Organizational Psychology

This article is addressed to teachers of economic and management disciplines, as well as specialists in the field of human resource management that in a teaching or consulting practice used Assessment Center method for assessment of competencies or teach it to others. We want to draw readers’ attention to the methodical, methodological and ethical principles of the Assessment Center, which violate the terms of international standards, are impermissible and unacceptable. The introductory part of this article presents authoritative experts’ estimates of the real practice of the using of Assessment Centers in Russia. Some experts state the gross violations of international standards by Russian practices and show examples of standards requirements that are violated most often. All critics unanimously agree that the most frequently violated the requirements of assessment results quality control by determining their validity. Opposite point of view is that the Russian practice is generally consistent with international standards. The main part of the article describes the author’s interpretation of the latest edition of the international standards of Assessment Center. Key provisions of international standards are presented in the form of 10 basic principles of Assessment Center method. Basic principle in this «Systemic ten principles» is «The principle of equality and transparency», that takes a compliance with other 9 principles, grouped into three groups: «Methodical principles», «Methodological principles› and «Ethical Principles». The minimum requirements of the standard include into this ten principles under which evaluation program can be considered as legitimate forms of implementation of the assessment centers method. The final part of the article describes the method by which on the basis of «Systemic dozens of principles» can reasonably identify any program of complex assessment as a legitimate form of realization of the Assessment Center method, or refer to the set of surrogate imitations, which resemble, but are not programs of assessment centers.