equated to the Second World War. It was in those years that the United States and England began to apply it. The British army thus recruited officers into their ranks, and the Americans used this technique in the selection of candidates for intelligence. Further, an adaptive restructuring of the technology was carried out to introduce it into the business sphere, where it achieved high popularity and fame in the right circles. This confirms the use of this technology in such large companies as Nestle, Xerox and others. Today, the breadth of application of technology is also confirmed by numbers - assessment is used in every second large company.

In the Russian Federation, assessment technology is also used. The beginning of use is characterized by the nineties. Today, Rosneft, Beeline, Lukoil and many other well-known companies use the assessment as a personnel assessment.

The widespread popularity and ubiquitous use of such technology must be explained by something. First of all, let's define what is the purpose of the assessment.

Today, the management environment suffers from a lack of talent. The problem is very high. That is why it is increasingly necessary to search for employees in whom possible prospects are read. This does not mean that the scope of the search is limited only to the list of existing managers. A search and selection of potential leadership among middle-level employees is being carried out. The process of searching, developing a personnel resource for a company is a rather difficult process. At the same time, in order to develop successfully, the company cannot do without this process. Only a competent approach, planning, development of the right tasks and their achievement will be able to prepare a worthy and professional pool of personnel.

So, what tasks of the company will be solved by using such technology as assessment?

First, an objective assessment of the professional level of personnel is carried out;
Secondly, employees with high potential are identified, with whom work will subsequently be carried out for the future;
Thirdly, a strategy is being developed to select personnel with the highest level of efficiency;
Fourthly, a reserve of personnel is being prepared;
Fifthly, special attention is paid to the development and training of the company's employees.

It should be noted that this method is distinguished by its reliability, objectivity, effectiveness and high level of assessments. Why? The fact is that the activity and professionalism of each employee is evaluated through the use of special criteria. This is a multifaceted work of several personnel experts.

Assessment technology involves the participation of three groups of characters:

These are the personnel that are being assessed;
A selection of special HR experts who make a direct assessment;
Head of this center Perhaps the invitation of a hired consultant from outside or the participation of a leading specialist of the personnel service.

Assessment interviews

More recently, this type of interview was a rare event in our country. However, over time, the requirements for the quality of hired personnel are increasing, and more and more new selection methods are being invented for candidates. Today, the method of assessment-interview is used more and more often.

As a rule, this method is used for hiring and middle managers. Many potential employees are often scared by the name alone. However, meanwhile, this method has a high level of efficiency.

An assessment-style interview is not at all like a regular dialogue. It is also not so easy to prepare for it, since each company may have its own tasks. What is required of the candidate? Composure, the ability to quickly respond to the situation, ingenuity. Resilience is a very important factor. Be prepared for the fact that not only your immediate potential supervisor, as well as other candidates, will be present at the interview. It is most likely that the interview will take place in a group form, when candidates will jointly participate in game tasks. What do such business games give? The fact is that it is precisely such situations that show what you are in real life.

It is also possible to conduct an assessment interview in the form of a discussion. This type of interview is very clear about the candidate's ability to defend his position and competently challenge the opponent's point of view.

Conduct this interview and in the form of tests and presentations. They may be asked to introduce both themselves and the company.

It is believed that the assessment technique interview has a high reliability - it is approximately seventy percent. This is a very good indicator. The use of different methods during the interview makes it possible to evaluate the candidate from different sides and aspects.

How to pass an assessment

The process of preparing for an interview in the assessment technique is inherently quite complicated, but quite real. Naturally, until the last moment, the essence of such an interview will remain a secret for you.

First of all, you must be collected and mentally prepared for the interview itself. Carefully study the history of the company in which you want to find a job - you should be ready for any questions. We have already discussed the main methods used in the interview. You should also be prepared for each of them. It is believed that the greatest difficulties are caused by discussions and games. You can involve your close people in the preparation in these areas - play with them, hold discussions. Be sure - this practice will certainly be useful to you. Prepare in advance for the presentation of yourself - indicate your important professional qualities, back up with facts from your work biography.

It is possible that the assessment interview will be conducted in the form of a regular conversation. But know that in the course of such a conversation, not only what you say will be evaluated. They will also appreciate the ability to behave, your gestures, facial expressions. You also need to prepare for this - do an “acting” game, talk in front of a mirror, pay special attention to all of the above details.

If yours will be in the form of a survey or test, pay attention to honesty. You should not try to show yourself as correct and ideal as possible by choosing the appropriate answers. Just answer honestly, you can't think of a better way out. The fact is that in many tests there is a special test for the sincerity and purity of the experiment. Yes, and excessive "correctness" will clearly cause doubts of the employer. Therefore, do not overdo it with the answers.

If the interview is a group one, the final "chord" may be your statement of opinion on the work of all those present or the team as a whole, a general vision of the situation. In this case, restraint is required from you. Think carefully about your conclusions, do not be harsh and overly critical - this is not welcome.

Be honest and natural, do not try to deceive and seem better than you really are. You can be sure - in case of deception, you will certainly be exposed.

Assessment case examples

Naturally, each company has its own stock of cases, exercises and methods for conducting an assessment interview. We will give you an example of a case used in an interview in one of the companies.

Task 1. You are a successful leader. One of your subordinates is Aleksey, he has great potential and ambitions. His work experience in the company is equal to three years, over the years he has established himself as a professional in his field. He solves all the assigned tasks quickly and clearly, there are no complaints about his work. But you have a resignation letter on your desk. However, you do not want to lose such a valuable employee. In five minutes, you need to prepare a conversation with Alexei, who will convince him to stay in the company.

Task 2. You are an employee of the company. The work experience in this company is three years. At the time of employment, you received higher education. A year later, after graduating from an educational institution, you dreamed of a promotion. However, despite this, as well as good results in the work, this did not happen. Since you need career growth, you started looking for a new job. During these searches, you received an interesting offer from one company, where you get a position above the current one. However, there are some downsides to working for a new company, including low wage. Your manager, after reviewing your resignation letter, wants to talk to you. Build your conversation and line of conduct during it.

So, before you are examples of cases used in an assessment-style interview. Of course, in reality, you may expect completely different options, but you should not be afraid. Be confident and collected. Believe - you will definitely succeed.

Think and answer if you had to deal with such situations:

Dialed on vacant positions due to the lack of certain skills, the staff cannot cope with the tasks and brings a loss to the company.

There are several candidates for the vacated post of the head or his deputy, but it is not known which of them will better cope with the duties.

Specialists do not develop and move poorly up the career ladder.

It is not possible to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the recruited employees in order to accurately place them in the company.

If you answered yes to at least one item, then you need to think about implementing one of the most effective methods personnel competency assessment called "Assessment Center" (AC).

An effective method of searching for "gold personnel" among hundreds of the same type of candidates

An assessment center or an assessment center (assessment - assessment) is a comprehensive assessment activity that includes a large number of special tasks that must be performed by the assessed specialists. This group assessment method allows you to understand the potential and professional level of the candidate, the character's compliance with the established criteria and compare his results with the results of other employees.

In simple words, thanks to the assessment center, you will understand what kind of people work in your company. This technique allows you to evaluate a person according to many factors (competencies):

Business understanding;

influence skills;

Analysis and forecasting;

Team communication;

Result orientation;

Planning;

Building business processes;

You can compare the Assessment Center with the procedure of washing sand in search of gold. Unsuitable specialists are eliminated, and only nuggets remain in the "sieve" - the most "golden shots". By the way, the use of assessment technology is recommended both for existing employees and for newly hired employees. After all, the sooner you find out the level of competence of the candidate and send him to the right position, the faster he will increase the efficiency of the company.

What results will you get from the use of AC?

The implementation of the assessment center will allow you to:

Understand the opportunities for growth and development of the strengths and weaknesses of a specialist;

Compose individual plan development for the assessed candidate;

Assess the level of conformity of the psychological qualities of the assessed to the requirements of the vacancy;

Identify promising employees for their further development and career advancement;

Select the most suitable candidates for leadership positions and positions of responsibility;

Find specialists with the highest potential among experienced applicants;

Effectively select new personnel for vacant positions according to criteria that are important for the company;

Predict the success of a selected specialist in a new workplace;

Form a personnel reserve and carry out personnel changes;

Evaluate candidates on narrow-profile knowledge and skills;

Launch new projects of the organization and accelerate its development.

But most importantly, with AC you reduce the risk of error when choosing a candidate for an open vacancy. For each assessed employee, you receive an individual report with a list of key skills and leading character traits of a person. This will allow you to accept the right decision on the optimal use of specialist resources.

The specialist, in turn, receives feedback with the results of passing the assessment center. Such information in most cases gives the employee an impetus to development in professional activities and increases his performance in the workplace in the future.

Maximum accuracy and reliability of the assessment center from Mental Skills

Despite the apparent frivolity of the so-called " business game”, as the assessment center is often called, it shows good results. Depending on the purpose and source, the degree of reliability (validity) of the assessment center approaches 80%. This is almost 2 times higher than the use of professional-personal questionnaires and as much as 4 times more than the effectiveness of a regular interview.

Note that personality tests do not measure the level of skills and potential of candidates. The assessment center does an excellent job with this task. Today, this technology is almost the only way to assess the qualifications of a specialist.

In terms of accuracy and reliability of the results, AC is considered one of the best tools for assessing staff skills. This is achieved through exercises that are as close to reality as possible, as well as by conducting the technology according to extremely clear criteria - competencies and several trained observers at once - personnel assessment specialists and psychologists. This is what the evaluation center of the distance learning company Mental-Skills looks like.

Mental-Skills is a professional team of appraisers with 8 years of appraisal experience. Our track record includes cooperation with more than 100 major clients. In total, we evaluated about 7,000 people. During this time, we have carried out both a point assessment of managers and an assessment of large projects with more than 900 participants. According to statistics - more than 70% of customers come back to us again. This speaks of the professionalism and high competence of our team.

5 Reasons to Choose Mental Skills for the Assessment Center

Order an accurate assessment of the skills and potential of employees from our company Mental Skills and get the following benefits:

1. High predictability - the assessed solve complex cases and participate in games that are based on real situations, in connection with which high accuracy and predictability of the results obtained are achieved.

2. Own unique set of exercises designed for specific tasks - role-playing game, group exercise, writing exercise, one-on-one game, interview.

3. A wide range of options for evaluating additional parameters, improving accuracy and reducing the cost of the service.

4. Several formats for personnel assessment - classic, optimized, online.

5. Affordable prices. The cost of personnel assessment in our company is much lower than that of most of our competitors. With us, you will save the organization's budget without compromising the accuracy of assessment of AC participants.

AC will be relevant primarily for HR, who are engaged in recruiting personnel. It is important for them to get the most accurate assessment of candidates and fill vacancies with the best specialists. Successful fulfillment of duties promises an increase in salary, and mistakes in work threaten fines from the management.

owners of companies that perform recruitment on their own;

companies that have their own assessors for an independent assessment of key executives;

certain groups of employees, for example, reservists;

specialists who are engaged in training and development of personnel.

The main stages of the AC

The Mental Skills company has developed an optimal scheme for the implementation of the assessment center. We invite you to familiarize yourself with its main stages:

1. Creation, analysis or refinement of the competency model

We analyze the existing competency model or develop it for a specific company. Depending on the purpose, a functional, corporate or managerial model can be used.

2. Development of the AC procedure

It includes:

Analysis of the company's activities;

Choice of game situation;

Development of tasks (cases) with exercises and tests.

3. Development of the AC procedure

Consists of the following steps:

Business game - performing cases with games and exercises that are united by one plot and simulate working situations. Conducted within 1 day.

Competency interview - a conversation between a participant and an observer and with the inclusion of questions related to labor activity. Lasts from 1 to 1.5 hours.

Evaluation information - the assessment of the assessed person by expert observers and the derivation of an integral assessment.

Feedback to participants - preparation of assessment results in written or oral form for the participant of the Assessment Center and its management.

Preparation of reports on participants within 7 days.

Methods and forms of the assessment center

Mental Skills offers 3 options for conducting an assessment center:

Classic AC - to obtain the most accurate and reliable assessment, effective assessment of all competencies. Conducted with 1 observer per 2 assessed.

Optimized AC - for quick assessment of a large group of participants from 8-10 people under the supervision of 1-2 experts. The service has a low cost

Online AC - for a point assessment of employees in different parts of the country through a video conferencing system with the involvement of 2 experts per participant. Pleased with the average price of the assessment plus the absence of travel expenses.

Who conducts staff appraisals?

Evaluation is carried out by specially trained experts - assessors. These people carefully observe the participants of the development center, they know the entire behavioral classification, they know how to correctly interpret their behavior and assess their competencies.

Assessors These are independent experts, whose opinion is almost impossible to influence. They will provide the management of the company with completely objective information about each participant of the assessment center, based on the information collected during the assessment event.

How much does it cost to use the Assessment Center?

The price of the AC is calculated individually and depends on many factors: the number of assessment stages, the methods used, the number of participants, goals, and so on. A lot also depends on accuracy. For example, the more accurate you want to get the result, the higher the price will be.

Find out the exact cost of your company's employee assessment center by contacting Mental-Skills specialists.