"Development and Validation of a Day-in-the-Life Assessment Center: An innovative Approach to Assessing Behavioral Competencies"

Document Type : Original Article

Researchers

Department of Measurement and Evaluation, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Ministerial Ethics Committee
Introduction: Assessment centers are among the important tools used for evaluating behavioral and managerial competencies in recruitment, development, and succession planning processes. However, one of the major challenges of these methods is the limited evidence regarding construct validity and the influence of exercise characteristics on assessment scores rather than individuals’ actual competencies. The present study aims to develop and validate a Day-in-the-Life Assessment Center (DITLAC) model and compare its psychometric properties with those of traditional assessment centers.

Research Objectives: The main objective of this study is to develop and examine the psychometric characteristics of a Day-in-the-Life Assessment Center for measuring behavioral competencies of human resource managers and to investigate whether this innovative approach provides stronger validity and reliability evidence compared with the traditional assessment center model.

Research Method: This study is applied in terms of purpose and developmental-validation in terms of methodology. In this research, after designing simulation exercises based on realistic workplace situations, the psychometric properties of the assessment center, including validity and reliability, will be examined, and its results will be compared with those of a traditional assessment center. Data will be collected through the implementation of the assessment center using trained assessors and analyzed through appropriate statistical methods.

Expected Results and Applications:

The findings of this study are expected to contribute to developing a more valid approach for assessing behavioral competencies, improving the accuracy of human resource decisions, and expanding indigenous psychometric tools in the field of managerial assessment.