Hi-Potential Assessment

Are you concerned of the significant, negative consequences resulting from key staff leaving the company?
Do you feel you need to do more to support succession planning and talent retention?
If you could develop a hi-potential assessment intervention would you jump at it?
Would expertise help to ensure best practice techniques result in accurate hi potential assessment decisions?

Shifting demographics, skill shortages, employee expectations and often supervisory limitations are all factors driving organizations to become more and more serious about growing and retaining their own talent.It is a strategic issue that now commands the focus, time and resources it deserves.

What approaches can we use for assessing hi-potential?

Most organizations tend to offer some form of an assessment centre. This is not a place but either a series of competency linked activities assessed in situ and/or a psychometric battery of tests which link personality factors to behavioral competence

Assessment Centres (behavioural)

A behavioural Assessment Centre aims to replicate some of the key tasks and let you see how people deal with the scenarios you put them in. Core Measures assessment centre operates on the principle of a "cross reference" system – there are multiple assessors, evaluating multiple competencies in multiple exercises. The key is defining the right competencies and behaviours beforehand, in this case hi-potential competencies so that the exercises will facilitate the relevant behavior.

Hi Potential competencies for ‘XYZ’ organisation. NB Competencies will vary based on requirements

Competencies Assessed	Group Discussion	In Basket	Individual Presentation	Colleague Interaction	Interview
Problem Analysis
Interpersonal Dexterity
Making an Impact
Results Focused
Leadership Quality
Enthusiasmn
Never Say Die
Teamwork
Motivatio

Hi Potential competencies for ‘XYZ’ organisation. NB Competencies will vary based on requirements

Assess performance against defined job-related Competencies
Use simulations and other tools relevant to the job demands
Predict on the job performance because it simulates real work situations
Develop cost effective tailored exercises to meet your specific needs
Measure candidates objectively to the same criteria, free from bias
Feel satisfied that all candidates have been given a "fair go"

Assessment Centres (psychometric)

Some organisations require psychometric personality based profiling as methodology of choice to for hi potential assessment. The rationale being that personality based assessment looks at the way the person sees themselves from the bright and dark side of theircharacter and is a better predictor of a person’s reputation whilst providing fairness and transparency.

Core Measures utilizes three inventories for hi-potential assessment.

The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) is considered the industry standard for personality assessment. HPI is a Five Factor personality assessment providing a comprehensive, work-based assessment of personality that is specifically designed to predict occupational success and can be used for both selection and development.

The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) is an assessment of behavioral tendencies that can be barriers to career success. The HDS assesses what is often referred to as the "dark side" measure of personality. It measures eleven common dysfunctional dispositions that can impede occupational achievement. These "career de-railers" can disrupt relationships with others and interfere with an individual's career goals. The Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) is a personality inventory that reveals a person’s core values, goals and interests. Results indicated which type of position, job and environment will be most motivating for the employee and when he/she will feel the most satisfied.

A final Hi Potential report is generated which summarizes all scales and creates a matrix comparing all hi potential candidates who have taken part in the assessment centre exercise.

Hi Potential competencies for ‘XYZ’ organisation. NB Competencies will vary based on requirements

Domain

Hi Po Scale

HPI/HDS/MVPI

Business
Competencies related to the processing of information to address business challenges

Strategic Reasoning

Tactical Problem Solving

Operational Excellence

Combines the ideas of self and others to envision the possibilities and chart a course to an improved future-state.

Synthesizes available data and facts into plausible courses of action that will result in the resolution of identified problems.

Manages business priorities and resources to ensure the efficient, timely, and cost effective achievement of business results.

Leadership Competencies related to the challenges of leading self and others.

Results Orientation

Talent Development

Establishes high performance standards for self and others and assumes personal ownership and accountability for achieving business results.

Pursues a personal course of development related to business acumen and uses that knowledge to hire, coach, and develop the performance of others.

Interpersonal Competencies related to building and maintaining relationships

Respect for People

Collaboration

Builds trust-base relationships with people by treating them with dignity, respect, and fairness, while valuing their diversity in background and views.

Develops positive working relationships that emphasize team accomplishment in conjunction with individual contribution.

Intrapersonal Competencies related to the way one approaches challenges in the workplace

Strategic Self-Awareness

Tenacity

Judgment

Recognizes strengths and weaknesses and uses that information to guide personal growth and development.

Pursues the resolution of business challenges with urgency and determination to achieve positive outcomes

Initiates action only after evaluating the consequences of the action and determining that the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs.

The Hi-Potential Appraisal Discussion (Optional)

Core Measures offers a third option for assessing hi potential.

The Potential Appraisal Discussion (PAD) is used to determine both hi-potential or poor staff and for ranking purposes.

Your management may prefer this approach for hi-potential assessment and succession planning. Decisions that arise out of this process are based solely on the panel’s judgment and must be defended on that basis. This method utilizes the nine box approach.