An Academic-Practitioner Collaboration to Create High Engagement Executive Assessment & Development Experiences

SIOP Annual ConventionApril 14, 2011

Chicago, Illinois

David E. Smith Lee J. Konczak

Key Questions

How do we build simulations for executive assessment that maximize:• Face validity and “realism”?• Engagement?• Challenge?• Business relevance?• Follow-up action?• Psychometric quality?

In terms of collaboration . . .

• What are the key contributions of I/O psychology and the “practitioner” perspective in the design of such assessments?

• What can a business management view add from the “academic” perspective?

• How can we blend the 2 perspectives to achieve desired outcomes?

• Olin offers a variety of degree programs including a 4-year BSBA, full and part-time MBA, EMBA and PhD programs and non-degree executive education programs.

• Recent rankings:

• #1 mainland China EMBA-Shanghai (Financial Times)

• #2 worldwide EMBA-St. Louis (Wall Street Journal)

• #10 PMBA in the US (US News & World Report)

• #13 BSBA (Business Week)

• #20 MBA (US News & World Report)

Who We Are… Olin Business School Who We Are … Olin Business School

• Human Capital consulting company

• Assessment and Leadership

• Private and Public Sector consulting

• Since 1998

• 43 Consultants/ Associates

• Located in 10 cities

Who We Are… EASIConsult®

“Collaboration equals innovation.”

Michael Dell

Our Collaboration Approach

The I/O Practitioner’s Approach

How do we build simulations for assessment?

We think, first, of protecting our customer

We rely on our regimen of proven practices: • Validation - Predictive / Content / Transport• Job/Task analysis• Reliability of instruments or raters• Rating scales are polished• Rater training is designed

The Business Management Approach

How do business school academics think about managerial performance, assessment and the design of simulations?

Context • Competitive environment, organizational objectives, business

strategy

Outcomes • Organizational metrics – operational, financial, human capital

2 Perspectives on Assessment and Simulation Design

I/O Psychology• More micro

• Depth

• Job analysis

• Psychometric rigor

• Individual focus

Business Management• More macro

• Breadth

• Contextual analysis

• Strategic thinking

• Business focus

A High Fidelity Assessment Center

Our Customer’s Need• A Fortune 100 global technology firm needed to change the way

they do business.

• Their Account Executives had to learn to move from IT sales to valued consultants in the “C” Suite.

• EASI-Consult Designed a 1 ½ day high fidelity Assessment Center.

• Which GSM could make this transition?

• CHALLENGE – These people are busy making sales ($BB)

• This had to have strong Face Validity (high fidelity)

A High Fidelity Assessment Center

Components of the ACGSMs were told the night before… “You have a new account…..”

Previous account manager did poorly … team development … customer service… budgeting…. strategic planning

• Role Play with Irate Customer

• Role Play with Country Manager

• Role Play with Supervisor (VP)

• Electronic In-basket

• All integrated – consistent theme

Making the assessment feel “real”

• We used for real-time information• Wall Street Journal• Harvard Business Review• International News Releases

• We created fictitious data from customer-sampled forms• Financial Reports• B-B Transaction Statements• Fictitious Emails (generated by our online email system)

• We ensured each role play and assessment event built on information from information provided earlier

• Meet with Irate Customer• Report to Boss on the Meeting• Create Strategic Sales Plan for the Irate Customer

Integrating the 2 Perspectives

Prepared for Catalent by EASIConsult, LLC. © All rights reserved 2011.

Name of largest IT suppliers in 2007 (must include HP)

2008 external IT spend won by

supplier

% of total external IT spend captured by supplier in 2008

2007-2008 trend in supplier's share

(up, down, flat)

HP 100 13% flatAccenture 35 4% upIBM 225 29%EMC 30 4% downSun 65 8% flat

0%Other IT suppliers 325 42%TOTAL EXTERNAL SPENDING 780 100%

In-house customer costs addressable by HP not currently spent with any supplier

995Total Addressable

Market 1775

HP

Accenture

IBM

EMCSun

Other IT suppliers

HP

Accenture

IBM

EMC

Sun

Other IT suppliers

From: Ferrara, Chris

To: You

Subject: WCC Overview

Date: February 2, 2009

I hope that your meeting with L. Schmidt went well. I’m interested in hearing what strategy you will be presenting to help WCC achieve their desired business results.

Please copy me on your follow-ups with L. Schmidt.

Chris

Worldwide Director – Conglomerate Companies

News Service Renault Delays Factories, Rethinks Models Posting a steep decline in 2008 profit, French car maker Renault SA unveiled a raft of strategic and operational changes, such as delaying construction of factories in India and scrapping plans to make bigger cars with higher profit margins.The economic downturn, which has sent global auto sales

How did we collaborate?

• Clarity of assessment objectives• Integrated design• Pilot testing• On-going evaluation and feedback

What was the outcome?

Customer Reactions

• Dave – at one point after the first couple of iterations of the AC, Joe had put together some slides that summarized assessee reactions/satisfaction – at least that’s what I recall. I would insert that here to close.