The impact of a developmental assessment centre on managerial performance

Abstract

The object of this study was to determine if a developmental assessment centre improves managerial performance in the workplace. Focus was placed on the behavioural level of evaluation. The research design made use of a two-group design with random selection and a control group. A sample of 76 managers, at supervisory level, was used. Behaviourally anchored rating-scales were developed to measure the job-performance of participating managers. The results indicated significant differences between the experimental and the control groups for six performance dimensions. Significant differences were also found in all the second-order factors (clusters of dimensions) and the total managerial performance score. Thus, the developmental assessment centre had a positive impact on managerial performance, and this effect was still measurable three months after centre attendance. In order to generalise the results of this study it is essential to do further research on the utility of the developmental assessment centre.

Opsomming
Die doelstelling van hierdie studie was om te bepaal of 'n ontwikkelingsgerigte takseersentrum 'n positiewe impak op bestuursprestasie het. Die fokus van die evaluering was gerig op die gedragsvlak. Daar is van 'n twee-groepontwerp gebruik gemaak, met 'n kontrole groep en ewekansige seleksie. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 76 toesighoudende bestuurders. Bestuursprestasie is gemeet met behulp van gedragsgeankerde beoordelingskale wat daarvoor ontwikkel is. Daar is beduidende verskille tussen die eksperimentele- n kontrolegroep vir ses prestasiedimensies gevind. Beduidende verskille is ook gevind vir al die tweede-orde faktore (saamgestelde areas van dimensies), sowel as vir die algehele bestuursprestasie telling. Die ontwikkelingsgerigte takseersentrum het dus 'n langtermyn positiewe invloed op bestuursprestasie gehad aangesien die evaluasie eers drie maande na takseersentrum bywoning plaasgevind het. Ten einde die resultate van hierdie studie te veralgemeen, is dit noodsaaklik om verdere navorsing oor die gebruikswaarde van die ontwikkelingsgerigte takseersentrum te doen.