Quadrant 1 International

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1. Appraising Talent

   June 27, 2014 12:04 pm Leave a Comment

   How are you Appraising Talent?

   Performance reviews can vary in quality, in structure as well as delivery. Structurally they often include a review of measurable goals completed over the last period and a series of measurable goals to be completed over the next appraisal period. They may also cover development requirements and some suggestions/requests for coaching, training or mentoring. Discussions around these topics are generally fairly straightforward and the quality of the delivery will depend very much on the value the manager places on the performance review, or even their belief in their ability to perform themselves in the review. Whether or not the review is conducted well or poorly some subjects will rarely be approached.

   Attitudinal abilities are rarely measured. For example when was the last time you were asked about your level of optimism, your ability to take initiative, your analytical skills or your levels of enthusiasm for the role? What about your interpersonal skills or your strategic acumen or your organization skills? Maybe you lack warmth and empathy or are too frank with people or you are so open and reflective that you find decision making difficult.

   Two years ago we were asked by the HR Director of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to get involved in their appraisal system. The College is the result of two very different colleges amalgamating into one and the HR Director was keen to promote a cohesive culture based on some strong values and behavioural competencies. We were able to create a profile of 6 essential behavioural traits, 15 desirable ones and 9 traits to avoid to represent their desired culture using the highly accurate and robust Harrison Assessment Talent Assessments. Every member of staff is measured against the profile on a yearly basis and the profile has been incorporated into the performance review process.

   The benefits are clear –

   • Managers now feel able to ask questions which may previously have been avoided. For example if levels of enthusiasm appear to have dropped then a conversation can be had around the causes. If an employee appears not to be taking enough initiative then this can be explored and so on. The system also offers suggestions on how to develop the traits which may be lacking.
   • Expectations of what is required of employees is quite clear. They have this at the forefront of their minds throughout the appraisal period and learn to behave accordingly. For example, people are expected to look for solutions to their challenges and challenge the status quo if necessary. They are expected to take responsibility for their own personal development and be aware of the impact they have on others.
   • The profile can also be used to recruit against. Going forward the College will be able to ensure that their new employees have the qualities that support the College ethos.

   If you would like to know more about developing a performance profile using HATS get in touch on +44 (0)7768 922244.

2. Measuring the Success of your Competency Framework

   May 28, 2014 4:04 pm Leave a Comment

   What are you measuring?

   Are you leaving it to subjective opinion or measuring it accurately?

   We never cease to be impressed with the time and effort that organisations put into producing competency frameworks. Many hours of research and careful analysis goes into such frameworks which are then rolled throughout the organisation with the intention of maintaining consistency of approach. Sometimes they are linked to pay reward and form an essential part of the appraisal system. More often than not they form the foundation for personal development plans whereupon important decisions re training, coaching and mentoring are made.

   Competency frameworks are playing a bigger and bigger role in decision making re recruitment, succession planning and talent management. So why is it that such an important feature of the organisation is measured in such a subjective way? Often when we speak with organisations and ask them this question we find that the only measurement is a simple scoring system – often 1-4 based on a yearly appraisal where the score is dependent on the opinion of the manager. Even if a 360 degree feedback system is used the information obtained remains subjective.

   As a result appraisal conversations often avoid the, until now, immeasurable results and remain focused on perceived measurable achievements and setting targets. But what if you could measure such things as interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, ability to take initiative, team work, influencing skills, frankness, diplomacy, levels of self-acceptance, how well an employee handles autonomy – just a few of the 156 traits employers typically ask for but find it difficult to measure. How much easier would an appraisal conversation be if employees were measured against such traits? How much money could be saved in designing specific programmes that hit the mark for individuals and groups? How quickly could a culture change if everyone knew what was expected of them in terms of working approach and attitude and they were continually working towards achieving this as well as the operational targets expected of them?

   Harrison Assessments offer just this opportunity and we have been working with organisations who see the benefit of measuring in this way. Here is just one example of how it is being used by an organisation which has just undergone a merger.

   A Real Competency Framework Example

   Preparation

   The newly merged organisation was looking to combine two distinctly different cultures very quickly. The senior team of 25 people got together to brainstorm what an ‘outstanding’ organisation of its nature would look like. They asked themselves the question ‘if this organisation was demonstrating outstanding practice what would that look like over and above operational excellence?’ They came up with 23 behavioural traits that they would like to see demonstrated by each and every employee. We then mapped these onto a Harrison profile and came up with a list of traits with a relevant weighting. They include 6 essential traits – takes initiative, enthusiasm, ability to influence, interpersonal skills, optimism and teamwork and 24 desirable traits including diplomacy, ability to handle autonomy, wants a challenge, receives correction, warmth and empathy and the ability to handle pressure. There was also a list of 10 traits to avoid including rebellious autonomy, dogmatism, harshness and permissiveness.

   Gaining Buy In

   The profile was then presented to the next layer of management for discussion and buy-in. They tested the system by completing the online questionnaire for themselves and discussing the results. Once buy-in had been achieved the Harrison profile was incorporated into the appraisal form for every employee and it was time to roll out the programme.

   Rolling out the programme

   All managers were trained in using the new appraisal system which includes opportunities to discuss the various traits and their measurements. This was an opportunity to re-inforce the importance of appraisals, teach skills where necessary and to develop the managers as role models. Managers were now in a position to have conversations around such issues as an employee’s over frankness or their ability to handle stress for example. These conversations may well have been avoided in the past because it could have been perceived as a subjective view.

   All employees in the organisation were then invited to complete the online questionnaire in preparation for their annual appraisal. Change is measured from year to year in specific areas and development plans formulated as a result.

   The results

   • A focused workforce who know what is expected of them both operationally and in terms of behaviours and attitude.
   • Specific development plans for individuals saving valuable time and money.
   • Raised awareness of expectations. Having 6 essential traits to remember forms the foundation of the culture and knowing that they will be measured fairly against such traits gives people confidence in the system.

   Harrison Assessments – The Background

   Harrison Assessments are used in 20 countries by over 2 million people and are accessible in 25 languages. They are the result of 20 years research by Dan Harrison PhD who focuses on the link between results and the enjoyment factor. It is well documented that people who enjoy what they do produce better results. The assessments therefore take into account working preferences and cross match 156 traits. There is a consistency regulator which prevents ‘fooling’ the system and profiles can be tailor made to fit the needs of individual organisations. The system is using over 8,000 cross references thus ensuring a very high level of accuracy.

   For more information call +44 (0)7768 922244, or download one of our Harrison Assessment White Papers –

   Best Practices in Talent Assessment

   Best Practices in Recruitment Assessment

3. Shaping Talent for the next 10 Years

   May 22, 2014 1:10 pm Leave a Comment

   Late last year the Society for Human Resource Management published the results of a survey of the top HR challenges for the next 10 years. Participants were asked the same questions as they were asked two years previously and the results are shown above.

   The results show some significant changes with developing corporate leaders, retaining and rewarding the best employees and remaining competitive in the talent market shooting ahead of finding the right global markets, breaking down cultural barriers and finding the right employees in the right markets. The results suggest that people are in the right place to do the job with the right skill sets and that the challenge is in recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent in a market that can virtually pick and choose.

   The need for a talent management system which tracks talent shaping from recruitment through to succession planning is no longer a nice to have but a necessary part of corporate planning and development. This is further verified in the survey by the increase in the need for creating smooth and efficient HR processes for employees.

   So what if you could  –

   • Increase your recruitment accuracy from 45% to 90% by introducing 175 job specific traits and working preferences
   • Automate your job application process in a system which rates applicants in order of eligibility and suitability (job specific traits) for a role
   • Automate your succession planning on line for all job roles not just the senior ones with applicants completing their own interest and rated in accordance with their suitability for the role
   • Use highly accurate paradox based reports for development and performance management
   • Use a ‘cultural’ profile within your appraisal system by which everyone is measured thus making previously difficult conversations for managers easier and more open.

   Why Harrison Assessments?

   • High degree of accuracy with a consistency score preventing the use of inaccurate data
   • Uses paradox theory and 175 job specific traits and preferences to determine suitability as well as eligibility for a role.
   • Uses well known concept that enjoyment factor determines engagement and success.
   • Doesn’t revert to ‘norms’. No labels or boxes.
   • Online Questionnaire makes it easy to use, efficient and cost effective.
   • Range of reports for different uses – recruitment, development, interviewing, appraising, succession planning, culture development.
   • Takes the cost and uncertainty out of talent management.

   For more information call +44 (0)7768 922244.

4. Leadership development at its best!

   May 12, 2014 10:44 am Leave a Comment

   Marshall Goldsmith is being heralded by Harvard Business School as the best executive coach in the world for leadership development and at Quadrant 1 International we are delighted to number amongst the few UK coaches to be accredited as Stakeholder Centred coaches under the Marshall Goldsmith scheme.

   Why Stakeholder Centred Coaching?

   Leadership development is traditionally conducted via attendance on a programme or via an executive coach. Both methods have their merits and stakeholder centred coaching adds valuable dynamics.

   • Who is best placed to provide real and productive comment on the leader’s behaviour? The stakeholders
   • Results are measurable
   • The system focuses on future behaviour not past
   • Time and cost efficient
   • Stakeholders become an integral part of the process thus adding real value and support
   • Leaders are in a position to change their own behaviour and the perception of stakeholders at the same time
   • Relationships improve, silos break down and teams become stronger.

   Who is it for?

   Leaders by definition have already experienced success and will have formed strong beliefs about their ability to continue to succeed. Stakeholder Centred Coaching builds on this belief system – it requires the leader to have the humility, courage and discipline to make the changes being suggested. It is not for leaders who believe they know it all and have no interest in improving. It is for leaders who are valuable to your organisation, for whom further and deeper insights into leadership skills will add significantly to the ethos, culture and bottom line.
   How long is the programme?

   Ideally the leader commits to a year-long programme consisting of a monthly session with the coach and short (approximately 5 minutes) monthly sessions with each stakeholder. From this monthly plans are developed and action undertaken by the leader. Measurements of progress are taken after months 5 and 11.

   Why Stakeholder Coaching for Quadrant 1?

   At Quadrant 1 International we feel that the combination of Stakeholder Centred Coaching, NLP and Harrison Assessments together form one of the most powerful and effective leadership approaches on the market today.

5. Talent Management Solutions – A Strategic Approach

   March 11, 2014 10:45 pm Comments Off on Talent Management Solutions – A Strategic Approach

   

   CIPD research tells us that only 8% of HR professionals are satisfied with the way they deal with talent management and yet talent attraction, development and retention is high on the agenda of most progressive HR professionals.

   One of the challenges for HR Directors is establishing a talent management solution which gives real, progressive data on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent in a cost effective manner. Until now measuring the very things that make people good at their job, ie, the things they enjoy doing, have not been measurable in any robust or non-subjective way so making a business case for introducing development plans can be a tough call for even the best of HR Directors. Faced with measurable business cases from finance, sales and marketing, IT and operations HR initiatives can often fall under the radar due largely to a lack of measurability. Aspects that are measurable are often administrative by nature – holiday records, salary pay scales, overtime hours and so on. But what of those that aren’t perceived to be measurable? These often fall into the ‘pink and fluffy’ category simply because measurement has been a challenge. Making a business case is difficult and measuring the success of any development initiative can be a challenge.

   So what if HR professionals were in a position to measure on an individual, team and organisational basis, 175 aspects of business success such as –

   • Ability to take initiative
   • Optimism
   • Ability to analyse pitfalls
   • Inclination to experiment
   • Inclination to take risks
   • Interpersonal skills
   • Ability to influence
   • Frankness
   • Diplomacy
   • Desire for self-improvement
   • Levels of self-acceptance

   What if they can measure such traits in relation to specific roles, organisational and/or team values, behavioural competencies, benchmarking excellent performance, maintaining a talent pipeline, succession planning, career development and placing graduate/wp-contentrentice talent? How different would Board meetings be if HR could produce statistics to support business cases for development in specific areas and to measure the success of such initiatives.

   The Harrison Assessment Talent Management System can do just this and here is how.

   • The central driver of the HATS system is the SmartQuestionnaire™ – the result of over 30 years of research by Dr Dan Harrison into what makes people successful at work. Its focus on working preferences makes it much easier to interpret and more flexible than other assessments.
   • HATS records all in one place the working preferences, ie the success factors over and above qualifications and experience, of the entire workforce as well as any prospective employees. It does this by completion of a robust and accurate SmartQuestionnaire™ and provides a fresh and up-to-date pipeline of talent.
   • HATS has over 6,500 job profiles on the system against which to measure the suitability factors of prospective candidates for a role. These are flexible and can be designed for the organisation’s individual and specific requirements. Including suitability factors as well as eligibility factors for a role will increase the predictive success rate from 40-45% using just eligibility factors to nearer 90-95%. Many organisations will pay an external talent seeker an average of 15-20% of salary to fill some roles – a high price to pay for only a 40-45% success rate! One HR Director told me recently that to find 12 young graduates for their graduate training scheme cost a total of £100,000.
   • There is a range of reports to use for development for individuals and their managers as well as teams.
   • Employees can be encouraged to take responsibility for their own career development through the talent readiness part of the system.
   • The data drawn from the system puts HR in an excellent position to build a business case for development for individuals, teams and/or groups and the results of such development are now clearly measurable – no more guess work or subjective reasoning – just clear and accurate data pushing HR talent solution initiatives up the list of Board level priorities.

   HATS is designed for maximum customer effectiveness

   There is no license fee and installation is quick and cost effective – training and consultancy packages are available from Quadrant 1 International on +44 (0)7768 922244 – a much better investment than a license fee.

   A typical package may include –

   • Installation of system and 6 days consultancy spread throughout the to be used for training up to 6 people to use the system, support with campaign designs, benchmarking exercises and/or cultural measurement, setting up the talent readiness system, consultancy on dissecting the data to support business cases as appropriate.
   • Design 6 job specific suitability profiles for recruitment campaigns and/or talent readiness programme
   • 1,000 HATS units – enough to fully profile 166 managers or measure 1,000 people against a baseline profile. More can be added as and when required.
   • After the first year customers can choose to continue with consultancy from Quadrant 1 but by this time customers are generally self-sufficient and the only cost then is in purchasing additional units.

   After the first year customers can choose to continue with consultancy from Quadrant 1 but by this time customers are generally self-sufficient and the only cost then is in purchasing additional units.