Managerial Assessment Centers in the Hotel Industry: Concerns with Validity Page: 2

                                
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Assessment centers are standardized evaluations of
important, job related knowledge, skills, abilities and
other personal characteristics (KSAOs) useful for selection
decisions. Assessment centers are developed and designed to
objectively assess candidates' competencies in the targeted
position's desired behavioral traits (predefined areas of
knowledge, skills, abilities and other personal
characteristics).
Assessment centers are an important tool for the
selection, placement and training of business managers. The
overall importance placed on the selection of business
managers and the proliferation of specialty houses to
service the managerial selection needs of today's business
world indicates the criticality of these positions to the
operation of any business.
An assessment center consumes a significant amount of
time and money to develop and maintain. Despite these cost
and time parameters, the use of assessment center technology
appears to be growing in popularity. Estimates of the
number of operational assessment centers range from 300
companies in 1971 (Cohen, Moses & Byham, 1971) to over 1000
organizations, including federal and state functions and the
private sector in 1977 (Moses & Byham, 1977).
Assessment centers have existed since the 1956 American
Telephone and Telegraph Management Progress Study. The
earliest roots of assessment center technology date from