Assessment Centers and Managerial Performance: (Organizational and Occupational Psychology)

Assessment Centers and Managerial Performance presents the historical development of multiple assessment procedures with focus on those advances relevant to assessment centers. This book discusses the models of job analysis, the nature of managerial work, work-sampling assessment methods, and the process of human judgment based on the assessment center experience. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the various methods to describe, evaluate, and predict management effectiveness. This text then describes a number of assessment programs, including the earliest assessment centers. Other chapters consider the five approaches to predicting managerial effectiveness, including psychometric testing, clinical evaluations by psychologists, supervisor's ratings of potentials background interviews, and assessment centers. This book discusses as well the three levels of managerial jobs, namely, supervisory, middle management, and executive. The final chapter deals with the development of standards for assessment center operations. This book is a valuable resource for psychologists.

Table of Contents:
Preface1 The Importance of Management Assessment Problems of Management Assessment Description of an Assessment Center The Assessment Process Judgment Models Inappropriate Use of the Term Assessment Center Impact of Evaluation on Managers Assessment Centers and Equal Employment Opportunity Orientation of the Book2 History of Assessment Programs Common Problems in Assessment Programs History of Performance Tests German Selection Programs British War Office Selection Boards Military Assessment in Australia and Canada British Civil Service Selection Board Harvard Psychological Clinic Office of Strategic Services Veterans Administration Clinical Psychology Studies Other Programs Recapitulation The First Industrial Application: AT&T Management Progress Study3 Approaches to Predicting Managerial Effectiveness Points of Comparison A Comparison of Several Industrial Practices A Model for Identifying Errors of Prediction Summary4 The Content of Assessment: Defining the Dimension of Managerial Success Three Levels of Managerial Jobs Dimensions in Assessment Centers Job Analysis for Assessment A Model Job Analysis Procedure Contributions of Assessment Center Research Understanding Managerial Jobs Appendix A: Common Managerial Dimensions Appendix B: Complete Definitions of Several Behavioral Dimensions5 Assessment Center Exercises and Dimension Ratings Evaluation of Individual Assessment Techniques Dimensions Observable in Assessment Exercises Reliability and Validity of Dimension Ratings Needed Research Appendix A: References for Reliability and Validity of Dimension Ratings6 The Assessment Process Steps in the Assessment Procedure Basic Principles in the Assessment Center Process Discussion of Principles and Related Research Summary of Methods of Making Predictions7 Criterion Validity of Overall Assessment Center Judgments Overview of the Chapter Review of Research Evidence Methodological Critique of Validation Research An Evaluation of Assessment Centers for Various Purposes Comparisons with Other Methods Utility Recapitulation8 Contributions to Management Development Improved Selection Results in Better Candidates Early Identification of Management Talent Diagnosis of Training Needs Assessor Training as a Learning Experience The Impact of Assessment Center Methodology on the Organization Can People Be Developed?9 Unique Uses of Assessment Center Methodology Assessment Centers as a Research Criterion Assessment Centers as a Competency Criterion Career Planning Nonsupervisory and Nonmanagement Assessment Center Programs Nontraditional Management Assessment Centers Conclusion10 Assessment Centers and the Courts Research Support Court Cases Assessment Centers in the EEOC Assessment Center Standards Prospects for the Future11 Past, Present, and Future The Past: What Has Been Learned The Present: Issues Being Faced The Future: Research NeedsReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index