PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 1997,50 A SURVEY OF ASSESSMENT CENTER PRACTICES IN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES ANNETTE C. SPYCHALSKl, MIGUEL A. QUINONES Rice University BARBARA B. GAUGLER Personnel Decisions, International KATJA POHLEY University of Hamburg TVvo hundred fifteen organizations in the United States provided in- formation about multiple aspects of their assessment centers, includ- ing design, usage, and their adherence to professional guidelines and research-based suggestions for the use of this method. Results reveal that centers are usually conducted for selection, promotion, and de- velopment purposes. Supervisor recommendation plays a sizable role in choosing center participants. Most often, line managers act as as- sessors; they typically arrive at participant ratings through a consensus process. In general, respondents indicate close adherence to recom- mendations for center design and assessor training. Recommendations involving other practices (e.g., informing participants, evaluating asses- sors, validating center results) are frequently not followed. Further- more, methods thought to improve predictive validity of center ratings are underutilized. Variability in center practices according to indus- tiy and center purpose was revealed. We encourage practitioners to follow recommendations for center usage, and researchers to work to better understand moderators of center validity. Since their first industrial application in 1956, assessment centers have been used in numerous organizations, both in the public and private sector. Assessment centers are conducted for various purposes, includ- ing employee selection, early identification of managerial talent, devel- opment planning, identification of training needs, promotion, and man- agement succession. Assessment center practices in the United States vary dramatically; some think that a "typical" assessment center does not exist (Bender, 1973). We would like to thank Ginny Boehm, Doug Bray, Bill Byham, Donna Denning, Bill Howell, Vicki Kaman, Elaine Sloan, George Thornton, and Alan Wolfson for their helpful comments on an early draft of the survey. We especially appreciate Cindy Bentson's assistance in designing the original survey and developing our mailing list Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Annette Spychalski or Miguel Quinones at Rice University Psychology Department, PO, Box 1892, Houston, TX, 77251, COPYRIGHT © 1997 PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, INC 71