The term Assessment & Development Centre (ADC) does not refer to a physical place, instead it describes an approach. ADCs usually consist of a suite of exercises designed to assess a set of personal characteristics, with some developmental exercise designed around the possible deficit areas. The rationale behind ADCs is that if one wishes to predict future job performance, then the best way of doing this is to get the individual to carry out a set of tasks which closely simulate the activities carried out in the target job.

The fact that a set of exercises are used, highlights one crucial aspect of an assessment centre - that it is actively elicited behaviour which is being objectively observed and assessed. This represents a significant departure from many traditional selection approaches which are rendered unfair and inaccurate by the subjective whims and biases of the selector and which in many cases produce a selection decision based on a freewheeling social interaction. ADCs will help you better understand your people, predict performance and achieve greater results.