The challenge
The primary task was to evaluate a sample of 59 executives and senior managers against
the company’s leadership competency framework in order to support them in a structured
career development process within the context of the company’s talent strategy. A talent
review was proposed to the mining company in order to measure the potential of the senior
managers and executives against their organizational competency framework. At the outset
of the intervention, it was agreed that a sample would be selected for the initial pilot project
and that the remainder of the target population would be included in the bigger project
through a phased approach during different time intervals. The sample consisted of
executives and senior managers who were nominated by management based on their
performance results. This was the company’s first exposure to a talent review intervention.
The solution
A development center was designed to differentiate between high performers (based on
performance data) and high potential employees, as well as to identify development focus
areas. Executives and senior managers from various regions attended a two-day
development center intervention. Prior to the development center, all participants
completed a biographical questionnaire that gathered information on their development
orientation, career aspirations, experience and qualifications. In order to ensure support for
and commitment to the process, all participants also received communication from the
human resources department to inform them about the process so they were fully prepared
to derive the most from the development initiative.
The focus of the first day was on segmented simulation exercises and participants had to
complete an in-tray exercise as well as a leaderless group discussion in the context of a
fictional organization. An in-tray exercise is a multiple case study where the respondent has
to address a variety of problems pitched at the complexity level of the target role. This
exercise simulates the ability to process complex information, to identify and analyze
organizational problems and to take appropriate decisions or to plan action. Both the
problem solving aspects of a job as well as the emotional aspects are covered. The latter
refers to dealing with paper work, pressure of sheer volume against time constraints,
irritation with irrelevant or annoying material, the problem of being asked for a decision
based on incomplete information, having to cope with conflicting views or proposals, and so
on. As such it is a powerful simulation that resembles reality and measures a range of
competencies required in management roles. The purpose of group discussion without an
appointed leader is to assess the respondent’s leadership and group process skills,
teamwork and predominant team role. The assessors observe the ability to manage the
interaction between the various group members as well as the manner in which each person
contributes to realizing team objectives. A variety of interactive leadership skills are
consequently assessed in this non-threatening simulation.
On the second day, two psychometric measures, namely the occupational personality
questionnaire (OPQ) and the figure classification test (FCT) were administered to the sample
of managers and executives. The OPQ is a comprehensive personality questionnaire that explores personality by identifying the most characteristic ways in which people think, feel
and interact with others, relevant to the world of work. It provides information on people’s
relationships with others, their preferred thinking style and how well they manage their
feelings and emotions. The FCT provides a non-verbal measure of abstract reasoning and
was developed by the South African Human Science Research Council (HSRC). It measures
the ability to form abstract concepts, reason hypothetically, theorize, build scenarios and
trace courses.