Development and Outline of an Assessment Center for Testing the Global Mindset

Globalization poses new challenges to the selection of personnel. Enterprises have to hold their ground in the market under the condition of globalization, and their employees must therefore be able to act adequately in different cultural contexts and to understand the complexities of a globalized world. This means that they need to have a specific set of attitudes, qualities, and abilities at their disposal. This set is termed a global mindset.
This master’s thesis with the title ‘Development and Outline of an Assessment Center for Testing the Global Mindset’ investigates how properties pertaining to a global mindset can be tested by means of an assessment center. To this end, the thesis first discusses the concept, and the background, of the assessment center, in particular its definition, its history, the persons participating in it, the elements of an assessment center, its areas of application, and the evaluative criteria used in assessment centers. In a second step, the thesis discusses the concept of the global mindset. Subsequently, the literature on using assessment centers to test the global mindset is surveyed. The thesis then discusses the methodology for a qualitative empirical study, which was conducted by the researcher and on which the design of an assessment center for testing the global mindset is based. In the above-mentioned methods section, qualitative and quantitative approaches, the expert interview, and Grounded Theory are explained to give a rationale for this thesis’s use of the expert interview as an instrument appropriate for exploratory investigations such as the one at hand. The empirical results are presented and discussed and, on their basis, a concept for an assessment center is developed. The concept includes the design of concrete tasks for testing qualities and abilities such as an interest in other cultures, self-confidence, willingness to accept risk, optimism, self-assertiveness, communicative skills, team spirit, understanding of global interrelations, and willingness to learn. The thesis concludes with a comparison between the findings of previous literature and the results gained here, and points out the implications of its results for both future research and practical application in a business context.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 Introduction
• 1.1 Problem
• 1.2 Objective and Research Question
• 1.3 Structure of the Thesis
• 2 Conceptual Framework and State of Research
• 2.1 Assessment Center
• 2.1.1 Definition and Purpose of Assessment Centers
• 2.1.2 History
• 2.1.3 Participating Persons
• 2.1.3.1 Requirements Profiler
• 2.1.3.2 Designer
• 2.1.3.3 Moderator
• 2.1.3.4 Observer
• 2.1.3.5 Candidate
• 2.1.4 Areas of Application
• 2.1.5 Elements of an Assessment Center
• 2.1.5.1 Lectures and Presentations
• 2.1.5.2 Group Activities
• 2.1.5.3 Role Plays
• 2.1.5.4 Intray Exercises
• 2.1.5.5 Interviews
• 2.1.5.6 Personality Tests, Intelligence Tests, Performance Tests, and Concentration Tests
• 2.1.5.7 Feedback
• 2.1.6 Evaluative Criteria
• 2.1.7 Results
• 2.2 Global Mindset
• 2.2.1 Concept of Mindset
• 2.2.1.1 Contents and Structure
• 2.2.1.2 Functions and Dysfunctions of the Mindset
• 2.2.1.3 Significance and Requirements of a Mindset
• 2.2.2 Definition of the Term Global Mindset
• 2.2.3 History and Historical Context of the Term Global Mindset
• 2.2.4 Global Mindset as Intellectual, Psychological, and Social Capital
• 2.2.4.1 Intellectual Capital
• 2.2.4.2 Psychological Capital
• 2.2.4.3 Social Capital
• 2.2.5 Relevance of the Global Mindset in a Business Context
• 2.2.6 Perspectives of the Global Mindset
• 2.2.6.1 Cultural Perspective
• 2.2.6.2 Strategic Perspective
• 2.2.6.3 Multidimensional Perspective
• 2.2.7 Development of the Individual Global Mindset
• 2.2.8 Changeable and Unchangeable Character Traits as Elements of a Global Mindset
• 2.2.9 Measures for Learning Development
• 2.2.9.1 Cultivation of Self-Perception
• 2.2.9.2 Verbalizing the Perception of One's Own Consciousness and that of Others
• 2.2.9.3 Appreciation for, and Understanding of, the Home Culture
• 2.2.9.4 Lifelong Learning
• 2.2.9.5 Acquiring Theoretical Knowledge
• 2.2.9.6 Self-Initiated Education
• 2.2.9.7 Interaction with Others
• 2.2.9.8 Willingness to Travel
• 2.3 Measuring the Global Mindset at the Level of the Individual
• 2.3.1 Theoretical Framework for Measuring the Individual Global Mindset
• 2.3.2 Practical Measurement of the Global Mindset At the Level of the Individual
• 2.3.3 Results
• 2.4 The Global Mindset as Object of an Assessment Center
• 3 Methodology, Design, and Execution of the Empirical Study
• 3.1 Quantitative and Quantitative Research
• 3.2 Expert Interviews
• 3.3 Grounded Theory
• 3.4 Research Design and Execution
• 4 Results and Analysis
• 4.1 Empirical Data from the Expert Interviews
• 4.2 Concept of an Assessment Center for Testing the Global Mindset
• 4.2.1 Assessment Center Global for the Global Mindset
• 4.2.1.1 Roles of the Persons Participating in an Assessment Center for the Global Mindset
• 4.2.1.1.1 Requirements Profiler
• 4.2.1.1.2 Designer
• 4.2.1.1.3 Moderator
• 4.2.1.1.4 Observer
• 4.2.1.1.5 Candidate
• 4.2.1.2 Elements of an Assessment Center for the Global Mindset
• 4.2.1.2.1 Lectures and Presentations
• 4.2.1.2.2 Group Exercises
• 4.2.1.2.3 Role Plays
• 4.2.1.2.4 Intray Exercises
• 4.2.1.2.5 Interviews
• 4.2.1.2.6 Personality Test
• 4.2.1.2.7 Feedback
• 4.2.1.2.8 Results
• 4.2.2 Specific Tasks
• 4.2.2.1 Presentation
• 4.2.2.2 Group Discussions
• 4.2.2.3 Role Play
• 4.2.2.4 Intray Exercise
• 4.2.2.5 Interview
• 4.2.2.6 Personality Test

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The thesis aims to develop and outline an assessment center for testing the global mindset. It explores the concept of the global mindset, its development, and its relevance in a business context.

• The concept of the global mindset and its theoretical framework
• The assessment center as a tool for measuring the global mindset
• The development of a specific assessment center for testing the global mindset
• The practical implementation of the assessment center
• The implications of the research for both practice and future research

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the problem of assessing the global mindset in a business context. It outlines the objective and research question of the thesis, and provides a structure for the subsequent chapters. Chapter two provides a conceptual framework for the assessment center, delving into the definition and purpose of assessment centers, their history, participating persons, areas of application, and elements of an assessment center. It then focuses on the concept of the global mindset, its definition, historical context, and relevance in a business context. This chapter also explores the development of the individual global mindset and various measures for learning development. Chapter three discusses the methodology, design, and execution of the empirical study, including quantitative and qualitative research methods, expert interviews, and grounded theory. Finally, chapter four presents the results and analysis of the empirical study, detailing the concept of an assessment center for testing the global mindset and its specific elements and tasks.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key terms and concepts of this thesis include assessment center, global mindset, intellectual capital, psychological capital, social capital, cultural perspective, strategic perspective, multidimensional perspective, learning development, and empirical research.

Details

• Hochschule: Prifysgol Cymru University of Wales
• Note: 1,3
• Autor: Gordon Flügge (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2013
• Seiten: 90
• Katalognummer: V282672
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656817321
• ISBN (Buch): 9783656817338
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: development outline assessment center testing global mindset