10 Myths About Digital Assessment Centers

Myth #1 – Industry benchmarking is not possible.  

Industry benchmarking is possible. Following recent studies involving 4500+ client competency frameworks, one of our partners has identified 5 Competency Clusters which can be mapped to client competency frameworks.  Clusters include Business, Individual, People, Operations and Customer.  So, for example, if a client has two competencies, Strategic Business Orientation and Leadership Through Sustainability, they can jointly be mapped to the Business Competency Cluster.  By averaging the two client competencies, we can then compare to the rest-of-industry average within this Business Competency Cluster clearly showing how participants perform versus others in the same Cluster.

Myth #2 – The digital assessment center experience cannot be customized or contextualized. 

This is a common view, because we assume the digital assessment center experience involves only standardized psychometric or cognitive assessments.  This is not the case.  In addition to these assessments, clients can select from a variety of others that can be contextualized and customized according to their specific requirements, including, case studies, business simulations, group and inbox exercises, behavioral interviews, etc.  We regularly tailor assessments according to the unique business context of the client and their industry whether in banking, retail, FMCG, automotive, pharmaceutical, software, hospitality, business process outsourcing (BPO), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) or banking / financial services.  The digital assessment center experience is as contextualized and customized as the in-person assessment experience (and often more so). 

Myth #3 - Digital assessment centers are not appropriate for mid or senior-level groups. 

What we’ve seen is that it’s not about the medium, but rather it’s about the quality and relevance of content that makes the difference when dealing with mid and senior-level assessment centers.  So, you can imagine, content that we use for managers and senior managers are quite different from those designed for the individual contributor.  In fact, we have a simulation designed specifically for the manager-of-managers and another designed for more senior leaders.  In addition, when designing a hybrid assessment center, we’re able to compliment the strategic assessments offered on the digital platform with additional assessor-led exercises that can further assess senior-level competencies.  

Myth #4 – Digital assessment centers are designed for large companies with large budgets. 

Traditional assessment centers were labor intensive and expensive, and therefore, were generally reserved for the larger Fortune 100 company. This has changed dramatically, as technology has made it possible to design and deliver an assessment center online, quickly and more efficiently. There is no longer a need for consultants to travel the globe to interview client stakeholders during the center design phase. Nor do participants and assessors need to travel to complete assessments and reports. Instead, administrators, participants and assessors can complete the exercise online making the experience not only effective but also highly efficient and affordable for any sized organization or budget.

Myth #5 - Digital assessment center reports look the same, since they are all automated reports; also, are overly generic. 
Although digital assessment center reports are automated, every report includes feedback as per clients’ unique competencies, mapped behaviors, and the exercises used to assess those competencies.  Reports provide an overview of the way a participant has behaved and performed on various exercises and includes specific feedback and actionable insights provided by the assessor.  They highlight strengths and areas for further development making each report highly unique to each participant. 

Our reports are available in two versions:  

• A Short Report providing insights only on the competencies and associated behaviors. 

• A Long Report providing an overall pen picture, including development tips.

Myth #6 - The digital assessment center does not identify development needs.  
During our digital assessment centers, comprehensive, evidence-based feedback, including areas of strength, areas for further development and specific development tips are provided; perfect for creating or updating the individual development plan. These reports are easy to understand and don't require assistance from a coach/facilitator to interpret.  However, clients often ask us to facilitate virtual individual or group sessions to review assessment results and development plans. 

Myth #7 – Digital assessment centers can be faked / gamed (results manipulated). 

The way the digital assessment center is designed, it is not possible to fake or game the experience. Participants don’t just select between simple options when searching for answers. Instead, they must navigate and complete complex exercises (whether an inbox exercise, simulation, case study, etc.) that demand full concentration, analysis and thoughtful decision-making; and many are timed. Participants need to be able to understand the problem before they can select the correct answer.

Myth #8 - Digital assessment centers are designed for large groups only. 
Often people think that, because the digital assessment center is online, it can only be used for large groups. In fact, these assessment centers are capable of being deployed to varying numbers of participants. For example, we regularly deploy digital assessment centers to cohorts ranging from 7 to 4000+ participants. Benefits of having larger cohorts include the opportunity to standardize and economies of scale.

Myth #9 – Digital assessment centers are only appropriate for IT companies. 

Today, most generations are enjoying intuitive technologies like the mobile phone and tablets. The same is true with companies in industries that have traditionally been less tech savvy (e.g., manufacturing and construction). Today they regularly embrace technology in managing all aspects of their business. The digital assessment center is no different. They are designed with the user in mind and for delivering an intuitive user experience that anyone can navigate. In fact, most of our clients are not from the IT industry but from the automobile, banking, FMCG, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, pharmaceutical, construction industries.

Myth #10 - The digital assessment center is not as accurate as an in-person assessment center. 

Often considered a ‘cool’ experience, digital assessment center outcomes are often not considered to be as accurate as those from the traditional in-person assessment center.  However, there is plenty of data available that shows the opposite to be true.  For example, in one of our partner’s recent global studies, we found that assessor scores given from an online simulation were consistent with assessor scores given for comparable assessments delivered in-person.