Individual Assessment

Other Assessment Processes

For the purpose of this discussion, the topic of individual assessment will exclude other measurement strategies that are frequently used to predict work performance, such as the preemployment interview, group testing, or assessment centers. Furthermore, the discussion is focused on the measurement of normal behavioral and psychological characteristics, as opposed to abnormal traits and behavior that might be considered in the assessment of candidates for safetysensitive jobs (e.g., nuclear power plant operator, pilot, police officer). Finally, the individual psychological assessment is typically focused on predicting future performance rather than measuring past or current performance.

It is also important to distinguish individual assessment from other forms of evaluation that occur in organizations. Two of the more frequently used processes are performance appraisal and multirater feedback surveys. Both processes are techniques for measuring observed behaviors of individuals at work, and often there is considerable structure underlying the evaluations. Although both individual psychological assessments and the two organizational evaluation processes can be designed to measure the same constructs (e.g., performance dimensions, competencies), the perspective of the assessor/evaluator differs. Consequently, it is this independent perspective and psychological understanding (frequently supported by measurements from psychological instrumentation) that differentiates the individual assessment and provides unique information in support of selection decision making. Moreover, individual assessment is often conducted to support selection decisions during the hiring process when the organization has not had the opportunity to observe the individual at work.

Origins

The origins of individual assessment have been traced to selecting individuals for government service in ancient Greece on the basis of both cognitive and physical abilities. In the United States, psychological assessment had its roots in the military with the screening of army recruits for maladjustment during World War I, and in applications by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. Use of individual assessments in private industry derived mostly from the early assessment centers that were designed to predict the advancement potentials of managers at AT&T in the 1960s.

Design and Implementation

A properly designed and implemented individual assessment follows the traditional model for the use of selection procedures as practiced in the field of industrial and organizational psychology. The design begins with a study of the job (position) of interest. The emphasis is on obtaining sufficient information about the underlying requirements (KSAPs/competencies), as well as the context (work environment), so that the assessor can determine what measurements (e.g., tests, simulations) will be administered and how the resulting information will be integrated to support the selection decision-making process. Once the assessment protocol has been administered, scored, and interpreted, the results must be reported. The organization, of course, will receive a report (verbal, written, or both). More uncertain (and sometimes controversial) is whether the assessee will receive feedback. If so, will the feedback be verbal, written, or both, and under what circumstances? Ideally, if there is to be feedback, it should occur relatively soon after the assessment data have been gathered, and in some circumstances the feedback occurs immediately after the formal data collection process as a conclusion to the psychological interview.

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