Sears, Roebuck, and Indiana University Leadership Assessment Steve Kirn, VP of Innovation Alicia Winckler, Mgr of Testing and Selection Processes Oct. 24th, 2000

Agenda Introductions Review of Assessment Methods Focus on Assessment Centers Assessment Center Demonstration Debrief and Questions

Leadership Assessment: A “Selection” Decision Organizations make very impactful statements about their values when they decide who to promote.

Leadership Assessment Lesson #1: Know What You’re Looking For… Consider: Culture Business Strategy Organizational Structure Characteristics of Successful Performers

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Interviews Role Plays Work Simulations In-basket Exercises Writing Work Samples Business Case Analyses Presentation Work Samples Leaderless Group Exercises

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Interviews Pros... People are comfortable with this method Good at assessing communication skills Cons... Not reliable and, many times, not valid Interviewers may have a “false sense” of feeling like they know the person

Drawback to Interviewing

Leadership Assessment: “Can Dancers”

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods The best interviews are conducted when: the questions are behaviorally-based the questions focus on specific examples of past work performance interviewers are trained regarding “what to look for”

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Work Simulations Pros... People consider this activity “face valid” Predictive validity, when analyzed reliably, is high Good at assessing job relevant skills/tasks Cons... Significant cost to develop and to run Can only accommodate a limited number of applicants Not suited for some specific tasks/skills

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Work simulations are usually used when: the process can be highly automated the job is critical to company success

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Leaderless Group Exercises Pros... Predictive validity, when analyzed reliably, is high Good at assessing group behaviors Cons... Training assessors can be difficult Can only accommodate a limited number of applicants

Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods Leaderless Group Exercises are usually used when: building relationships is an essential function of the job being a successful individual contributor does not predict success in this position

Leadership Assessment The best assessment decisions are made when you use multiple methods and multiple assessors to make decisions based on multiple traits of candidate performance.

Leadership Assessment One Solution: Assessment Centers

Leadership Assessment Lesson #2: Once you know what you’re looking for…you must know how you’re going to find it

Leadership Assessment

An Example at Sears: Development of Key Executives Starting with an Assessment Center

Leadership Assessment Lesson #3: Once you know what you’re looking for…and you know how you’re going to find it…you must know when you’ve found it.

Leadership Assessment Leaderless Group Exercise Demonstration

Leadership Assessment Debrief