Typically, traditional assessment centres have been preferred as they provide a human touch and give room for interaction. However, given the intense manual effort involved in setting up traditional assessment centres, L&D and HR teams find it difficult to justify the use of physical assessments centres. These are some reasons:

Logistical Hassles

The entire process of evaluating candidates using a traditional assessment centre is cumbersome and stressful. L&D organizers are often found scurrying about trying to book training rooms/halls to serve as the assessment centre, booking flight tickets and accommodation for outstation candidates, finding the right and qualified assessors, and following up tirelessly to receive scores and reports on time.

High-Cost

Traditional assessment centres are costly for organizations, which is why they are typically restricted to certain job-levels with a pre-approved budget. The overhead cost for logistical requirements like the need for experienced assessors, venue and flight reservations will cost some money. When conducted outside the office premises, traditional assessment centres turn out to be cost-ineffective.

Introverts Tend to Lose Out

A traditional assessment centre can prove to be nightmares for candidates who are relatively shy and take time to open up within groups. Confident and outspoken individuals tend to shine during group discussions and presentations. However, shy and reserved participants might find themselves struggling to keep up with the pace. As a result, a traditional assessment centre is not optimized for an apple-to-orange candidate comparison.

Accuracy is Questionable

Manual reports are error-prone. Accuracy of reports in traditional assessment centres depends primarily on the accuracy of the rating scale. However, scoring is absolute and at the mercy of the assessor’s perception and judgement.

Untrained Assessors

Some assessors struggle to understand the tools and competencies they map. Since they are not a part of the organization whose employees are a part of the development program, they somewhat lack understanding of the job role and function at hand. While many organizations put their assessors through a short training program before the assessment, a few organizations fail to do so.

Conclusion

Assessment centres are difficult to administer, and things may not always go as per the HR’s expectations. The above-mentioned issues can create an adverse effect on the company’s work culture.
To avoid the consequences of relying on a traditional assessment centre, organizations are gradually adopting the blended approach. A blended assessment centre is a mix of online and offline tools.