Abstract:
Although the design, scoring, and interpretation of assessment centers (ACs) commonly focuses on job-relevant dimensions, over three decades of past studies have questioned the evidentiary basis underlying dimension-based interpretations of ACs. This review combines multiple approaches to examine the structure of AC dimensions. First, we consulted the AC, job performance, leadership, and personality literatures to articulate competing models of the dimensions underlying AC ratings. Next, meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to compare the fit of these models to existing AC data. The results supported a model including administrative skills, relational skills, and drive. Third, socioanalytic theory was used as a basis to examine the nomological network of these three broad factors, specifically their relationships with general mental ability and the five factor model of personality. The analyses supported the nomological network of drive and admin- istrative skills but less so for relational skills. These findings are discussed with regard to the con- struct-related validity of AC dimensions, the fidelity of ACs to the broader criterion domain, and the value of applying generalizable models to the analysis of AC ratings.
Description:
Authors’ Note: References for the primary studies included in the meta-analysis are available at http://jom.sagepub. com/supplemental.
Acknowledgments: Portions of this article are based on the first author’s doctoral dissertation, which was directed by the third author, and were presented at the 27th meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. We would like to thank Matthew Fleisher, Lauren Wood, Matthew Milunski, and John Slifka for assis- tance in study coding and conducting the literature search.
Corresponding author: John P. Meriac, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri–St. Louis, 425 Stadler Hall, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63121-4499, USA.
