Where the Assessment Centre May Not Reach: Assessing Candidates for the Top Levels in a UK Government Context
This paper describes two assessment approaches taken at senior levels within UK Civil Service. The first is a scheme for identifying high potential within an already very highly selected and senior group, and the second is the general process followed for making appointments at or near Chief Executive levels. It then goes on to offer some observations on the problems and issues relating to top management selection in both public and private sectors, arising out of a survey of literature and practice in this area carried out by the author. It is concluded that there is a need for more research on, and consideration of, top management selection methods, and that greater attention should be given to quality assurance of individual psychological assessment of senior level candidates.
Speaker
Professor Clive Fletcher
Goldsmiths' College, University of London
Clive
Fletcher is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths' College,
University of London, Visiting Professor at Henley Management College
and Managing Director of Personnel Assessment Limited. After completing
his PhD, he worked for some years as a consultant psychologist in the UK
Civil Service before taking up his first academic post. A Fellow of the
British Psychological Society and a former Chairman of its Occupational
Psychology Section, Professor Fletcher has been involved in teaching and
research in the field of managerial assessment and appraisal for over 25
years, and has produced nearly 200 books, articles and conference papers
in this area. Clive is a consultant to a wide range of organizations on
psychological assessment, 360 degree feedback systems, and performance
management. His knowledge and experience in the assessment field is
recognised internationally; he has given invited papers at conferences
in the USA and throughout Europe and serves on the Advisory Boards of a
number of overseas companies working in the assessment field. Details of
his more recent publications can be found on www.personnel-assessment.com