Start With an Evaluation—End with Results

Succession planning is more important in today’s corporate world than ever before, as mentoring is an excellent way to keep the promising leaders of tomorrow from jumping ship for another opportunity. However, many companies understand the need and value of a formal mentoring program but don’t have the tools to make a true investment in the development of an individual.

TTI’s assessment solutions allow you utilize both psychometric testing and 360 feedback testing to develop a more specific approach to succession planning with leadership development . By combining TTI’s research based Leadership Development Program with the compatible Leadership Development 360 Survey, you have the tools to make the development process effective, precise and measurable.

The Leadership Development Program is designed to aid a mentor in developing a protégé’s leadership skills by focusing on five research-based skills acquired by successful leaders. The Leadership Development 360 survey is a perfect match as the 360 degree feedback questions are directly related to the self-assessment questions in the Leadership Development Program and focus on the five key skills. Rather than measuring various aspects of 360 degree feedback, you get more focused results that work hand in hand with the Leadership Development Program.  Prior to the development program, the 360 degree feedback overview delivers concrete data provided by the protégé’s peers, superiors and/or subordinates that eliminate the coach’s bias when determining current skills levels. The 360 survey report gives a coach who does not yet understand the protégé’s abilities, or is new to formal coaching, a basis for their coaching strategy, which builds confidence in their abilities by truly understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the protégé.

After successfully completing the Leadership Development Program, the protégé will have mastered the five skills necessary in a true leader. However, it is possible for someone to have an ability that never shines through. Is the Protégé using the abilities they refined in the program? A Leadership Development 360 Survey administered after the Leadership Development Program will provide a broad perspective on the protégé’s skills demonstrated in the workplace, rather than the sole opinion of the coach.

The Leadership Development Program, coupled with the Leadership Development 360 Survey will provide tangible results and initiate commitment that can build long-term relationships.

]]> http://www.ttidisc.com/people-energizing-people/2008/11/leadership-development-360-degree-feedback/feed/ http://www.ttidisc.com/people-energizing-people/2008/11/managing-employee-retention-with-on-boarding-and-training/ http://www.ttidisc.com/people-energizing-people/2008/11/managing-employee-retention-with-on-boarding-and-training/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:31:49 +0000 jblock http://www.ttidisc.com/people-energizing-people/?p=37 Read More ]]]> How Assessment Results Boost Retention and Increase Performance

Managing employee retention is one of the biggest challenges many companies face.  With so many employee retention strategies out there, it is often difficult to determine which one will work for you, your company and more importantly, your employee.  The good news is, improving employee retention doesn’t have to bee as hard as you might think, but it must be something that is a concern from day one, not when you start to feel an employee slipping away.

When you consider the employment cycle from beginning to end, it is apparent that training and on-boarding is the most crucial aspect of retention.  A company can hire the best candidate who is destined for success, but it is up to the employer to give them the training, attention and motivation it takes to build a dedicated superior performer.  Without it, the employee is not likely to build a strong connection with their new employer and will quickly feel under-appreciated, unimportant and simply lost in the shadows of the organization.

A lot of effort should go into creating the appropriate material for a new hire and the manager should schedule enough time to properly facilitate the on-boarding process.  Too often, an employee shows up for the first day to an empty desk, gets a tour of the office, meets their co-workers and is back at their empty desk with a handbook to read.  Meanwhile, their manager is tending to daily responsibilities and tied up in meetings, checking in with the new employee just before the drive home.  A more successful approach would be to present the new employee with training materials that provide everything he or she needs to know in order to understand exactly what is expected for success on the job, in addition to educational material and corporate policy guidelines.

Great training material and a dedicated amount of time is a great start to managing employee retention, but to truly make the on-boarding experience effective, refer to the methods you used to select the candidate in the first place.  Typically, an assessment component is used that measures the individual’s personal skills and work style in the same way that it measures the job’s demands and work environment.  If not, consider conducting a complete job and talent assessment program that will give you a true understanding of both the job and the individual and contribute to the success of your training and on-boarding efforts.

First, a job benchmark should be completed because it compels the company to focus on the job and allows for an unbiased process that lets the job talk.  This process should establish key accountabilities which provide a detailed job description and outline what is expected for superior performance.  Once you truly know the job, you can complete a job assessment to determine the skills it requires and the work environment it provides.  With this information, your recruiting efforts will be more effective and you will know exactly what you are looking for in the ideal candidate.  More importantly, the job benchmarking process will give you concrete information that you can use in your training and on-boarding process, including the key responsibilities of the job, the behaviors and skills that will lead to superior performance, and how the job naturally motivates an employee.  Sharing this information with the new employee will ensure that they know exactly what they are responsible for and understand the characteristics that lead to superior performance.

Next, implement an assessment that measures the new employee’s personal characteristics and skills.  If the manager already knows how to communicate with them, what motivates them and what skills they have and need to develop, the training and on-boarding process will be much more efficient and your new employee will hit the ground running.  Be sure to incorporate the information revealed in the assessment results right into the on-boarding process.  Not only will it benefit the manager, but this information also helps the new employee understand themselves and leverage their strengths while being aware of their weaknesses.

Finally, the job and talent assessment together provide a great way to compare the new hire to the job.  This comparison will allow you to manage employee retention with a training and development program that focuses on key gaps and leverages areas that show promise for success.  Including this component in the on-boarding process will ensure that the manager is developing the new employee in areas that are required by the job and not areas that will hinder performance.

The assessments used in the job benchmark and selection process are crucial components to a successful training and on-boarding program that manages employee retention.  The assessment results will provide turn-key development material that help the new employee not only understand and appreciate the characteristics they bring to the job, but also understand how their characteristics compare to the job’s requirements in the same key areas.  However, not all assessments are alike and there are many factors you should consider in choosing the assessment that fits your needs.  A reliable assessment tool that is designed for use in selection should:

• Have strong validity and proven success for its use in selection.
• Measure various aspects of an individual, such as behaviors, motivators, personal skills and task preference.
• Provide a direct comparison between the individual and the job in the same key areas.
• Include a specific job benchmark process that is used to create key accountabilities and is designed to eliminate bias and let the job talk.
• Be quick, convenient and easily administered.
• Provide results that can be used as development material and helps the individual understand his or her qualities and how they compare to the job’s demands.

If performance management sounds complicated, you’re right. It is complicated because it plays a big part in the success of an organization, and anything with a high value isn’t easy. It requires focus and commitment, and it isn’t the same for every employee. So what is the good news? Take a look at the things you can do to make the role of performance management more effective and less complicated:

• Work closely with the company’s executive or management team to create a clear picture of what your employee’s job is responsible for and how it fits with the company’s overall strategy. Document the results and refer to the job’s key accountabilities often.
• If possible, conduct a job benchmark to get a true, unbiased representation of the job’s requirements for success so you can coach the employee in a way that matches these job requirements.
• Share and discuss this information with the employee to be sure you both understand the job in the same way.
• Use a personal assessment to uncover the employee’s behaviors, or how they communicate and go about the work, as well as what motivates them to take action. Understanding this from the beginning, rather than waiting for time to tell, will make performance management more effective and enjoyable right from the start.
• Implement 360 degree assessments that utilize questions based on the same areas measured in the personal assessments. This feedback will allow you to consider others’ perceptions and how they compare to the employee’s self-perception.
• Rather than a project management tool that tracks assignments you have given your employee, try a system that puts them in the driver’s seat. As the employee submits their own game plan for approval, they are learning how to prioritize their responsibilities in a way that fits the company’s overall strategy.

Once you have identified the right role of performance management in your company and have found ways to integrate each area of management into one, complete process, positive results will be seen at every level in the company.

For different organizations, performance management can mean different things. It can relate to a process, a system, an organization or a department. For many companies, the role of performance management is associated with an employee and is a responsibility of anyone who is in a management position. However, for many managers, performance management may not be given the attention it deserves.

First, what exactly is performance management? To help understand this concept, let’s discuss what it isn’t. Performance management is not a specific process everyone embarks on. It is not a performance appraisal or a performance review. It is not project management or goal setting. It is not achieving goals or missing deadlines. Instead, performance management is the act of managing all of these things, and more, in order to optimize performance so it is in line with the overall business strategy. We all know people are a company’s biggest asset. Performance management is the process of increasing the value of that asset.

In a performance management interview with Jim Robins, president of TTI Performance Systems, he said, “Performance management is one of those aspects of management that is sometimes forgotten about. We tend to focus on the individual pieces of performance management, like goal setting, sales processes or project management, but we need to remember to look at the big picture. All those smaller processes and activities need to be working cohesively for performance management to really be effective.”

In today’s workforce, it is not only becoming more and more important to hire the best employees, but it is also crucial to retain your new hires.  Top talent know they have options and if they do not connect with a company on multiple levels and feel great about their job, they may continue looking – while on your payroll.

TTI has a vested interest in getting to the bottom of today’s challenge with employee retention and studies have shown that the strategy of job seekers today are hindering employee retention statistics.  According to our recent research study on over 19,000 active job seekers, 55% of those looking for a job are currently employed.  This means employees are just waiting for the right job to come, and when it does, your retention stats will be impacted.

The study also revealed that for 87% of the respondents, finding the right job is more important than finding just any job.  In fact, 30% say they have applied for over 50 jobs during their current job search, which means they are likely weighing their options to be sure they choose a job that is right for them.  To be sure your employees are not burning through your payroll while looking for their next big break, implement employee retention strategies that increase engagement and satisfaction before it is to late and your company’s employee retention statistics take the hit.

1. Define and understand both the organization and the job.
If you do not truly understand these things, you won’t be able to seek out a good fit for the company. Talk with members of the executive team to define the organization and identify the company’s strategic direction. Be sure you fully understand the job’s requirements by implementing a job benchmarking process that uses validated and legal assessments to let the job talk and remove all personal biases. You also need to know the details about the working environment, expectations, requirements and objectives of the position.  Defining the job selection criteria is vital to the success of the selection process.

2. Seek out resources to use in your candidate search.
In addition to networking and word of mouth, there are many great online tools that can be used to source executive level candidates. Create a plan of action that covers all bases possible, from posting online job advertisements, to searching the web for candidates and using popular online networking sites such as Linked In and Ziggs.

3. Screen your candidates!
It is important to use methods that gather valuable information about your candidate that they may not convey to you in a normal interview scenario. Consider a pre-employment assessment that coordinates with the job assessment and allows you to compare the job and the talent in the same areas. Also, be sure to do an initial phone screening with each applicant to ensure interest in the position, confirm salary requirements and ask questions that validate their resume. Screening the candidates will allow you to create a short list of “prime candidates” to pursue further.

4. Meet with the prime candidates or conduct an in-depth interview.
It is important to meet with prime candidates in person, but at the very least, schedule an hour-long phone interview. Use this time to allow them to explain their background and experience in their own spoken words and ask them behavior-based questions that require them to share concrete examples from past experiences.

5. Choose the best candidate for the position.
After all of the screening and interviewing, you should be ready to select your new hire. Throughout the employee selection process, be sure you consider all the information, including resumes, interview notes, assessment results, etc.

Once all of these steps have been completed you can feel confident that you have found the most qualified and best suited candidate for the position and the organization overall. However, your process shouldn’t end there. Recruitment and selection is just the beginning.  The link between employee retention and job satisfaction should be a key area of focus.  Be sure you have a concrete on-boarding and development plan to build employee engagement to secure employee retention.

The key to understanding the makeup of your team and each member’s unique strength is a common format for identifying and understanding each person’s work habits, strengths and communication preferences.

There are many ways you can classify people through observation to identify what “type” of person they are.  One of the most common theories addressing styles of communicating is the theory of DISC.  Derived from the early work of William M. Marston, the theory has since been applied to the world of business and used in a number of different ways to better understand, appreciate and adapt to people.

In team building, utilizing the theory of DISC helps team members truly understand why everyone is different, what each individual’s strengths are, and how each person contributes to the team.  Remember, communication is more than what someone says.  In fact, communication is more about what people do, or how they act. DISC considers all aspects of communication, from the words we use to how body language affects communication.  By providing a common language with which to speak about our differences, DISC allows us to recognize other “types” of people, understand them better and leverage their strengths.  With DISC, the team can be more cohesive, more productive and more efficient.

DISC also allows us to look at team dynamics in a whole new light, making sure that a well-rounded group provides all the strengths needed for success, and each member is in a role that suits them best.  Which person is best to lead?  Who should handle the details?  What is the best combination for small work groups within the team?

With DISC, it is easy to identify team dynamics to begin strengthening your company’s biggest asset.  Even if you have a team of star performers, they are only reaching half of their potential if they don’t work well together.  Imagine the possibilities if everyone came together to work effectively as a team.

Many will agree that people are the most important asset of an organization. More importantly, however, is how well those people work together to accomplish the common goal.  Whether a company has thousands of people working in various locations worldwide or just a handful working in one small office, teamwork is vital to success.  So, how can you ensure that your teams are performing at their fullest potential?  How do people contribute to the team differently?  Have you built effective teams?

To begin answering these questions, you must learn how to really understand each member of the team to identify their work style and how it compares to others in the group.   You also need to look at the inherent strengths that each person brings to the table.  Not their expertise or their background, but those things they seem to be good at just because that is who they are.

Once you understand the team members, you can not only build a team with the most effective combination of strengths, but you can also learn how to leverage each individual’s strengths for a dynamic team that works at its highest potential.  Only then will teams reach goals that have been unattained by individuals, work at levels of productivity no single person can achieve or impact the bottom line more effectively as a group.  In fact, maybe we should revisit the assets of an organization.  Perhaps TEAMS are more important than people on their own?

The most important part in achieving success with any assessment solution is choosing the right vendor. The wrong tools can mislead you and fail to deliver results, while the right assessment tools can help you improve talent management and make better business decisions. Before you can determine which assessment vendor will meet your needs, it is important to clearly define your objectives and ideal implementation strategy. Be sure to discuss budget, numbers of employees, expected results, geographical locations, ongoing use and implementation time.

Once you have your goals established, there are a number of things to consider when reviewing assessment options, including availability, theory, validity and support. To make this process easy and systematic, consider the following 10 questions outlined in Workforce Management by Dr. Charles Handler and Dr. Steven Hunt, respected experts in the consulting industry. Then, take a look at TTI’s response to see how our unique advantages fit a wide range of assessment applications.

1. What assessment techniques do you provide?

It is important to understand the types of assessments offered by a vendor. Do they sell primarily qualifications screens, knowledge tests, talent measures, or background checks? Explore which assessments reflect their core capabilities and which ones they offer through partnerships or outsourcing. Ensure that the assessments offered by the vendor align with your business objectives.

TTI specializes in assessments that measure talent itself.  It has been found that talent measurements predict performance in more areas than any other assessment tool, including structured interviews, knowledge tests and job simulation.  With five different assessments that measure a specific component of personal talent, we can guarantee our talent measurements will accurately measure behaviors, motivators, task quotient, potential skills and demonstrated skills.  TTI is the only assessment vendor that offers the ability to look at talent from this many perspectives.

2. How do you determine what are the most critical aspects of job performance?

To provide effective and legally sound assessment tools, a vendor must be able to clearly define the critical factors that influence job success. This process of defining job performance is commonly known as job analysis.  Many vendors will cut corners in this up-front work, so it is important that they clearly demonstrate the processes they use to develop links between their assessment tools and job performance.

TTI’s patented job benchmarking process not only includes a job assessment designed to eliminate bias and let the job talk, but it also includes a detailed process of defining the job’s key accountabilities.  Together, the job benchmarking process ensures that the job is sufficiently analyzed and all parties involved have a clear understanding of the key focus of the job.  After several people have taken the job assessment based on the key accountabilities, results are combined into one job report, which defines the behaviors, motivators and personal skills required for superior performance.

3. What validity data can you provide for this product?

Validity data provides the proof that an assessment tool actually predicts job performance. All assessment vendors should have summaries of validity data that are readily available to prospective clients. This data should provide evidence of the tool’s performance on jobs similar to those for which you plan to use it. Look for “hard numbers” linked to well-defined measures of performance (e.g., supervisor ratings, tenure).  Avoid vendors that rely heavily on vague anecdotal statements about their tool’s perceived effectiveness and impact. Ask for references from specific clients that you can contact to learn more about the effectiveness of their assessments.

TTI strongly believes in validity and is constantly doing research to ensure that we have the most valid assessment products  in the marketplace. Our validity studies are all completed by third party statisticians, and we are proud to let the numbers  speak for themselves, making our validity statements readily available online. Our validity studies will prove that we do not just  measure face validity, which means the assessment looks like it will measure what it claims. We go beyond that to provide proof  of construct validity, which is based on correlations and statistical analysis.

4. Do you have evidence regarding the legal defensibility of this tool?

You have a right to know if a vendor’s product has ever been challenged in court. It is also important to determine if the tool displays adverse impact (i.e., members of certain protected classes do not perform as well on it as members of the majority group).

TTI’s assessment tools have never been challenged in court. TTI takes pride in intellectual property and research and its  products meet the validity and legal standards of the marketplace. Unlike many competitors, TTI’s products can also be legally  used in the selection process when the assessment results do not account for more than 1/3 of the final hiring decision. TTI  assessments do not include any questions that eliminate or alienate a protected class, having no adverse impact on minorities  or members of a protected class.

5. How much consulting and customization is required to get your system configured for our organization, and how much time will this take?

Some systems are built so that they can be used “off the shelf” with very little customization, while others require more time and effort to configure. In most cases, taking time to create a customized system offers advantages in accuracy of prediction and higher levels of legal defensibility. However, it also increases development costs.

TTI’s assessment tools offer a wide range of options that focus on specific occupational areas. With report versions including executive, customer service, sales, team building, leadership/management, and many more, you can get specific, applicable results without the expense and time of a customized assessment process.

6. What delivery methods are available?

Paper and pencil, telephone, and the Internet are the three main ways to deliver assessment tools to applicants. Many companies offer all three options, but differ widely in their level of expertise with each method. The technology around telephone and Internet screening can be a major source of problems, but it can also offer significant benefits in comparison to paper-and-pencil delivery methods. It is a good idea to ask vendors for specific examples of using similar technology to deliver their assessment tools.

TTI’s Internet Delivery Service (IDS)® is a patented system that allows assessments to be created, unique response links to  be generated, and assessments to be taken online at any time. Once an assessment is complete, the IDS system can immediately  deliver the results via email. This provides a fast, turn-key assessment solution that meets the ideal assessment delivery standards  with little cause for problems. An internal team of professionals ensure that the right technology is in place for IDS to  continuously provide online assessment solutions. In addition, TTI suggests that our paper questionnaires are used when  respondents do not have Internet access.

7. How easy will the results be for recruiters and HR personnel to interpret?

You want a system that provides high-level results that are easy for non-experts to understand but also allow in-depth information for the purposes of documentation and more detailed investigation. Some assessments can even be used for both candidate evaluation and development of newly hired employees.

TTI’s assessments immediately generate reports that are designed to provide useful, easily interpreted information that initiates  personal and/or professional growth. Descriptive statements and paragraphs explain the results, which are broken down into  several key areas. The reports also include graphs that are easy to understand and help individuals visualize the results of their  behaviors, motivators and/or personal skills assessment. The assessment results are also provided in statistical fashion that gives  more information to trained experts. This analysis in relation to the situation at hand will allow for more in-depth review.

8. Does the system consider the needs and feelings of the test taker?

The experience of applicants is a critical factor in defining the success of an assessment tool. Upsetting applicants is bad recruiting and can lead to legal action. What steps has the vendor taken to ensure that candidates will perceive its tools to be job relevant and culturally unbiased?

TTI assessments are built upon theory that has been around since as early as 1928 and has been re-confirmed by industry  experts. To bring this theory to the workplace, Bill J. Bonnstetter, co-founder of TTI, developed questionnaires that deliver an  unbiased assessment of an individual. The same assessment tools that measure talent are complemented with job questionnaires  that assess a real, unique position in the same areas for a relevant comparison between a job and talent. In addition, our  assessments all have a ninth-grade reading level, making it applicable to a wide-range audience.

9. How is the system priced?

It is important to clearly understand the fee schedule as it relates to the manner in which you plan to use the test. Ask vendors to outline up-front fees for system design and configuration, as well as ongoing usage fees.

TTI assessment products are delivered solely by a network of Value Added Associates, and we do not engage in direct sales. To protect the value of the assessment results, we do not commoditize our products and, instead, suggest that they are used as  a tool to deliver a more complete solution. Due to a strong belief in this strategy, we do not publish a retail or wholesale  price associated with our assessment products. Up-front fees and ongoing usage should be determined by the distributor of  TTI’s assessment products.

10. What ongoing support will you receive?

What services does the vendor provide to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of its assessment tools? Does it provide quarterly or semi-annual reviews of the performance of its assessment tools, including EEOC summaries? What sort of ongoing customer and help-desk support is offered? You want to look for vendors that will provide active ongoing support and will not simply disappear after you have bought their tools.

TTI takes pride in knowing that our assessment tools are constantly validated, meet EEOC guidelines and have proven to be  successful in the workplace. Our patented, Internet Delivery Service (IDS)® is supported by an internal team of professionals  and many initiatives have been taken to ensure it constantly provides a seamless method of delivering assessments and  analyzing the results to provide personal data. The customer support TTI provides to its network of Value Added Associates  is said to be the best in the business. Due to this commitment, we do not sell direct and, therefore, do not support clients of  our Value Added Associates directly. We do, however, provide our network with many forms of educational material they can  utilize in their customer support efforts. TTI employs several staff members and is available five days a week to meet the needs  of our Value Added Associates, who, intern, supports our products in the marketplace.

Authors of the article also suggested that businesses should also consider the financial and personnel stability of the company. They urge them to find out and ask what transition plans the companies have in place should these individuals leave.

TTI was founded by Bill J. Bonnstetter and his son Dave Bonnstetter in 1984. Bill and David continue to play an active role in  TTI, but have since welcomed other key members to the team. Ashley Bowers is the president of Target Training International  (TTI) and works closely with Bill and Dave on product development. Jim Robins is the president of TTI Performance Systems,  the North American distribution network, and Rick Bowers is the president of Success Insights, the international distribution  network. They both work closely with TTI and focus on providing support to their respective network of Value Added Associates. Together, the three companies work very closely and are supported by a staff of over 40 full-time employees.

Personal accountability is not only an important skill to possess, but it is also in high demand.  In over 95% of the jobs we studied, we found personal accountability to be one of the top seven personal skills that are required for superior performance on the job.  Most companies would agree that responsibility for actions is a major component to success on the job and will look for this skill in any employee review or selection situation.  Unfortunately, personal accountability can be difficult to gauge and is often times not genuine until you can scratch through the surface.

If personal accountability is so important to success on the job, yet difficult to find, how can we look for this skill in today’s talent?

To help you identify the skill of personal accountability, consider using the following interview questions in your selection process or employee evaluation.

• What person from history do you most admire for taking the blame for a failure? What did taking the blame do for that person?
• Give me an example of someone you know whose personal actions led to disastrous results. How answerable is that person for what happened? What advice would you give to that person?
• What is the worst business decision you ever made? What made it the worst? What would have helped you to avoid making that decision?

While questions like this might help you take a guess at the level of personal accountability an individual has, it is best to get a truly accurate picture of the skills they have through a individual assessment process.  This will eliminate all bias and give you statistical results that will easily help you take the next step in talent management.  Soft skills assessments and 360 degree surveys are commonly used in business practices today to accurately assess personal accountability and the many other skills that make each person unique.