Difference between Assessment and Development Centers

There are a lot of articles on the web illustrating the difference between an Assessment Center and a Development Center and I am truly shocked at the amount of incorrect information that is circulating. This article thus helps to correct the misnomers regarding these two concepts widely misused and abused by the industry in general.

An Assessment Center (AC) refers to setting up a complete assessment lab within the organisation. A variety of assessment techniques could be used to determine the existing potential, performance, skill level and attitudes of employees within the organisation. Assessments can also be used to predict future performance of employees and very often if done correctly determine not just organisation but industry trends. Trend Analysis is a sophisticated measure of organisation maturity; tragically very few HR professionals know how to calculate this even though they have sophisticated Assessment Centers within their organisation.

Commonly used Assessment Methodologies include:

• Standardized Psychometric Instruments
• Organisation Surveys
• Structured Observation
• Simulations
• Behavioural Event Interviews (BEI)
• Shadowing
• 360 degree feedbacks

Which methodology to use or what combination of methodologies to be used to address current issues within the organisation is of critical importance. Furthermore choosing right parametric and no-parametric techniques for analysis is of prime importance. Thus while setting up an assessment center within the organisation the HR team must have a thorough knowledge about the various tools, techniques and analysis.

Today the market is flooded with a variety of assessment tools that can be used in training. However, choosing the right tool to measure the right competencies is a tricky process. Reliability, validity and other psychometric properties must be thoroughly studied before a tool can be adopted.

It is also very important to keep in mind that psychometric tools should NOT be used in isolation. They are always used as a battery of instruments in combination with other Evaluation Methodologies.

Please refer the diagram below to get an idea of the various types of Psychometric tools available in the market.

Assessment Centers are used during:

• Recruitment and Selection
• Training and Development
• Performance Appraisal
• Succession Planning
• Program Evaluation
• Organisation Development
• Career Scaping
• Campus Placements

Development Centers (DC) provides an end to end solution for building and sustaining capabilities within the organisation. An ‘assessment center’ is thus a part of the development center. Once inputs are got from the assessment, skill gaps identified, organisation benchmark determined then based on the current challenges and pain points employee engagements initiatives are untaken. Interventions are developed, standardized, piloted and finally implemented. It is important to follow an ‘Instructional Design System’ like the ADDIE (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) technique while setting up an in-house development center.

Typically a Development Center would comprises of:

• Assessment Center (AC)
• Skill Enhancement Interventions (SEI)
• Refresher courses / programs
• Coaching (either one-on-one or group or online)
• E Leaning
• Post Assessments
• Return on Investment (ROI) calibration

An accurate measure of the smooth function of a DC can be seen in evaluation stage, which focuses on application of learnings to the work environment, determining the current organisation maturity level and reporting in tangible and intangible forms the ROI to the organisation. Tragically very few organisations have a well oiled DC in place.

Organisations today, find it not just easier and economical but also reliable to outsource the running of DC for their employees to well established OD Consulting firms, which have a strong, background in organisational behaviour and psychology.

It is predicted that organisations globally in the next 7 years will witness a marked transition in their style of working – moving rapidly from ‘Full Employment Model’ to the ‘Project Life Cycle Model.’ It is in this changing world that the role of Development Centers would become even more critical than ever. New competencies, frameworks, metrics of performance and working will undergo dramatic change and it will be fascinating to observe, analyse and witness the birth of a new era in ‘talent development and management.’

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Leadership Styles

Leadership is thought of as a single skill. Is it really so?

Many feel that leadership skill is something which you either have or don’t have, but in reality leadership skill is something that can be acquired and developed.

When we look at some of the great leaders from history, sport, and our own lives; we see some strategists, others visionaries, and a few others who are great motivators.

What about our parent as a leader – their role as multi-tasking, nursing, peace making, admonishing; several facets of leadership, each suited to different situations.

Let’s look at our work arena as a focus.

At the starting point...

Three styles of leadership are required at the outset of a project. The visionary must set the vision and encourage his followers to stop what they are doing and focus on the new vision. The entrepreneur will have the determination to give the project momentum and turn the idea into reality, ideally with the help of the strategist who will have already broken the big picture down into manageable chunks.

As we go along...

Along the way as critical decisions need to be made, it will be the directional leader who decides with certainty what is it that is to be done. It is not just change for the sake of change, in the hope that something will work and that the team will come out looking good.

The team maker who will instinctively gather all the people with the necessary skills, and move forward on the project, plays a critical role. This leader is a good judge of character, and will also have an intuitive understanding of the strengths that already exist within the team, ensuring that imbalances are compensated by suitable new additions. Keeping the program on track will be the monitor, all too often this skill is overlooked because those that possess it don't have the charismatic approach associated with leadership. They play a key role in setting milestones and ensuring that everyone is moving in the same direction and at the same pace.

Keeping the team energized is the role of the motivator and the guide. The motivator sets goals, gives incentives and celebrates achievement while the guide focuses on the individual's welfare. In this results based world the guide is often seen as a hindrance to getting the job done but ask those who work for these leaders and there you will see their motivation to achieve the task on time and to standard is way higher than others.

When the chips are down...

We all know of stories where a leader has taken on a failing organization and turned it around. These change leaders thrive on taking teams apart and putting them back together again. With the benefit of experience elsewhere they can see where an organization is going wrong and know exactly how to put it right. Once this is achieved though they may not have the skills to maintain the momentum and cast a vision for the future, like the entrepreneur they will be hungry to start a new challenge.

When you are on a roll...

The vision has become reality and brought with it several new visions. Now, the danger is that each will follow its own course rather than supporting the others. The consolidator will have spotted this and will know how to listen, arbitrate, negotiate, compromise and relate to a large cross section of people to steer each of them towards a common goal without detracting from their individual missions.

Now, think back to past leaders you have served and identify which of the ten styles they demonstrated and in what environment. Compare them to your own situation and consider which aspect of your leadership style you need to develop.

Let us “evolve the path” ourselves and build the team by the vision and strategy that our work needs.

Soft Skills, Competencies and Skills Softer than Soft Skills

For the last decade now HR Professionals have been harping on the importance of soft skills within organisations and all for a good cause or so it appears. Probe a little further on the topic and ask them what these so called ‘Soft Skills’ mean, how do they measure them, can they be quantified into monetary terms to determine the ROI and you will draw a blank.

Go to the next level and ask this very learned group the difference between Soft Skills and Competencies (if there is a difference at all) and the silence would speak for itself. The latest buzz in this fraternity today is talk about ‘Skills Softer than Soft Skills’. Wow, now that would be truly amazing, if one only knew exactly what that meant.

In order to get clarity on these popular nuances I embarked upon a study, which involved a series of interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SME) – OD consultants, Behavioural Analysts, Trainers / Facilitators / Coaches and even Academicians. Their views have been capsulated and presented here to help the HR Fraternity talk the same language and mean the same thing.

Difference between Soft Skills and Behavioural Competencies

Soft skills are primarily personality traits that can be groomed, enhanced or even repressed with the help of behavioural interventions (training). These skills develop gradually over time and are hugely influenced by cultural overtones. Knowledge, thus resulting from these varied experiences becomes the defining characteristic of the individual.

When the element of intent or attitude is added to knowledge and skills it becomes a competency. The distinction between the two is subtle but one that cannot be ignored.

A behavioural trait can be a soft skill as well as a competency the distinguishing criteria is attitude or intent.

For e.g. Presentation Skills can be both a competency and a soft skill. The individual might possess the relevant knowledge to make an effective presentation; he might also have the necessary skills due to past experience but if he does not have the right attitude (i.e. he does not like making presentations) then he lacks the competency though he possess the soft skills.

Having a clear understanding of these two intriguing concepts can help HR professionals in not just profiling employees within their organisation but also determining the kind of intervention different employees might need.

The Pentra Model ^© depicted below clearly spells out how employees can be profiled based on their knowledge, skills and attitude and the interventions they might require.

Can Soft Skills and Competencies be measured?

Traits can be defined but never measured; their effect however, on personal and professional life can most definitely be measured to a large extent. Soft skills and competencies can be quantified and reported in monetary terms (which is of considerable value to organisations) by using a combination of parametric and non-parametric techniques. These techniques could range from psychometric instruments to structured observation to shadowing to behavioural event interviews to 360 degree feedbacks. ROI in qualitative and quantitative terms become a yardstick of organisation development.

However, due to time constraints and large investments required most organisations do not go through the rigor involved before and after a training intervention. Gap Analysis, organisation benchmarks, employee baseline prior to the intervention and post intervention measures are seldom carried out. What organisations often fail to realise is this investment would go a long way in organisation development and becomes a key factor of measuring ‘Organisation Maturity.’

Skills Softer than Soft Skills

Having understood the difference between soft skills and competencies it now becomes imperative to determine the true meaning of ‘skills softer than soft skills’. These are qualities imbibed in an individual from early childhood and have very strong societal, religious and cultural influences. These then should be aptly termed as ‘core skills’ as they define the very being of an individual. Examples of these core skills would be values, beliefs, principles, concepts of transpersonal wellbeing and actualization.

Today organisations are attempting to mould values and belief systems of employees through a variety of interventions to match the organisation’s vision and mission. I cannot stop myself from asking if this is ethically and morally correct? And would they ever be successful in achieving this? If the answer is yes, then organisations are no longer building human capital but have got into the business of human cloning, which is the first step in the rapid downward spiral. Serious cause for concern, I would think.

Of course this is a hugely debatable topic and there are a variety of opinions, and yes each has its merits, but just imagine through behavioural intervention if everyone miraculously had the same values, principles, belief systems etc then there would be no difference of opinion, no clashes as we would have successfully managed to annihilate the very uniqueness that defines us. Paradoxical isn’t it?

The Role of a Business Analyst

A “Business Analyst” (BA) is a role that can mean different things to different people. In some companies, the BA plays a technical role with very little business knowledge; while in other companies, the BA has a full understanding of the business with very little knowledge of the IT systems and architecture.

In today’s times – the BA has come to become a person of great value to an organization, and who is a generalist capable of functioning competently in diverse roles. Typically, these people have a broad educational background and a diverse skill set with a wide range of work experience in different jobs and industries. In essence, they are able to visualize the “big picture” – that is – understand the business from different perspectives, as well as the technology side of what can be effectively used to improve the business.

The Business Analyst Skills in a broad perspective comprises of the person being a Business Planner, Systems Analyst, Project Manager, Subject Area Expert, Organization Analyst, Financial Analyst, Technology Architect, Data Analyst, Application Analyst, Application Designer, and Process Analyst.

As we drill down deeper into the specific roles of a BA and understand the essential skills required for each of the roles, it would give a clear picture.

The major roles of a BA, as defined by certification experts are:-



1. Define and Scope Business Areas
The BA must be sure that the project scope is clear and complete before the start of detailed requirements gathering. The BA may be given the scope pre-defined by the project sponsor or may be responsible for defining and documenting the scope as part of the requirements gathering task.

Defining and documenting the project scope requires the BA to understand why the project has been initiated, and the objectives of the project. An important contribution of the BA to the project is the analyzing of the business problem without "jumping" to a solution.

In addition, a complete project scope will name and define all the stakeholders that will be involved with the project, including people, systems, internal departments, and external organizations.

Other important components of the project scope documentation include the project viewpoint, project assumptions, and business risks. These components give the BA the information necessary to prioritize and focus the requirements gathering.
Finally the project scope should include a high-level description of the business processes. It may also include a list of items that specifically will not be included in the scope. This gives the entire project team a complete understanding of the work that the BA will be doing during the detailed requirements gathering phase.

One additional task required of the BA, is the creation of an organized system for maintaining project information. A glossary should be started along with a filing system for maintaining all of the information that will be gathered during the project.

Essential Skills Required:

a. Facilitation skills to bring multiple groups together to scope project and get consensus
b. Ability to document the project scope using business terminology
c. Project scope documentation techniques


2. Elicit Requirements
The most important task of a BA is to gather the detailed requirements that clearly and completely define the project. We use the word gather because the BA must be sure to ask the right questions of the right people to gather accurate requirements. Further, we use the word elicit, since the BA must be able to get people to say all that they have to and not leave anything as assumptions.

It is critical that the BA initially gathers Business Requirements and completely understand the business needs before defining a software solution.

The BA must assess the type of project, the people involved, and the volume of information required; and then determine how and where to find the requirements. BAs have a variety of techniques available to them including interviews, facilitated information gathering sessions, surveys, questionnaires, observation, and existing documentation from which to choose. In addition, the BA will often have many people with whom to talk and several existing automated systems about which to learn.
Gathering complete, detailed requirements is an iterative process that involves the BA asking questions, pondering answers, asking follow-up questions, and bringing divergent opinions to consensus. It also involves prioritizing the requirements to assure that the most critical issues are addressed by the project solution.

Essential Skills Required:
a. Asking the right questions
b. Active listening
c. Interviewing techniques
d. Facilitation techniques
e. Documentation
f. Ability to categorize requirements

3. Analyze and Document Requirements
Requirements are analyzed and documented using an iterative approach. As each of the requirements is documented, additional questions will arise requiring the analyst to probe deeper. There are many different approaches to documenting requirements. The BA is responsible for following their organization’s standard documentation format or for creating their own. When developing a documentation format, the BA must consider the best format for communicating with the information technology team and the best format for communicating with the business area experts. Both groups must be able to read and review the document and clearly understand the requirements. Some requirements are more appropriately documented in textual descriptions, others in diagrams or graphical displays. The BA must also determine the appropriate level of detail for the documentation.

Ideally, the entire organization uses a consistent documentation format and approach. This makes the review process easier for people working on multiple projects. It also allows the organization to constantly improve the format as quality enhancements are discovered. The BA is often the person leading the development and maintaining the standard documentation format.

Typically there are many requirements. To organize them and make them easy to review, they are divided into categories or groupings. It may be good to categorize requirements into Business, Functional, and Technical.

Essential Skills Required:
a. Analysis Skills
b. Understand the system development methodology
c. Utilize modelling techniques
d. Categorization skills
e. Prototype user interfaces
f. Develop a textual template for requirements

4. Communicate Requirements
The BA should be the best communicator on the project team. The role is to act as a liaison between the business area experts and the technical team. This role requires the BA to "speak" both languages. The BA must also work very closely with the Project Manager to ensure that the project plan is adhered to and scope creeps / changes are approved and documented.
As the requirements documentation is being created, the BA will conduct informal and formal requirements reviews. These review sessions increase the quality of the document by finding missing or unclear requirements. It is important that the information is presented to the business and technical audiences in a manner that is most appropriate for their understanding. Summaries of the requirements or various graphical representations may be appropriate as part of the reviews. Understanding your audience is critical to the successful communication of the requirements.

Essential Skills Required:
a. Run effective meetings
b. Active listening skills
c. Precision questioning techniques
d. Conduct formal and informal presentations
e. Write clear emails, memos, and status reports
f. Conduct a comprehensive requirements review
g. Change management
h. Write review summaries

5. Identify Solution
The BA should work closely with the Business Area Experts to make a recommendation for a solution and work with the technical team to design it. This recommendation may include software changes to existing systems, new software, procedural or workflow changes, or some combination of the above. If software automation is part of the solution, the BA should assist with the screen design, report design, and all user interface issues by providing detailed functional requirements.

If a software package is going to be purchased, the BA works with the Business Area Experts, IT personnel, and the potential vendors to discuss the requirements and verify that the package selected will meet the needs. The BA may also be responsible for writing the Request for Proposal (RFP). Detailed business and functional requirements should be completed to accurately reflect the needs for the software and a thorough review should be conducted.

Essential Skills Required:
a. High level understanding of the software design
b. Ability to evaluate vendor software packages
c. Ability to estimate solution costs and benefits and build a business case for implementation

6. Verify Solution meets the Requirements
The BA should remain involved in the project even after the technical team takes over. The BA reviews the technical designs proposed by the design team for usability issues and to assure that the requirements are being satisfied. Once the solution is developed into software, the BA is uniquely qualified to assess the software and determine how well it meets the original project objectives.

The BA should work closely with the Quality Assurance team and to assist with the entire testing process. Testing is based on requirements, so the BA's intimate knowledge of the requirements allows accurate design of test cases. If there is no Quality Assurance team available, the BA can still assist with User Acceptance testing, the time when the Business Area Experts are asked to approve the software for implementation. As the software is tested, the BA ensures that it is clearly documented and reports defects and variances from requirements.

Essential Skills Required:
a. Basic understanding of system design concepts
b. Knowledge of software usability principles
c. Understanding of testing principles
d. Ability to write and review test cases

Building Human Capital at the Grass Roots

Could there be a better learning and developing platform for students other than institutes and education bodies? That is indeed a much debated question. There is one section of society that would defend the sanctity of the present day education system; while you have the other segment, that talks about revolutionizing the system through e-leaning methodologies, virtual classrooms grounded in practical application and live projects.

Rapidly changing social systems, dictate the need of the hour – to adapt to a whole new world of learning and development. Less than two percent of colleges across India have initiated the change process in they curriculum with the focus on the student becoming a contributing member of society rather than idolizing the system of education as a reservoir of knowledge.

Knowledge by itself holds little value, unless it finds practical application in the real world. Much like a genius whose inventions hold little meaning unless it can enhance and improve the quality of life at large.

Looking at the lopsided development of our education system with its focus primarily on knowledge dissemination with little scope for practical application in real time situations, students today lack the critical soft skills (behavioural competencies) needed for success on the job. Thereby widening the gap between academia and the corporate world. According to NASSCOM, each year over 3 million graduates and post-graduates are added to the Indian workforce. However, only 25 percent of technical graduates and 10-15 percent of other graduates are considered employable by the rapidly growing IT and ITES segments.

There have been umpteen studies carried out, constantly showcasing the importance and need of competency based training within colleges. Yes, colleges have begun paying heed to this call, which has given rise to whole new problem – an outburst of pseudo finishing schools, training institutes and even retired professors claiming to be experts on Behaviour Transformation and Remodeling. How many of them truly have the competence, skills, knowledge, experience and credentials to mould behaviour is something one wonders? Thorough checks must be done as to their experience and capability; many of them have little expertise in behavioural analysis, professional counselling, profiling and instructional design methodologies. The programmes should be structured and well planned for they are to bear fruit.

Creating a future generation of responsible, global, empowered Indians is no joking matter; it requires a consistent, comprehensive and sustained effort. This goal will not be realized if students never or only occasionally participate in such life skills management programmes. This should be an ongoing process till all the aspects of confidence, motivation, positive attitude, planning and prioritization, goal setting, stress mitigation and conflict resolution are imbibed and inculcated within every student, equipping them with the much needed tools to deal with the ever changing corporate world. It is only then that education within institutions would truly become holistic and empowerment of students will no longer be an issue.

However, academic institutions alone cannot achieve this objective without contribution and partnership from the industry. The industry has to take the fore front and spear head such initiatives. They have to clearly state their need with regard to the kind human capital they require and take active measures in grooming them. In the absence of which, we will have students who are technically brilliant but lack fundamental people management skills, which have become critical in today’s ‘flat world’.

Disha as an organisation aims at being a vehicle for promoting Life Skills Management initiatives and Competency Based Training across academic institutions through out the country through its unique soft skills program called Mind the Gap (MTG) coupled with its online battery of assessment tools aptly called Intelligentia. Success is not innate, it is an acquired attribute; people who are successful quickly figure out which habits they need to rid themselves of, and which behaviours to develop and emphasize in order to reach the pinnacle of success.

But knowing how you're supposed to be isn't enough.
Success is a slippery slope; for every right step you take, you can easily lose your footing on the next.

MTG is not just any intervention package, it is a process through which individuals become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, skills and abilities, interests, values, goals, and aspirations. It is aimed at helping students attain a comfort level in situations where the topic is “self”; in negotiations where they have to be prepared to articulate their personal and professional needs and finally, in charting out their careers and aligning their goals with the organisations vision, wherein, knowing where they want to go depends entirely upon knowing where they are.

This Human Capital initiative of Disha in its applications extends the abilities of students by taking them beyond traditional forms of assessments to a whole new world of learning and development, empowering them with a cutting edge equal to none other; and positioning them in a league of their own.