The frame of reference approach as a solution to an assessment center dilemma.

This article describes how the frame of reference (FOR) approach to rater training for performance appraisal purposes (H. J. Bernardin, 1979; H. J. Bernardin & M. R. Buckley, 1981) was applied to traditional assessment center ratings and rater training. The method by which an FOR was established for the assessment center ratings is presented, including (a) definitions of dimensions of performance, (b) definitions of qualitative levels of performance within each dimension, and (c) specific behavioral examples of levels of performance on an item-by-item basis within dimensions. The resulting FOR was used to structure the training and certification of raters with the expectation of minimizing sources of rater unreliability. Implications for assessment center reliability, validity, and employee perceptions are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational use of therapeutic change: Strengthening multisource feedback systems through interdisciplinary coaching.

The use of multisource feedback as a management development tool is examined by integrating the empirical and theoretical literature on individual change from the fields of industrial/organizational psychology and clinical/counseling psychology. The assumptions underlying 360-degree feedback as a sufficient process of producing managerial change are questioned in terms of the theoretical and metaanalytic literature regarding the causes of personal change. It is argued that 360-degree feedback is best used as a springboard for management development. Lasting change is best achieved through an interdisciplinary coaching strategy involving what we know about adult development and change from industrial and clinical literature and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)