Assessment Centres and Global Talent Management

There are three core themes in this book: First, authors describe the use of assessment and development centres which are linked to corporate strategy and in particular talent management. These corporate strategies will often relate to issues or topics such as: globalization, innovation (products and markets), increased competition (for market share, the 'war for talent'), identifying leaders who are visionary, inspirational and/or entrepreneurial, Customer Service (greater focus on service or knowledge-based economies).The book will focus on how these strategies influence the design of the assessment centre in terms of the competencies being assessed, the exercises that are used and the nature of the event, so that they can deliver what is required. Typical applications involve the use of assessment and development centres to screen external applicants, promote internal managers, diagnose developmental needs, or develop behavioural skills, often with the intention of changing organizational culture and values. Practical examples and case studies will be sprinkled throughout the book.The second theme explores cross-cultural implications for the design of assessment centres and development centres. A cross-section of international contributors from various countries discuss the special issues faced when designing an assessment or development centre in non-traditional cultures, moving an assessment and centres from one country to another, or assessing persons from different countries in the same assessment programme.The third theme is the productive interface of science and practice. Authors describe their own research and its implications or how they have used the research of others to design and implement specific assessment and development centres for the purposes and settings mentioned above. In addition, researchers and practitioners alike propose research that is needed to provide guidance for new applications of the assessment centre method, especially how assessment and development centres contribute to corporate strategy and talent management. This theme perpetuates the long history of basic and applied research into the assessment centre method. The theme also exemplifies a more recent and broader emphasis on evidence-based management (Pfeffer). Practitioners will see how science informs good practice; scholars will find the chapters a rich source of ideas for conducting research into emerging issues in the field.