Background & Purpose: Assessment centers serve as a critical tool for employee recruitment, managerial selection, and leadership development within the public sector. However, their effectiveness is often compromised by inherent limitations stemming from their unique role, operational nature, and the constraints of the public sector environment. Given these challenges, this study aims to systematically examine the deficiencies of assessment centers within Iran’s administrative system.
Methodology: This study adopted an interpretive philosophy, with an applied orientation, employing a qualitative research approach grounded in ethnography. The methodology leveraged the researcher’s dual role as both evaluator and evaluee within assessment centers, enabling an insider perspective enriched by direct observation and lived experience.
Findings: Adhering strictly to research ethics and mitigating potential biases, the researcher conducted a meticulous analysis of all emergent concepts and categories. This process yielded 18 core concepts, 21 subcategories, and four overarching main categories. To facilitate a systematic understanding of these findings, a visual research model was subsequently designed, providing a structured representation of the conceptual framework.
Conclusion: By systematically understanding these deficiencies through the identified concepts and categories, public sector managers can optimize the design and implementation of assessment centers across ministries. To enhance the reliability and validity of assessment outcomes, it is imperative to restructure the foundational pillars of these centers, aligning them with the strategic objectives, content, and mission of both the administrative system and its affiliated public organizations.