Images of Competency: Self Report, Assessment Centre, 360 Degree and Personality Perspectives

Competencies are now almost universally used in assessment for selection and development, but relatively little is known about the reliability and validity of competency dimensions. This paper takes a unique approach to exploring the construct validity of competency dimensions in two ways. First, the paper presents an analysis of the consistency of scores across 4 different assessment methods: self descriptions of competency; assessment centre ratings; 360 degree feedback ratings; personality assessment based on a ‘Big Five’ measure. Second, the results are analysed at the level of individual competencies as well as an overall competency average to examine whether some competencies are more reliably assessed than others. The results show that while there was significant consistency among methods for some competencies, there were also notable disparities for others. Some clear relationships were found between personality dimensions and the more direct assessments of competency made in 360 feedback and assessment centres. The value of using personality assessment alongside other approaches to measuring competency is discussed. The practical implications of these findings for the role of competency constructs in assessment and development are also considered.