Hubert Annen

This webinar will present current standards of AC practices in Switzerland as they exist in Swiss Assessment with a focus on AC certification standards that have been developed and applied in practice. Swiss Assessment (formerly known as Arbeitskreis Assessment Center Switzerland) is a network of Swiss organizations that are applying ACs a) in their own organizations or b) conducting ACs in organizations as external consulting services.

The session will focus on the certification standards of Swiss ACs that have been applied as a collaboration of Swiss Assessment, SQS (a Swiss company specialised in certifications)

and the Work & Organizational Psychology Group of the University of Zurich since 2012. The 22 certification standards that have been developed and applied in this AC network will be introduced. These standards cover for instance scientific principles of exercises and tests, assessor training, and validation data. Organisations that seek to be certified must deliver the relevant certification material to the auditors. Afterwards, the auditors (a member of SQS and a scientific expert on assessment centers) conduct an audit during which they observe an actual assessment center that is conducted by the respective organisation and assess whether the certification candidate fulfills the standards.

In general, this webinar will provide insights into practical experiences on these certifications and recertifications ten years after it was established. As such, this session will allow for discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of this approach for improving the quality of AC practices in organisations.

Hubert Annen, PhD, is head of Military Psychology and Military Pedagogy Studies at ETH Zurich and head of the Swiss Army assessment centers for prospective Defense Attachés, General Staff Officers, and Professional Officers and NCOs respectively. His research interests include the evaluation and validation of assessment and selection procedures for military leaders, motivational aspects in the military context, military education, military values and virtues, and the trainability and measurability of individual resilience. Hubert Annen was also the founding president of Swiss Assessment (Association of Swiss AC Professionals) (2006 – 2012) and served as the head of the management board of the International Military Testing Association (IMTA) (2016 – 2022).