ACME is an international baked goods firm, with bakeries, factories and offices across the globe.
They employ over 10,000 people into a variety of roles, including production, food testing, logistics
and office based roles. The organisation was founded in 2002, following the merger of two smaller
baked goods firms in the US. Since this time the organisation has experienced dramatic growth
and succeeded in increasing its market reach to over 30 countries, across 4 continents.
ACME continue to manage their selection and development strategy centrally, via a shared HR
team based in the UK. However they also have HR teams operating within each of their market
territories.
ACME has an extensive graduate development programme which aims to fast-track high potential
candidates into management positions. They have also just launched their ‘Higher’ scheme, which
is targeted at employees identified as high potential across all functions, to support their continued
professional development and progression within the organisation.
ACME have favoured objective assessment methods since their conception. However before now,
this has not included use of psychometrics.
Peter Williams has recently been appointed the International HR Director at ACME and wants to
introduce psychometric testing to the organisation. Peter’s previous employer made extensive use
of psychometrics and he has recognised the value they bring. Peter’s key objectives for introducing
psychometrics are to:
• Obtain greater efficiency when hiring for roles.
Particularly as he has noticed the organisation is now facing increased volumes of
applicants, reflecting the increasingly popular ACME brand.
• Increase rigour in the assessment and development process.
Peter has also identified a number of poor selection decisions, which have led to
performance management issues. This is also coupled with employees raising concerns
about the value of ACME’s development initiatives, particularly within the ‘Higher’ scheme.
• Maximise return on investment from assessment and development.
Peter is also facing increasing pressure from his stakeholders to demonstrate the value of
assessment to the organisation. Consequently, he wants to make sure he can demonstrate a
clear return on investment from any assessment he uses