Potential assessment is becoming an increasingly common practice in Russian personnel management. Companies are developing their own potential models and implementing tools for predicting employee performance, and new tools for measuring it are being developed.
The percentage of Russian companies assessing the potential is growing, but remains low. Only 59% of large organizations assess potential*, compared with 81% of North American companies (Church, Rotolo, Ginther, & Levine, 2015). Moreover, 54% of those companies that do not assess potential report a lack of information about this practice.
The purpose of this article is to educate readers about the basics of assessing potential. We will go through issues that have been encountered more often in our practice.
Why evaluate potential?
Over the past 25 years, the world of professions has undergone a dramatic transformation. Organizations have become more complex. The number of companies with matrix and non-hierarchical structures has increased. Requirements for employees are constantly changing - for example, competency models are significantly updated every 3-4 years. As a result, performance and current skills have ceased to be valuable criteria for predicting professional success. It is often unknown what a person will be doing at the next job level or after a few years in their position. The skills an employee has today may become useless tomorrow.
All this led to the emergence of a new dimension in assessment - potential, or forecast of success in new conditions. Companies began to divide successful employees into two groups - HiPro, or High Professionals, and HiPo - High Potential. Highly productive employees demonstrate effectiveness in their current activities, and employees with high potential are able to master new functionality and be successful when changing their role. However, these groups may include different employees - CEB SHL research shows that only 30% of HiPros are effective in new activities (CLC, 2005).
Now more than half of large Russian companies assess the potential:
Another innovation was the emergence of HiPo pools. Unlike the personnel reserve, the HiPo pool is not tied to a specific position. This is a group of employees of different levels and functions who have a high potential for solving new problems that are important for the company.
The advantage of HiPo pools over talent pools is that they are more versatile. Its members can rotate flexibly into a wide range of positions.
What is potential?
There are many definitions of potential. Almost every large company has its own understanding of potential, but all definitions, according to the classification of Silzer & Church (2009), can be reduced to 4 types:
- Likelihood of being effective in a high management position (senior/top manager). This is the most common definition of potential in foreign companies. It applies even to specialists and line managers, despite the “great distance” between their functionality and the responsibilities of top managers.
- The probability of being effective is two positions higher than the current one.
- Ability to effectively master a wider range of responsibilities.
- Probability of showing high performance. This definition confuses “actuality” – current performance – and potential as the likelihood of success in solving new problems. A third (31%) of Russian companies use this definition, but we recommend not confusing performance and potential.
From our point of view, these definitions describe an important part of reality and, at the same time, they are too narrow to apply throughout the entire organization and a wide range of assessment situations. Therefore, we propose to use a more general definition:
Potential is a set of relatively stable qualities that determine an employee’s success in solving new professional problems in the medium and long term.
Let's look at the individual components of this definition:
- Relative stability. Potential, unlike competencies, determines success in a wide range of situations and activities. Therefore, it is based, first of all, on basic personal and intellectual qualities and does not depend on current professional (including managerial) experience. All this makes the potential difficult to develop, because Personal attitudes and intellectual abilities remain virtually unchanged from middle age. Of course, there are isolated cases of significant personality change motivated by external events or deliberate effort. But they are a minority compared to the majority that interests us in an assessment situation. More details about potential development methods are written below.
- Novelty of tasks. It is this point that distinguishes high-performing employees from high-potential employees - the former are successful in solving their current tasks. While potential reflects success in new conditions. Such conditions could be: new functionality, a fundamental change in the team, serious market or organizational transformations.
- Time perspective. Potential can only appear where there are truly new conditions that require adaptation, acquisition and use of new skills and knowledge. This process takes time, and we suggest considering a year or more as such a period. If a person achieves success in the short term (up to a year), this largely reflects the fact that he has the necessary skills and the conditions are not new to him. That is, the new activity largely reflects its previous functionality.
The advantage of this definition is that it is broad enough to describe not only leadership potential, but also expert potential - the likelihood of success in the role of a functional expert. The increase in the number of matrix structures and the “flattening” of vertical connections in organizations - all this makes predicting effectiveness in expert roles a more popular task.
Are the components of potential different for each position?
One of the first questions that foreign practitioners asked when discussing potential was “What are we measuring potential for?” (Hay, 2008). It was assumed that for each position the criteria would be different, depending on what tasks the person would have to do. For example, working in a position that involves a large number of organizational barriers requires persistence and stress tolerance. And in the service department there is goodwill and a lack of big ambitions.
But subsequent scientific research has shown that it is possible to identify factors that determine success in all types of activities and at different job levels. Thus, companies came up with the idea of a universal potential model.
All factors have a positive impact on performance and are universal in nature, but their contribution to a specific position may differ. Thus, working in a rapidly changing market may indeed require a higher level of intelligence. Or working with a difficult team implies higher motivation for leadership and more developed social intelligence.
The answer to the original question, which practitioners came to based on scientific research, is as follows: the components of potential are the same for all positions, none of them makes a “negative” contribution; Only the “weights” of each of them differ. Based on the results of HR analytical studies, the most significant components of potential and quality can be identified with lower priority. And then assign them weights that increase the accuracy of the assessment.
What qualities are included in potential?
ECOPSY has developed a capacity model based on the results of more than 150 scientific studies in recent years. We have compiled a redundant list of qualities that predict success - in a career, in a new position, in training, in management activities. Based on the results of our pilot research, we have selected qualities and abilities that predict the future success of our target audience - executives of companies operating in Russia. These qualities formed the basis of the scales that form the potential model.
1. The “Analysis” scale reflects the ability to work with information and is divided into two components:
- Speed of thinking is the ability to quickly process large volumes of relatively simple, similar information. An example of such actions is working with simple but urgent requests from other people, communication “according to an algorithm,” responding to standard documents and emails.
- Critical thinking is the ability to work with complex information. This requires in-depth analysis, the ability to make reasonable assessments and draw correct conclusions, including in situations where there is a lack of data.
2. “Change” scale – readiness to change and develop, acquire new professional skills and knowledge. It, in turn, is also divided into two qualities:
- Motivation for development is the desire to acquire new knowledge and skills. This quality is also associated with a willingness to admit one’s weaknesses and see opportunities for self-development (a person who perceives himself as an all-knowing expert finds it difficult to learn new things).
- Openness of thinking is the absence of cognitive errors in a person’s thinking that interfere with the perception of new experience. Cognitive errors are stereotypes or established thinking patterns.
These qualities essentially represent the axes “I want” (motivation for development) and “I can” (openness of thinking). Their intersection gives interesting results: a person with low abilities to acquire new knowledge may have high motivation for development, and vice versa - a person who is capable of developing may not want to.
Together, the “Analysis” and “Change” scales speak of “Learning Agility”. At the same time, potential is not limited to learning ability: success in solving new problems is associated with the effective use of new experience, and for this it is necessary to take into account two more scales.
3. The “Communication” scale speaks about a person’s readiness to build fruitful relationships with other people in the course of a new activity. It is divided into two components:
- Motivation for leadership is the willingness to lead others, regardless of the costs associated with a leadership position (such costs include, for example, the need to be responsible for the mistakes of one’s subordinates).
- Social intelligence is the ability to correctly understand the social context, motives and actions of others and choose adequate methods of influencing other people.
4. “Drive” scale – willingness to set ambitious goals, overcome obstacles and be responsible for the result. This scale concentrates “fighting” qualities, which fill the remaining components of potential with the necessary energy.
To assess potential, ECOPSY has developed a special tool - the Potential in Focus test.
How does potential compare with other evaluation criteria?
Potential is only one of the assessment criteria for making personnel decisions. For a full assessment, it is also necessary to use other metrics and assessments:
All evaluation criteria can be divided into two groups: filters and drivers. Filtering criteria involve “screening out” those least suitable for promotion/rotation/inclusion in HiPo pools or personnel reserves. “Drivers” – on the contrary, identifying the most powerful participants in the assessment process.
1. Filtering criteria are divided into:
Values(this filter is also called culture fit or culture match): the employee’s behavior should not contradict the values and corporate culture of the organization. Please note: to meet the filtering criteria, it is necessary and sufficient for a person not to fall into the “below expectations” category. There is no need to be an ideal example and demonstrative champion in observing corporate values - it is enough not to have problems.
Past performance. At first glance obvious, but in fact the most ambiguous of the evaluation criteria. The reasons for poor performance can vary and are worth clarifying before making personnel decisions. Here are the main options:
- The person “can’t”: the current position is “too big” in terms of his potential. Perhaps he lacks fundamental abilities to achieve results (Analysis, Change, Communication, Drive), or perhaps he lacks specific skills, knowledge and work experience to succeed in this position, because he simply I didn't have time to buy them.
- The person “does not want”: the current position is “too small”. The source of demotivation can be a person’s feeling that his potential is underutilized, emotional burnout due to stress at work, personal and family problems, imperfections in the system for assessing achievements and motivation in the organization.
- The person does not have the opportunity. It may be that the organization did not initially provide the person with the necessary resources, authority or management support to solve the assigned tasks, or external circumstances changed so that the previously set tasks became clearly unattainable, but were not adjusted in a timely manner (for example, the implementation of a sales plan approved on January 1, 2008 , by the end of the year it became a demotivating task).
Identifying the root cause or set of causes for underperformance is often difficult, so as with values, past “below-average” performance should be considered when making hiring or promotion decisions.
2. If a hire or promotion involves significant changes relative to the previous position, filters alone are no longer enough - drivers come into play:
Potential– a set of fundamental abilities that determine an employee’s success in a new activity. If the upcoming changes are large, the potential must be high. If the new position is only slightly different from the previous one, average potential is sufficient.
Knowledge, skills and experience. Any position or job requires a certain minimum foundation: it is unlikely that a person without any experience or training will be able to manage a large team of salespeople, modern production or company finances. Yes, skills can be developed and experience can be acquired, but all other things being equal, it is wiser to prefer a more experienced and skillful candidate. However, some organizations act contrary to this principle: they rotate people with high potential into completely unfamiliar professional areas, sacrificing short-term performance in order to accelerate their development.
Motivation for a specific job or position. Let’s say a person has successfully passed all the filters, has high potential and the necessary minimum of knowledge and experience. is that enough? Not always. Let's say the candidate is a brilliant financier who loves working with numbers and has created a team of equally passionate professionals in his department. We offer him a higher position: sales director. But... he doesn't like this job. I don’t like it so much that it “makes me sick to my stomach.” And this must be taken into account.
Is it possible to develop potential?
Potential is a set of personal and intellectual qualities, the foundation of which is laid at an early age. Therefore, potential is difficult to develop. However, the potential can be compensated for – “smoothing out” the weakest aspects. Compensation is based on two complementary approaches:
- Awareness of your weaknesses.
- Behavioral habits training.
An employee must, first of all, find out his limitations and then organize his activities in such a way as to circumvent them. For example, he can select a deputy with developed critical thinking for the team or develop decision-making algorithms to compensate for the low speed of thinking.
Understanding that low potential is not the “last word” in a career helps an employee accept the results of the assessment and take active steps to level out his weaknesses.
To quote from the book:Modern psychodiagnostics of Russia. Overcoming the crisis: collection of materials of the III All-Russian Conference: in 2 volumes / editorial board: N.A. Baturin (ed.) and others - Chelyabinsk: SUSU Publishing Center, 2015. Vol.1. - 380 s.
From pp. 192-199
UDC 159.9-051 + 159.9:005
BBK Yu956.6
POTENTIAL IN FOCUS ( PIF ): COMPREHENSIVE TEST FOR ASSESSING POTENTIAL IN AN ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Lurie E.V.
1
, Popov A.Yu.
2
E-
mail: Lurie@
ecopsy.
ru
1 ECOPSY Consulting, Moscow
2 Perm State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University, Perm
The article is dedicated to the testPotential in Focus ( PIF), developed by ECOPSY consulting to assess professional potential. The construct underlying the test and its operationalization are described. The current results of the research program are presented, according to which the relationship between the scalesPIFand data obtained at the assessment center is 0.39 (p<0.001, n=751). General directions for further research on the test are discussed.
Keywords: employees, personnel assessment, professional potential, learning ability.
HR managers are invariably interested in such characteristics as employee potential. When hiring a person, they want to know how much he can “grow” professionally in a few years. When deciding on the formation of a personnel reserve, they want to know how successfully the employee will be able to cope with the decision.
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tasks of a higher position. When planning a career path, they want to know what is the best way to connect people and tasks. Moreover, “potential” employees, as it turns out, are given preference over existing employees (Tormala, Jia & Norton, 2012). However, the concept of “potential” belongs to the category of concepts that are very popular in everyday use, but very vague in operationalization.
Since 2012, ECOPSY Consulting has been developing and implementing a comprehensive potential assessment tool - testPotential in Focus ( PIF). This short article will outline the construct underlying the test, key findings from psychometric research, and major directions for future development of the instrument.
TestPotential in Focus ( PIF) is a comprehensive tool built on a modular principle. It is a battery of 8 tests, complementary to each other in terms of predicting the success of a candidate or employee.The scientific basis of the test is a comprehensive research program.
INIn accordance with the theoretical approach that underlies the tool, we understand potential as a set of stable characteristics of an employee that predict his success in solving new professional tasks in the medium and long term.
INtestPIFFour key elements are assessed that provide a holistic description of an employee’s potential for promotion, expansion of functionality or development: “Analysis”, “Changes”, “Communication” and “Drive”. Each of these elements, in turn, includes 2 scales.
1. Block “Communication” "(readiness to work with people). The participant's motivation and abilities in the field of working with people are assessed: the ability to understand intentions and interpret people's behavior in a variety of situations, as well as influencing skills. The participant’s motivation to work with people, in particular to work in managerial positions, is also taken into account.
1a. Leadership Motivation Scale. The scale is based on the construct of leadership motivationChan & Drasgow(2001), which involves division into three more specific subscales (Affective motivation, Social-nonormative motivation, Lack of prudence) and which was studied by foreign authors from the point of view of its predictiveness in relation to future effectiveness in the role of a leader. Similar foreign tools have shown their validity in the framework of studying relationships with the results of Assessment Centers (Chan & Drasgow, 2001). The scale is a three-factor personality questionnaire.
1b. Understanding and Influence Scale is a tool for measuring abilities, or more precisely, “soft skills”. The scale is based on a number of concepts of emotional and social intelligence (D. Goleman, K. Albrecht, H. Marlowe, O’ Sullivan & Guilford, K. Jones & J. Dayetc.), but in a special wayzom emphasizes: (a) situations that are not directly related to managing people, but express the same basic archetypal challenges as management situations; (b) the idea of assessing managerial qualities even in those candidates who did not have any managerial experience. The scale is a case test with a Likert scale format: respondents evaluate each action option within the case in terms of its effectiveness.
2.
Block "Analysis"
(readiness to work with information). The speed and quality of information processing is assessed. This block presents tasks that require the manifestation of a variety of analytical skills. For high results, accuracy in processing verbal, numerical and abstract graphic information is required. High scores also indicate the ability to maintain concentration and efficiency at a high pace of working with data.
2a. Information Processing Speed Scale
includes a variety oftasks of different content related to speed characteristics. These include calculation tasks, analysis of verbal material, tasks on spatial thinking and attention span. Among the tools that are similar in meaning are tests of verbal and numerical intelligence from different authors.
2b. Information processing quality scale (criticality) contains tasks assessing the degree of development of universal educational operations in the respondent. The scale is based on the list of universal learning activities described in the US Expert Consensus on Critical Thinking(Facione, 1990).From the point of view of the concept of learning, the scale characterizes the effectiveness and depth of acquiring new experience in situations where old experience contributes to understanding. A large list of universal learning activities is systematized in the US Expert Consensus on Critical Thinking(Facione, 1990). Similar logic is implemented in the critical thinking subtest of the testGMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test (Killoran, 2005).
3. Block "Changes" (readiness for development and change). This block includes both a motivational component - motivation for development, and a special class of abilities - openness of thinking. Motivation for development is the desire to learn and develop, to change ideas about the world and work. This is an internal attitude to change and overcome difficulties. Openness of mind is effective decision-making in conditions of uncertainty, the ability to act rationally, overcoming
own stereotypes, the ability to rebuild and adapt to new conditions.
3a. Development Motivation Scale is a personality questionnaire with a Likert scale. The scale expresses dispositional readiness to learn, i.e. basic personal readiness for change, overcoming stereotypes and gaining new experience. Some related instruments include the following: Openness to Ideas subscale (NEO- PR, Costa & McCrae, 1992), Openness to Values subscale (NEO- PR, Costa & McCrae, 1992), Dogmatism Scales (Rokeach, 1960), Categorical Thinking Scale from the Test of Constructive Thinking (Epstein & Meier, 1989), Counterfactual Mouse ScaleleniyaStanovich & West(1997). ResearchStanovich & WestshowingIt is clear that these scales correlate with each other and, when factorized, are combined into one factor.
3b. Openness of Mind Scale in the most general terms, assesses whether the respondent is able to effectively adapt old experience to new conditions. To do this, the behavior of the respondent is examined in the presence of stereotypes - heuristics and cognitive distortions. The ability to overcome these stereotypes acts as an indicator of openness of thinking. Under some conditions, this scale can also be interpreted as an indicator of flexibility and adaptability. From the point of view of the concept of learning ability, the scale characterizes the effectiveness and depth in acquiring new experience in situations where old experience contradicts new conditions. This scale was developed on the basis of a large number of foreign scientific studies in the field of decision making in situations of uncertainty (A. Tversky, D. Kahneman and their followers).
4. Drive block (willingness to act and be responsible for the result). This element is basic for any type of professional activity. Drive is determination, readiness to achieve results. This quality is necessary in order to supplement the remaining components of the potential with the necessary energy.
4a. “Result Orientation” scale is a questionnairein which tasks of normative and normative-ipsative types are used approximately equally. This composition of the scale makes it possible to optimally combine overcoming the tendency towards social desirability and the compactness of the instrument. The scale expresses the participant’s personal attitude toward setting ambitious goals and maintaining energy on the path to achieving them. Although individual scores are not calculated from them, in order to maintain a sufficient level of content validity, three semantic manifestations are retained in the scale - “ambitiousness”, “responsibility” and “perseverance”. Since the scale is a questionnaire, the results on it are related to personal
attitudes, relationships and self-esteem - i.e. in combination “I want” and “I can” within the Drive block, this scale refers to “I want”.
4b. Scale “Overcoming Barriers” is a maze test. It reflects the participant’s tendency to set serious goals for himself and achieve his goals, despite the difficulties that arise. It differs from the previous scale (“Result Orientation”), first of all, in that here we are talking about real behavior in the presence of a risk of loss, i.e. "Can". Participants who score high on this scale are characterized by the fact that they maintain a high level of difficulty of the chosen tasks for a long time, have a high threshold of tolerance for periodic failures, and work in their own “zone of proximal development.” It is based on a bank of tasks consisting of simple arithmetic problems that must be solved against time (one minute per problem).
The “Analysis” and “Changes” blocks together form an independent construct called learning ability(learning agility).The ECOPSY product line includes a learning ability testPIF LATe ( learning agility test), which is a shortened versionPIF.
When designing potential components, the emphasis was placed on the consideration of modern meta-analyses and the search for indicators that are most predictive of the effectiveness of professional activity, including as a leader. The main sample of the study as of July 2015 was 3,702 people. The main sample of the test standardization includes employees of companies operating in the retail trade,FMCG, transport,B2 Bservices, insurance, mining and processing industries, energy, communications, chemical production.
Multistage psychometric studies were conducted in relation to all scales of the described instrument. In a typical case, the research program looked like this:
(a) First, the content validity of the scale was ensured. To do this, for all scales that are not fundamentally innovative, a meaningful comparison was carried out with those analogues that are already used in personnel assessment practice. For example, in developing the critical thinking scale, experts relied on foreign experience in developing the critical thinking subtest of the testGMAT ( Killoran, 2005). In developing the Openness of Mind scale, a number of the most studied cognitive distortions in Western psychology were used. The selection of these distortions was preceded by research work, during which 14 were selected from an expanded list (about 30 distortions).- those for which the results of our research are the most
(b) The scale was then modified until acceptable Cronbach's alpha reliability was achieved. In order to prevent artificial sublimation of reliability, the quantitative composition of tasks in all subscales included in the scale was observed. For example, the “Motivation to Lead” scale consists of three subscales (Affective motivation, Social-normative motivation, Lack of prudence). Subscales, however, are not used as independent
The calculation of results and the formation of an interpretation for the client occurs only on the basis of the summary scale. Already during the initial reliability check, it turned out that a simple way to increase the reliability of the “Motivation to Lead” scale to very high values is to saturate it with items from the affective motivation subscale and remove a large number of items from the other two subscales. Such situations were avoided. All scales of the instrument currently provide a meaningful variety of tasks due to this kind of subscales.
(c) Further, the characteristics of validity were studied, primarily constructive (correlations with other scalesPIF, as well as with other assessment tools) and structural (the factor structure of the scale items and the degree of its correspondence to the theoretical construct).
(d) Special attention was then given to the characteristics of criterion validity, which is especially important in the context of organizational psychology.
All results of psychometric studies are described in the technical manual for the test. Here we will dwell in more detail on the key characteristics of criterion-related validity.
We studied the predictive ability of learning ability components (when combined) in relation to assessments in Assessment Centers (ACs). For this purpose, a kind of meta-analysis was carried out: data from various assessment projects were collected, in which learning ability scales were used simultaneouslyPIFand Assessment Centers, the necessary alignment procedures have been carried out. The overall data matrix ultimately included 751 participants and 23 different competencies. The most frequently used competency in this regard is result orientation (assessments in the CO were obtained for 521 participants). Fewer than 40 people were assessed for 12 competencies.
Of particular interest is the correlation of the total learning ability score (the “Analysis” and “Changes” blocks) with the total score for the AC (the final assessment rating). For the different evaluation projects included in the “meta-analysis”, this correlation ranged from 0.27 to 0.43 (p < 0.001). Это хороший результат, в целом соответствующий мировой практике. При этом известно, что максимальный эффект должен достигаться от объеди-
disagreement with the results of the central assessment and the aptitude test. They evaluate different aspects of potential, complementing each other. Thus, the most cited meta-analysis on this topic indicates that the predictive validity of the CO is 0.37, and when this information is combined with the results of an aptitude test, it increases to 0.53 (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).
INaverage for all completed projects (n= 751) relationship between scalesPIFand the total score received by the participant in the assessment center wasr = 0.39. INIn practical terms this means that:
(a) When using the instrument for barrier testing purposes, i.e. elimination of the worst participants: 88% of participants who were eliminated byPIF, really show average or high performance in the central center.
(b) When using the tool to select the best participants: 87% of participants who did not score sufficiently in the testPIF, really do not fall into the group of “best” CO participants.
In addition to data on relationships with DH outcomes, data from a specific research project were also used to examine the criterion validity of the instrument. In it, abbreviated scales from the “Analysis” and “Changes” blocks were used inside massive online courses (MOOC) on the platformCoursera. This research project is carried out jointly with the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow). At the moment, patterns have been discovered indicating that all the scales used are related to the parameters of success in completing the course. At the level of summary indicators, the relationship (short version)PIF learning agilityand successful completion of the course on the platformCourseraamounted to 0.38 (r = 0.38, p < 0.001, n = 218).
What is the general idea underlying our research? Firstly, we believe that potential needs to be separated from current onesskills and knowledge. Potential is a set of “proto-competencies”; it should manifest itself even when a person has not yet had experience in the relevant field.
Secondly , we believe that it is wrong to reduce potential to just basic cognitive abilities such as intelligence. There is no doubt that basic cognitive abilities are necessary for success, but, firstly, they are not sufficient, and secondly, in many modern activities they are not a basic requirement. In addition to the ability to think “quickly”, a modern employee of an organization (both specialist and manager) needs to have the ability to think “deeply”, and in some key situations - to think “flexibly”, “openly”.
Third , our approach to designing a comprehensive potential test lies in the balance between “I want” (personal characteristics) and “I can” (abilities), and, as a consequence, between questionnaires and tests. Each of the four tool blocks includes both
goe. In particular, the “Changes” block includes the “Motivation for Development” scale, which characterizes a person’s aspiration, desire to be open to new experiences and willingness to change and relearn, as well as the “Openness of Thinking” scale, which is an ability test and characterizes his ability relearn, overcome your own cognitive stereotypes.
We believe that further development of the tool (and the accompanying comprehensive research program) will make it possible to better understand the patterns of employee potential development, in particular, its long-term dynamics.
Literature
1. DeRue, D. S. Learning agility: In search of conceptual clarity and theoretical grounding / D.S. DeRue, S.J. Ashford & C.G. Myers // Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice. - 2012. - V. 5. - P. 258-279.
2. Dries, N. How to identify leadership potential: Development and testing of a consensus model / N. Dries & R. Pepermans // Human Resource Management. - 2012.
V. 3. - P. 361-385.
3. Meyers, M.C. Talent: Innate or acquired? Theoretical considerations and their implications for talent management / M.C. Meyers, M. van Woerkom & N. Dries // Human Resource Management Review . - 2013. - V. 4. - P. 305-321.
4. Nijsa, S. A multidisciplinary review into the definition, operationalization, and measurement of talent / S. Nijsa, E. Gallardo, N. Dries & L. Selsa // Journal of World Business. - 2014. - V. 2. - P. 180-191.
5. Silzer, R. & Church, A. H. The pearls and perils of identifying potential. / R. Silzer & A. H. Church // Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice. - 2009. - V. 2. - P. 377-412.
Tests popular with employers can be divided into two types. The first evaluate intelligence: logic, ability to count, work with texts. The latter identify personality type and soft skills, such as emotional stability, will, interest in work. The correct answers to intelligence tests are known in advance to examiners; they assess knowledge and real abilities, warns Rozin. But in the second case, the applicant can achieve better results if he knows what qualities the employer values and can skillfully enter the role of an ideal employee, he clarifies.
Who writes
One half of employers buy tests from consulting development companies, the other uses tests of their own development. Assessment tests in Russia are developed by Ecopsy, SHL, Talent Q, Humanitarian Technologies, etc. In the last two or three years, many new testing players have entered the market, notes Anna Chukseeva, chief editor of Rabota.ru. Among the luminaries of the market are employment centers and the Center for Humanitarian Technologies of Moscow State University, which is based on the developments of the Faculty of Psychology. Exotic options have also become fashionable: career guidance based on Feng Shui, horoscope, and fingerprints. Specialists in physiognomy and graphology have appeared on the career guidance market.
The Best-Novostroy company uses cases for testing that simulate real situations in the lives of realtors. This tool is more useful than psychological tests, says Irina Dobrokhotova, chairman of the board of directors. Dobrokhotova gives an example of a problem that is asked to candidates. A married couple came to the sales office with a child, he was bored and distracted the parents. What will you do if you are free? So what if you are busy with a client? There are no correct answers to these questions, Dobrokhotova explains. Employers ask such questions to understand how a person thinks and whether he has leadership abilities, but such assessment methods are more suitable for selecting individual specialists, says Rozin.
Outsmart the Examiner
All tests are flawed, especially those that measure human performance, Rosin says. And you can improve the result if you prepare: study what qualities are valued in the company, what type of people they prefer (large companies post such information on the website, for example, in the “Values” or “Vacancies” section). When taking the test, you need to imagine someone you know with these qualities and answer on his behalf, Rozin recommends. It’s even more honest to remember yourself at the peak of your performance, enter this state, and answer from yourself.
Those who pass the tests best are those who have completed training tasks and carefully read the instructions, notes Natalya Kotlyarova, head of the personnel selection department at Sibur. Each question is often limited in time, so you need to do it in a calm environment - turn off your phone, do not fill out the test in a cafe or from a smartphone, she advises. For the numerical test you may need a calculator.
And Tatyana Antonova, head of the talent assessment department at Home Credit Bank, says that it is still better to be as sincere as possible, because based on the results, not only the company chooses a suitable employee, but the young person himself can understand how close the work is to him.
View from afar
At Sibur there is a lot of competition for many vacancies, so testing is arranged before meeting with the recruiter and direct supervisor. You can only take this test online. The company practices ability tests in parallel with recording video interviews, explains Kotlyarova. The candidate is sent a login and password to enter his personal account; the test can be taken at any time.
Such selection technologies for ordinary positions are good because they require minimal human intervention during processing, notes Rozin. Often, a video recording is needed only to understand that the person himself is answering, and not his friend, he clarifies. However, only half of employers in Russia have implemented online tests, including remote ones, and in the world this is the most popular tool - 81% of companies use it, according to SHL. So far, only 26% of employers in Russia allow candidates to take tests on a smartphone or tablet, while 42% of companies worldwide have introduced this practice.
Here's a problem
When applying for an analyst position in one of the Russian banks, the applicant is asked to solve a problem. For example: “One person lives on the 13th floor, but takes the elevator to the 12th, and then walks further. When going down by elevator, it’s from the 13th. Why?" It is important for a recruiter not so much to find out the correct decision as to hear how the analyst reasons. Correct answer: “This person is a child! He can’t reach the “13” button.” There are other options: the “13” button is broken or the person is superstitious and does not want to press it.
Online testing at JTI takes only 10 minutes, says Matveeva. It helps you compare applicants based on the same criteria and get information that is not on your resume. For example, not everyone writes about how quickly they can work with information and how attentive they are to details. In JTI, tests are often not a screening criterion. Although if their results are poor, the company conducts a telephone interview rather than inviting the person to a personal meeting.
Selection for the Big Four consulting companies is not complete without online testing - applicants’ personality types are determined using the Myers-Briggs method (about 60 questions). The test assesses which of the five types the applicant belongs to and for which job he is most suitable. Employers are increasingly using adaptive tests: the complexity of the questions increases if you answer correctly, says Mikhail Mordasov, founder of the Smart Course project. Sibur also uses this technique when studying abilities, for example, the ability to read tables and graphs, speed and accuracy of data processing. It is difficult to assess these skills in other ways, and tests allow you to compare the results of candidates with the results of different groups - top managers, university graduates, successful employees. Tests help predict a young person’s future in the company: according to Sibur’s experience, those who successfully pass the test also succeed in their work.
Weed out a star
At the Moscow Youth Employment Center, which opened in 2016, psychologists conduct free testing of boys and girls from 14 to 30 years old. They use more than 200 techniques that are designed to help you decide on a profession and assess personal qualities, such as the ability to not give up in difficult situations, which employers value so much. The center cooperates with hundreds of employers, helping in the selection of personnel, says Marina Karandasheva, head of the center’s career guidance and psychological support department. When recruiting personnel for ordinary positions, employers, such as retail chains, turn to psychologists with a request to test candidates for the position of sales consultants and weed out potentially conflicting people. Or they are asked to draw up a portrait of an ideal employee: what kind of education they should have, personal qualities, skill set and motivation model. And such a portrait serves as a guide for selecting people for starting positions, she explains.
However, a “conflict” rating can be given to simply a hot-tempered or assertive person who is capable of becoming a sales star, says Anastasia Staseva from the Contact agency. And then the company will not get, perhaps, the best employee, she warns. For ordinary retail positions, where people are hired by the thousands and each of them works on average for no more than a year, the cost of error is small, Rozin believes. But properly conducted testing can increase the likelihood of selecting the “right” person by 20–30%, he says.
Full version of the article. The abbreviated newspaper version can be viewed in the Vedomosti archive (smart version)
Why evaluate potential?
The world of professions is undergoing a radical transformation. Organizations are becoming more complex. The number of companies with matrix and non-hierarchical structures is growing. Requirements for employees are constantly changing. Companies rework their competency models every 3-4 years. The market is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Over the past 10 years, the top positions in the S&P 500 index have been taken by companies that were not previously in the top 100. However, only a few of us are ready for these changes: only 35% of today's managers and 30% of employees will be successful in the new conditions. The high level of complexity and variability of the business environment places new demands on personnel assessment. It is no longer enough to evaluate current performance; it is necessary to measure the qualities of people that predict success in new activities. These qualities are potential. In this article we will talk about what it consists of and how to evaluate it.Potential model
Five years ago, ECOPSY Consulting began developing a potential assessment tool. We started by describing the requirements for the potential model:- Versatility: Level of potential should predict performance in any new professional activity. Therefore, it cannot be determined by the knowledge and skills associated with a specific job: in unpredictable new conditions they may turn out to be useless or even harmful.
- Sustainability: potential must be based on abilities and personal qualities that are quite difficult to change.
- Delay of effect: potential should influence performance in the medium term (1–3 years) and long term (more than 3 years). Therefore, it can be quite different from the “actual” – the current performance of the employee.
- Speed of thinking– the ability to quickly process large volumes of relatively simple, similar information. An example of such actions is working with simple but urgent requests from other people, communication “according to an algorithm,” responding to standard documents and emails. According to our research, speed of thinking is associated with success in learning at a level of 0.31.
- Critical thinking– ability to work with complex information. This requires in-depth analysis, the ability to make reasonable assessments and draw correct conclusions, including in situations where there is a lack of data. Critical thinking is associated with academic success at 0.26.
- Motivation for development– desire to acquire new knowledge and skills. This quality is also associated with a willingness to admit one’s weaknesses and see opportunities for self-development (a person who perceives himself as an all-knowing expert finds it difficult to learn new things). According to our research, development motivation is associated with career success at a level of 0.29.
- Open mindedness– the absence of cognitive errors in a person’s thinking that interfere with the perception of new experience. Cognitive errors are stereotypes or established thinking patterns. Our research confirms the connection of this scale with performance in new activities at the level of 0.24.
- Motivation to lead– willingness to lead others, regardless of the costs associated with a leadership position (such costs include, for example, the need to be responsible for the mistakes of one’s subordinates). Leadership motivation is associated with employee career success at 0.38.
- Social intelligence– the ability to correctly understand the social context, motives and actions of others and choose adequate methods of influencing other people. According to our research, social intelligence correlates with performance in a new position at a level of 0.26.
Capacity Assessment Tool - PIF
To measure potential, we have developed a comprehensive Potential in Focus (PIF) test. The test format is convenient in that it requires relatively little time to complete and measures potential rather than abstract “personal characteristics.” The PIF test is designed on a modular basis: the participant sequentially takes subtests that assess each element of potential.
Testing is carried out on the Linkis online platform. The system sends participants emails with links to the test. Filling out the test is possible from the tablet (as is system administration). The platform complies with the law on the protection of personal data of the Russian Federation. 
The test takes about 120 minutes to complete, after which a report is automatically generated within 30 seconds. 
We conducted 4 PIF validation studies: The overall PIF validity indicator is 0.39 (for comparison: the recommended indicator in the Russian personnel testing standard is 0.2). This validity value means that the PIF determines potential 11% more accurately than the manager's assessment. 
The test reliability indicator (average of internal consistency of all scales) is 0.71, which also meets the requirements of the Russian testing standard. Potential and Talent management system
Potential should not be used as the sole criterion for making critical hiring or promotion decisions. Based on the experience of projects for building talent management systems, we have developed a model useful for making personnel decisions, which includes potential as one of the criteria: We divide all evaluation criteria into two groups: filters and drivers. Filter criteria include: Values(this filter is also called culture fit or culture match): the employee’s behavior should not contradict the values and corporate culture of the organization. Please note: to meet the filtering criteria, it is necessary and sufficient for a person not to fall into the “below expectations” category. There is no need to be an ideal example and demonstrative champion in observing corporate values - it is enough not to have problems. Past performance. At first glance obvious, but in fact the most ambiguous of the evaluation criteria. The reasons for poor performance can vary and are worth clarifying before making personnel decisions. Here are the main options:- A person “cannot”: the current position is “too big” in terms of his potential. Perhaps he lacks fundamental abilities to achieve results (Analysis, Change, Communication, Drive), or perhaps he lacks specific skills, knowledge and work experience to succeed in this position, because he simply I didn't have time to buy them.
- The person "doesn't want": Current position is “too small.” The source of demotivation can be a person’s feeling that his potential is underutilized, emotional burnout due to stress at work, personal and family problems, imperfections in the system for assessing achievements and motivation in the organization.
- The person does not have the opportunity. It may be that the organization did not initially provide the person with the necessary resources, authority or management support to solve the assigned tasks, or external circumstances changed so that the previously set tasks became clearly unattainable, but were not adjusted in a timely manner (for example, the implementation of a sales plan approved on January 1, 2008 , by the end of the year it became a demotivating task).
- Potential– a set of fundamental abilities that determine an employee’s success in a new activity. If the upcoming changes are large, the potential must be high. If the new position is only slightly different from the previous one, average potential is sufficient.
- Knowledge, skills and experience. Any position or job requires a certain minimum foundation: it is unlikely that a person without any experience or training will be able to manage a large team of salespeople, modern production or company finances. Yes, skills can be developed and experience can be acquired, but all other things being equal, it is wiser to prefer a more experienced and skillful candidate. However, some organizations act contrary to this principle: they rotate people with high potential into completely unfamiliar professional areas, sacrificing short-term performance in order to accelerate their development.
- Motivation for a specific job or position. Let’s say a person has successfully passed all the filters, has high potential and the necessary minimum of knowledge and experience. is that enough? Not always. Let's say the candidate is a brilliant financier who loves working with numbers and has created a team of equally passionate professionals in his department. We offer him a higher position: sales director. But... he doesn't like this job. I don’t like it so much that it “makes me sick to my stomach.” And this must be taken into account. As Steve Jobs said, “The only way to get the job done is to love what you do.”
To evaluate by filtering criteria (values and past performance), we recommend using the judgment of the immediate supervisor, and the drivers (potential; motivation, knowledge, skills and experience for the target position) are better assessed by the manager through the level (“boss of the boss”) - for example, using interviews or interviews with potential candidates for promotion. This approach helps eliminate the conflict of interest that arises whenever we ask a line manager to “identify his successor” or “place the best employee in the company-wide talent pool.” When assessing drivers, PIF helps managers through the level save time and double-check their judgment about a candidate's potential. Capacity development
Potential is a set of abilities and personal qualities that are difficult to develop, so working with low test results involves two alternative strategies:- Compensation. In this case, a person organizes his activities in such a way as to circumvent the weaknesses of his potential. For example, he can select a deputy with developed critical thinking for the team or develop decision-making algorithms to compensate for the low speed of thinking.
- Development. In this case, a person sets a goal to develop his fundamental abilities and personal qualities. Implementing this strategy takes a long time (years) and requires a lot of persistence. The effectiveness of development increases when a person solves problems from his zone of proximal development and receives positive feedback from significant people that reinforces success.
