30,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Serie: Industrial and Organizational Psychology Practice
- Sprache: Englisch
Senior Executive Assessment is a concise and practical guide that demystifies assessment that is conducted at the senior-executive level.
- Defines Senior Executive Assessment, describes its benefits, and explains how it differs from assessment at lower levels
- Discusses how significant shifts in markets and business models can require a change in the characteristics needed in senior executives
- Provides a practical model with suggestions for assessing senior executives
- Offers guidelines for determining what assessment methods to use in an organization
- Examines practical considerations in how to choose professionals to conduct senior executive assessment
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 215
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015
Ähnliche
Table of Contents
Cover
Praise for Senior Executive Assessment
Talent Management Essentials
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Series Editor’s Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Case for Senior Executive Assessment
Why CEOs and Boards Tend Not to Know a Lot about Senior Executive Assessment
Why CEOs and Boards Are Wary of Senior Executive Assessment
What Is Senior Executive Assessment?
The Benefits of Senior Executive Assessment
New Expectations about Corporate Governance
Summary
Chapter 2: Purposes
A Part of Talent Management
Near-Term Purposes
Longer-Term Purposes
Business Situations Related to Assessment
The Development of Senior Executives
Summary
Chapter 3: What to Assess
Competencies
Failure Factors
Experience/Previous Results versus Behavioral Style
Pulling It All Together
Dual Capability
Learning Agility
Executive Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
Relationships as Opposed to Interpersonal Skills
A Cautionary Note: The Role of Charisma
Toxic Leaders
Types of Experience/Previous Results
Fit
Summary: Determining What to Assess
Summary
Chapter 4: How to Assess
The Feel of Senior Executive Assessment
Methods
Summary
Chapter 5: Additional Practical Decisions
Development Revisited
Coaching
Other Practical Issues
The Future of Senior Executive Assessment
Summary
Notes
References
Names Index
Subject Index
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
List of Illustrations
Chapter 2: Purposes
Figure 2.1 Potential and performance in succession management
Figure 2.2 Matt Carter, Senior Vice President, Consumer Solutions Group, Company ABC
Figure 2.3 Mike Ross, Senior Vice President, Company ABC
Figure 2.4 A succession management chart with exposure
Chapter 4: How to Assess
Figure 4.1 BARS for Collaboration
Figure 4.2 Culture Analyst™ Factors
Figure 4.3 Sample from the Culture Analyst™ Culture Fit Index
Figure 4.4 A concise sample development plan
Chapter 5: Additional Practical Decisions
Figure 5.1 Individual executive benchmarking
Figure 5.2 Executive team benchmarking
Figure 5.3 Assessment report 1
Figure 5.4 Assessment report 2
List of Tables
Chapter 3: What to Assess
Table 3.1 Team competency ratings
Chapter 5: Additional Practical Decisions
Table 5.1 Comparison of competency ratings to database
Table 5.2 Comparison of questionnaire data to database
Pages
cover
content
i
ii
iii
iv
v
ix
x
xi
xii
xiii
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
Praise for Senior Executive Assessment
“This book makes a compelling case for senior executive assessment. Senior Executive Assessment is a valuable tool for boards of directors, as it tangibly demonstrates effective corporate governance. More CEOs and boards need to know about the options described in this book.”
Arthur M. Blank, Co-Founder, Retired Co-Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot, Owner & CEO, Atlanta Falcons
“Competitive edge will continue to be enjoyed by companies that ensure they have the right leadership talent. This book provides real world guidance about how to build a useful senior executive assessment approach so that organizations can be more objective about their leaders and their match to strategy. Dean Stamoulis also offers new and interesting insights into the ongoing discussion about what makes a senior executive successful. I was particularly impressed with his focus on learning agility and emotional intelligence and the need to discern any ‘toxic’ tendencies. These areas are critical to ensuring successful hiring decisions.”
Bill Blase, Senior Executive Vice-President, Human Resources, AT&T
“Dean Stamoulis’s new book, Senior Executive Assessment, is a timely and useful discussion of why executive assessment matters, and how to do it. It matters because 65% of existing CEOs will fail in the next three years, and the methodology for minimizing this financially costly problem is well understood—especially by the very experienced and clever Dr. Stamoulis.”
Robert Hogan, Ph. D., President, Hogan Assessment Systems
“Stamoulis’s writing style and years of experience allow him to share examples and hints that really provide useful information for those trying to understand the what, why, and how of executive assessment. Stamoulis isn’t doing ‘assessment-lite’ in this volume. On the contrary, the book is quite solid on substance, but also extremely accessible.”
Paul E. Levy, Ph.D., University of Akron
“Dean Stamoulis nails it. He presents a rigorous approach to the evaluation of top talent. CEOs and Boards need to look more critically and objectively at their people and Stamoulis shows us how.”
Joshua Ehrlich, Ph.D., Dean, Master’s Program in Executive Coaching, BeamPines/Middlesex University
Talent Management Essentials
Series Editor: Steven G. Rogelberg, Ph.D. Professor and Director Organizational Science, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
Senior Advisory Board:
Eric Elder, Ph.D., Director, Talent Management, Corning Incorporated
William H. Macey, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Valtera Corporation
Cindy McCauley, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Center for Creative Leadership
Elaine D. Pulakos, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, PDRI, A PreVisor Company
Douglas H. Reynolds, Ph.D., Vice President, Assessment Technology, Development
Dimensions International
Ann Marie Ryan, Ph.D., Professor, Michigan State University
Lise Saari, Ph.D., Director, Global Workforce Research, IBM
John Scott, Ph.D., Vice President, Applied Psychological Techniques, Inc.
Dean Stamoulis, Ph.D., Managing Director, Global Executive Assessment Practice, Russell
Reynolds Associates
Special Features
Each volume contains a host of actual case studies, sample materials, tips, and cautionary notes. Issues pertaining to globalization, technology, and key executive points are highlighted throughout.
Titles in the Talent Management Essentials series:
Performance Management: A New Approach for Driving Business Results
Elaine D. Pulakos
Designing and Implementing Global Selection Systems
Ann Marie Ryan and Nancy T. Tippins
Designing Workplace Mentoring Programs: An Evidence-Based Approach
Tammy D. Allen, Lisa M. Finkelstein, and Mark L. Poteet
Career Paths: Charting Courses to Success for Organizations and Their Employees
Gary W. Carter, Kevin W. Cook, and David W. Dorsey
Mistreatment in the Workplace: Prevention and Resolution for Managers and Organizations
Julie B. Olson-Buchanan and Wendy R. Boswell
Developing Women Leaders: A Guide for Men and Women in Organizations
Anna Marie Valerio
Employee Engagement: Tools for Analysis, Practice, and Competitive Advantage
William H. Macey, Benjamin Schneider, Karen M. Barbera, and Scott A. Young
Online Recruiting and Selection: Innovations in Talent Acquisition
Douglas H. Reynolds and John A. Weiner
Senior Executive Assessment: A Key to Responsible Corporate Governance
Dean Stamoulis
Real Time Leadership Development
Paul R. Yost and Mary Mannion Plunkett
Senior Executive Assessment
A Key to Responsible Corporate Governance
Dean Stamoulis
This edition first published 2009
© 2009 Dean Stamoulis
Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.
Registered Office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom
Editorial Offices
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.
The right of Dean Stamoulis to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stamoulis, Dean.
Senior executive assessment : a key to responsible corporate governance /Dean Stamoulis.
p. cm – (Talent managment essentials)
Includes bibliogrpahical referneces and index.
ISBN 978-1-4051-7958-4 (hbk. : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-4051-7957-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Executives–Rating of. 2. Executives–Psychological testing. 3. Executive ability–Evaluation. 4. Employment tests. 5. Emplyee selection. I. Title.
HF5549.5.R3S686 2009
658.4′07125–dc22
2009005145
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Icon in Case Scenario boxes © Kathy Konkle/istockphoto.com
Set in 10.5 on 12.5 pt Minion by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed in Singapore
1 2009
To Ashley, Caroline, Thomas, and Jack, for your constant support and love. To my father Thomas, who taught me the importance of a keen eye and a curious mind, and who will always be my inspiration.
Series Editor’s Preface
The Talent Management Essentials series presents state-of-the-art thinking on critical talent management topics ranging from global staffing, to career pathing, to engagement, to executive staffing, to performance management, to mentoring, to real-time leadership development. Authored by leading authorities and scholars on their respective topics, each volume offers state-of-the-art thinking and the epitome of evidence-based practice. These authors bring to their books an incredible wealth of experience working with small, large, public and private organizations, as well as keen insights into the science and best practices associated with talent management.
Written succinctly and without superfluous “fluff,” this series provides powerful and practical treatments of essential talent topics critical to maximizing individual and organizational health, well-being, and effectiveness. The books, taken together, provide a comprehensive and contemporary treatment of approaches, tools, and techniques associated with Talent Management. The goal of the series is to produce focused, prescriptive volumes that translate the data- and practice-based knowledge of organizational psychology, human resources management, and organizational behavior into practical, “how to” advice for dealing with cutting-edge organizational issues and problems.
Talent Management Essentials is a comprehensive, practitioner-oriented series of “best practices” for the busy solution-oriented manager, executive, HR leader, and consultant. And, in its application of evidence-based practice, this series will also appeal to professors, executive MBA students, and graduate students in Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management, and I/O Psychology.
Steven G. Rogelberg
Preface
The decisions about which people to put into senior executive jobs are important and difficult. Every CEO with whom I have spoken has a handful of horror stories about being wrong when hiring or promoting individuals into positions involving great responsibility. Organizations approach these critical selection situations in a variety of ways. Often these decisions are based on interviews that do not possess a great deal of rigor. This book makes the case that: (1) for good reasons, there are higher standards than ever before in the area of corporate governance and (2) responsible corporate governance means in part being more thorough and effective in selecting and growing senior executives.
This case needs to be made because the pursuit of responsible corporate governance through senior executive assessment faces roadblocks. While the assessment of employees has become more common in many regions of the world, much of assessment is not done at the highest levels in an organizational structure. I recently was consulting with a $200 billion oil and gas company. They were eager to introduce 360 degree surveys to mid-level management (in this case, to help each individual assessed improve through increased self-awareness). When asked about expanding this assessment to them, the senior executives wanted no part of it. They did not yet realize the strategic and competitive value of effectively conducted executive assessment.
The time is right to inform more CEOs, board members, and other involved parties about useful existing senior executive assessment approaches. This book is meant to be a concise, practical, one-stop “how to” guide that can “demystify” assessment that is conducted at senior executive levels. It includes an assortment of tools, forms, and exercises that can be readily copied or modified for organizational use. “Good to Know” boxes that include summary points are found throughout the book. We also highlight real-world examples and key issues in assessment in “Case Scenario” sections. Finally, each chapter is accompanied by brief introductions and summaries.
CEOs and boards need to know what the options are when introducing assessment. This book is meant to inform buyers and consumers of senior executive assessment, and help them decide which assessment approaches can be the most useful for them. It is written for people who have heard about assessment but do not know a lot about it. This book is different from other sources about assessment in that it expressly is not written for researchers or assessment providers. In summary, the intended audience is:
CEOs;
Board members;
Private equity professionals;
Enterprise leaders in Human Resources and Talent Management;
MBA program faculty and students;
Executive search professionals;
Senior executives and high potential executives who want to learn about assessment.
Acknowledgments
I would like to start by thanking all of the individuals mentioned in the book who have provided me with their observations about organizations and the role of senior executive assessment. I want to show my appreciation to Steven Rogelberg who edited this series and to Eric Elder for his insightful comments. I want to thank my colleagues Peter Drummond-Hay, Katharine MacLaverty, and Erika Mannion for their input and support. Next, I want to thank Doug Edwards, Darleen DeRosa, and Amy Hayes for their comments throughout the preparation of this book. You all were extremely helpful and central to my efforts. I especially want to emphasize Erin Page’s, Stacey Wolman’s, and Kathy Schnure’s contributions. These three contributed substantially to the chapter summaries and several sections. I also want to thank Laura Bergey for her administrative work (Heather Webb too!), and Kate Nellis and Laura Lydic for their help with research.
Chapter 1The Case for Senior Executive Assessment
While CEOs and boards undoubtedly realize the importance of hiring for key leadership positions, they are often likely to defer to their subjective opinions and impressions about potential candidates in making such decisions. While this personal experience, intuition, and judgment are useful in the decision-making process, there is little time and resources being invested into services that allow for more objective and systematic appraisals of candidates. The global issue facing executive assessment is twofold. First of all, many CEOs and boards may not even be aware of the options that are available to assist them in the selection process. This lack of awareness is the result of a variety of reasons, many of which boil down to the fact that assessment consultants and firms have had fairly low visibility to date. Second, CEOs and boards may be somewhat skeptical of the executive assessment process in general.
Despite these issues, there is strong evidence that the quality of senior executives has a tangible impact on an organization’s performance. The use of senior executive assessment provides a unique platform for addressing critical topics, including personnel selection, mergers and acquisitions, and succession management. Coupled with changes in rules and regulations related to corporate governance, the use of assessment may have added benefit in helping lower corporate risk.
The goal of this chapter is to provide an introduction to senior executive assessment, including the previous obstacles to wide acceptance and potential benefits to organizations that adopt these practices.
Companies know more about their enterprise technology than they do about their enterprise leadership. Many organizations typically expend significant proportions of revenue on testing, introducing, and monitoring their information technology systems. However, they invest less time and resources “getting under the hood” to ensure they have the full picture about the people that actually run (or will run) a given organization.
For example, the installation of enterprise software (such as SAP’s systems that monitor finance, manufacturing, distribution, and human resources) often involves one to three years of planning and execution. The introduction of this software is an elaborate process involving extensive testing and retesting. The typical monetary investment for this installation process at a significantly sized company can vary from approximately $1 million to $100 million. Yet the decisions leading to the hiring and promotion of senior executives frequently are made in a far more casual manner (perhaps two days’ worth of interviews).
Why is this the case? Why do companies invest more in testing their technology than testing their senior executives? It may be that CEOs and boards want to bring their personal experience and intuition to decisions about senior executives. While they often strive for objectivity and consider data in many business decisions, CEOs and boards are used to using their gut and personal impressions when ultimately making decisions, including decisions about people. For some decision-makers, the unspoken belief is that they will know senior leadership assets and liabilities when they see them. They believe they are attending to ethereal qualities that are best detected personally by experienced decision-makers (who will have to live with the decision).
Why CEOs and Boards Tend Not to Know a Lot about Senior Executive Assessment
CEOs and boards either do not know about the assessment options readily available to them, or they are wary of them. The summary in the box below (“Why CEOs and Boards Tend Not to Know a Lot about Senior Executive Assessment”) attends to the first part of the problem. CEOs and boards may have little exposure to assessment methods. Assessment may be known only as pre-employment testing at employee and supervisory levels. However, since 1993 I have asked people whom I am about to interview whether they have ever been through an assessment process previously (for hiring or development, for example). In 1993, approximately 30% of mid-level managers or above told me yes. Fifteen years later, approximately 80% tell me yes. Assessment has been moving up organizational structures through the years. The logical and strategic extension of this trend is that senior executive (and board) assessment will continue to become more common.
In addition, most senior executives have MBAs. Business school served as their introduction to all things important regarding knowledge and tools that were to help executives fulfill their responsibilities and become successful. A casual review of business school curricula yields little content about assessment. Only a handful of programs, such as Case Western Reserve’s Weatherhead School of Management, feature assessment overtly.
Also, “employee testing” traditionally has been the domain of Human Resources functional areas. Few CEOs and board members have experienced a rotation through these areas of responsibility. This can also lead to assessment not being “top of mind.”
Some important processes, however, do eventually transcend the Human Resources domain. One example is executive compensation. While general employee compensation is still conventionally a part of Human Resources, senior executive compensation often has the attention of CEOs and boards. Therefore, board compensation committees are very active in monitoring and discussing senior executive compensation issues (often through the use of consultants). Senior executive assessment may transcend this Human Resources boundary as well.
Many assessment professionals in the 60s, 70s, and 80s were clinical psychologists. These individuals were practically minded clinicians who wanted to explore a new (and deep-pocketed) client base. Clinical psychologists are trained to use confidentiality in the way they treat information about their clients. This confidentiality extends to the identity of clients. The challenge here is that the cornerstone of most business development in professional services involves demonstrating credibility through the discussion of specific work with specific clients. While people with different backgrounds (education and training) now become experts in senior executive assessment, this clinically based history may hinder the discussion about achievements in assessment conducted in organizations.
Many professional services firms advertise extensively, especially when they believe they can catch the attention of people who are CEOs or who sit on corporate boards. When I watch the Masters or other golf tournaments on television, I am exposed to the names and features of audit, tax, and consulting firms. I have yet to see a television advertisement explicitly about senior executive assessment. The closest advertisement I have seen is a commercial extolling the virtues of assessment as a part of online dating services such as eHarmony!
Senior executive assessment is often a behind-the-scenes activity that serves in support of decisions. It is not flashy or sexy. In that way, again it is a bit like audit or tax consulting. If there was a headline in the newspaper about recent senior assessment triumphs, to be accurate it would read “Board Does Not Consider CEO as a Good Fit Due to Rigorous Interviewing and Sound Testing.” Assessment professionals are rarely in the media.
Networking is another way that consultants gain new business at senior levels. My observation is that most assessment professionals are earnest, salt of the earth people. They are often self-reliant, hands-on, and technical professionals who may not hang around senior executives frequently in their spare time. Exposure of senior executive assessment through networking is thus limited.
Many senior executives enter their roles through recruitment by retained search firms who have traditionally not used assessment methods as a part of this process. Therefore, senior-level decision-makers miss an opportunity to be exposed to assessment in many hiring situations. Only within the past five years is there evidence that major and boutique search firms are integrating more rigorous assessment methods into their work. An unscientific review of these firms suggests that recently 25–50% of these search firms have introduced assessment testing and other methods into their assignments.
Finally, some CEOs and boards possess the belief that it is difficult to find quality talent for senior executive positions. Given this assumption of scarcity, the last thing on a decision-maker’s mind is to use an assessment process toward the end of an extensive search process to decrease the number of candidates. The reverse is true in assessment at lower levels in an organizational structure. Assessment is used in these instances to bring focus to a large candidate pool.
Summary: Why CEOs and Boards Tend Not to Know a Lot about Senior Executive Assessment
It only recently is becoming more prevalent at the senior-most levels in organizations.
It rarely is described in business schools.
It primarily is hidden within the human resources function.
Part of assessment’s heritage is in clinical psychology, and clinicians emphasize confidentiality about clients and tend not to promote themselves.
External assessment consultants currently do not advertise broadly.
It is rarely mentioned in the media.
Many assessment professionals are not “well networked” with CEOs and board members.
Senior-level recruiting firms historically have not used rigorous assessment methods.
It is difficult enough to find good senior executive candidates – there is no need to assess the few good candidates
Why CEOs and Boards Are Wary of Senior Executive Assessment
Everyone has knick-knacks of some type in their office. These can include photos, paperweights, and even signs bearing messages. I have noticed an interesting trend in signs/messages in CEOs’ offices. Many of the best CEOs with whom I have worked feature some message in their office that shows their disdain for excuses. One version has the word “excuses” slashed out with red ink and in a red circle, just like the road signs found especially in Europe. The point is they want to bring as much into their control as is possible to try to ensure success. This is why senior decision-makers may not at first glance want to make use of senior executive assessment. They may feel that it takes the hiring process or a favorite candidate out of their hands, for example.
