Assessment Center for
Dairy Farm
Owners and Managers
Management Assessment Center Team
University of Wisconsin-Cooperative
Extension
Developed in Summer, 2004
Team members include:
Robert K Cropp:
Associate Professor; Pepin County
Carl A. Duley:
Associate Professor; Buffalo County
Gregg Hadley:
Assistant Professor; Farm
Management Specialist
Randy Knapp:
Professor; Chippewa County
Jenny Vanderlin:
Senior Information Processing
Consultant
Jonathan Zander:
Associate Professor; Trempealeau County
Developed in cooperation with:
• Gail J. Gunderson, Ohio State University
• Bill R. Haynes, Ohio State University
Extension
• Grant from University of Wisconsin Dairy
Initiatives - USDA Funding
History of Assessment Centers
1. An Assessment Center is not a building, a group
of people or a location.
2. It is an assessment approach different from most
other methods of measurement and assessment
approaches.
3. Characterized by:
•
•
•
•
Multiple assessment techniques
Multiple assessors
Situational tests
Structured procedures for making observations
History of Assessment Centers
Early 1900’s
German military
officer selection
Adopted by British,
American,
Australian, and
Canadians around
WWII
Adapted by AT&T and
becomes the model used
for business and
industrial applications
Why assessment centers:
The assessment center method combines multiple
observations, by three different observers, over multiple
evaluation techniques. Participants are assessed for three
different human resource functions:
Selection – who to select for a management position
Diagnostic – determining strengths and weaknesses in
work related skills
Development – providing training for managerial and
teamwork skills
Farm Management Assessment
Center observers watch for the
many layers that make up the
human essence of farm managers.
Attributes for Assessment
Center derived from a
thorough job description.
Job Description
Dairy Farm Owner/Manager
Manages dairy farm: Plans, develops, and implements
policies, procedures, and practices for operation of dairy farm
to ensure compliance with owner's standards. The dairy
manager will guide and assist the farm owner in maximizing
the financial returns to their farm by managing the day-to-day
activities. Their duties and responsibilities will vary widely
from establishing output goals to determining financial
constraints; monitoring production and marketing; hiring
assigning and supervising workers; and overseeing the
maintenance of the property and equipment. The dairy farm
manager needs to be proficient in written and verbal
communication skills.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Attributes for the Dairy
Farm Manager
Capacity Assessment
1. Communications – the extent to which one can
communicate orally, listen and respond effectively, or
express effectively his/her ideas in writing.
2. Planning and organizing – the process of
establishing a course of action for self and/or others
to accomplish a specific goal.
3. Leadership – the ability to influence others to move
toward the attainment of a specific goal using
techniques such as delegation and motivation.
4. Decision making and judgment - the
process of identifying problems, securing relevant
information, developing courses of action, and making
a decision from information gathered.
5. Management control – the extent to which
one maximizes and monitors the use of all resources
(e.g. personnel, financial and material) to obtain
effective outcomes.
6. Empathy – the ability to respond/react to a
problem considering the feelings, emotions and needs
of others.
7. Teamwork – the degree to which one is willing to
work cooperatively with others.
8. Initiative – the ability to begin actions without
stimulation or support from others, the capacity to see
courses of action and to discover new means of goal
achievement.
Participant Self Assessment of Attribute Skills
Participant___________________________
Rating scale: 1=Poor; 2=Fair;
Attribute
Communications – the extent to which one can
communicate orally, listen and respond effectively, or express
effectively his/her ideas in writing.
Planning/Organizing – the process of establishing a
course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal.
ETC
3=Average;
4=Very Good;
Pre-Center Participation
5=Excellent
Post-Center Participation
Activities Conducted
• Background Interview
• In-Basket
• Case Study
• Personnel Discussion/Interview
• Group Discussion Non-Assigned
Roles
• Group Discussion Assigned Roles
Assessment Exercises
Exercise
In-Basket
Assigned role group discussion
Interview simulation
Non-assigned role group
discussion
Scheduling
Analysis
Management games
Background interview
Tests
% frequency of use
95
85
75
45
40
35
10
5
2
Assessment Exercises
Exercise
In-Basket
Assigned role group discussion
Interview simulation
Non-assigned role group
discussion
Scheduling
Analysis
Management games
Background interview
Tests
% frequency of use
95
85
75
45
40
35
10
5
2
Attributes
InBasket
Case
Study
Personnel
Discussion
Communications
X
X
X
Planning and
organizing
X
X
X
Leadership
X
Decision
making/judgment
X
Management control
Group
Discussion
NonAssigned
Roles
X
Group
Discussion
Assigned
Roles
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Empathy
X
X
X
X
X
Teamwork
X
X
X
X
Initiative
X
X
X
X
X
Assessment Center Ratings and Definitions
Rating
5
54+
4
43+
3
32+
2
2-
Description
Definition
Exhibits behaviors that greatly exceed owner/manager effectiveness.
Excellent
Exhibits behaviors that exceed owner/manager effectiveness.
Very Good
Exhibits behaviors that meet owner/manager effectiveness.
Average
Exhibits behaviors that limit owner/manager effectiveness.
Fair
Exhibits behaviors that greatly limit owner/manager effectiveness.
1+
1
Poor
In assessment centers ratings, average is the normal acceptable level of competency one would expect to observe in farm owners/managers. In
other words, average is OK. Even very competent farm owners/managers need more experience and training in skills related to the attributes
assessed to rate higher than average.
Example exercise
Personnel interview:
Handouts for taking notes
References
• Thornton, George C. and Byham, William
C. Assessment Centers and Managerial
Performance. Academic Press, Inc. 1982.
• Thornton, George C. Assessment Centers in
Human Resource Management. AddisonWesley, 1992.