Applying the Principles of the Assessment Center in the Selection Process of Senior Administrators in Education

While senior administrators in all educational institutions have highly complex positions and are very expensive to train and replace, human resources departments have always been challenged to find competent administrators that fit well into the organization. Four main variables in the selection pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author Lau, Ron
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published 06.11.1996
Subjects
Administrator Qualifications
Administrator Selection
Assessment Centers (Personnel)
Employment Interviews
Evaluation Methods
Job Analysis
Job Skills
Postsecondary Education
Simulation
Situational Tests
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Summary:While senior administrators in all educational institutions have highly complex positions and are very expensive to train and replace, human resources departments have always been challenged to find competent administrators that fit well into the organization. Four main variables in the selection process are: the organization's self-awareness of their own policies and climate, the evaluation of the limited data on the applicant, the applicant's evaluation of the organization, and the applicant's self-assessment and presentation. One approach to selecting administrators is the assessment center method, in which multiple individuals observe candidates in varying situations and evaluate their behaviors. The assessment center method is time consuming, complex, people intensive, and expensive, but the results are more thorough and lead to more informed selections. In setting up an assessment process, the determining factor is a job analysis, highlighting typical duties and responsibilities, while specific skill dimensions for the position should also be developed. Tools for evaluating candidates include interviews, tests, observations of candidates in real-life managerial situations, group discussions, oral presentations, analyses of case studies, fact finding exercises, interview simulations, business or computer games, decision making scenarios, scheduling exercises, or mock staff meetings. While the assessment method may be too impractical for most colleges, principles or exercises from the method can be integrated into existing selection processes to make them more reflective of individual institutional needs. (HAA)