EVALUATING DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT CENTERS AS INTERVENTIONS

This study addresses the question of whether developmental assessment centers are effective interventions. Career outcomes of assessment center participants (n= 151) were evaluated with respect to center ratings, developmental activity, and acceptance of feedback. Although comparison between a subgroup of assessees (n= 113) and a naturally occurring control group of non-assessees (n= 167) showed no differences in terms of career advancement, findings within the assessee sample did show that developmental activity related to advancement. Findings also showed that assessors' ratings of career motivation, rather than ratings of knowledge or skill (KS) dimensions, predicted both developmental activity and career advancement.