In today's episode of the "Expert Interview" column, we will discuss modern methods staff assessments with Maxim Peskin, SHL Russia & CIS Product Specialist.
- Please tell us how the area of personnel assessment has developed in Russia - what main stages can you single out? How can you characterize the current situation?
Appearance in our country modern instruments an objective assessment of personnel is a matter of the relatively recent past.
In Soviet times, there was no question of any objective assessment: a diploma, a biographical interview, a background check - this, in fact, exhausted the range of available tools. Yes, in some organizations, candidates could be offered test tasks, but this practice was hardly universal. In principle, in Soviet times, there was practically no objective assessment of personnel precisely because there was no HR in today's sense: there was only personnel administration. This is the first stage.
The situation changed radically in the late 80s and early 90s, when a radical change in economic conditions and the emergence of fundamentally new forms and methods of doing business - in fact, the emergence of business as such - required HR specialists to solve new problems. The second stage is associated with the expansive growth of the most different industries. Assessment tools, methods and practices have evolved around the key issue of HR management: “How to find the best the best people? This is the second stage.
In the last few years, it seems to me, the third stage begins, which is characterized by a fundamental shift in the focus of HR in general. If in the previous decade it was more important to attract and find the “right” people, today critical tasks associated with their preservation and development, identifying future leaders and ensuring the succession of leadership. We increasingly hear questions from clients like: “How do I identify truly high-potential employees at the start of their career and how do I keep them in the company?”, “What kind of development do future leaders need?”, “What positions are key for my company and what motivates people in these positions?”… This stage is, in principle, characterized by more attention to the current employees of the company (especially to experienced and high-performing ones) than to external candidates.
Another important topic that is gradually appearing on the market is related to external benchmarking of personnel - i.e. such an assessment, which is not only objective and reliable in itself, but allows you to get detailed information about the comparative level of people. More and more organizations are asking questions about how their employees of one level or another department look against the background of the industry, in what and how much they lag behind competitors, and finally, what kind of development they may need. In principle, this is the fourth stage, and today we can say that such questions arise only in the most advanced companies.
- Now a lot of tools for personnel assessment are offered by various companies. How to understand and choose the really necessary tools for your company?
Depending on what kind of instrument we are talking about, the set of criteria will, of course, differ. In any case, the choice of the necessary tools relies primarily on a deep and objective understanding of the objectives of the assessment. Determining exactly who will be assessed, what exactly - what characteristics of the candidate or employee - needs to be assessed, for what purpose and in what degree of depth, how this information will be used further - all this is the first step. And after that, we can talk about the selection of the actual assessment tools.
When choosing an assessment tool, it is usually assumed that there are standard types of tools for assessing each aspect of the personality. I will talk about this below. But there is also the question of how to choose the best tool in a given category (for example, how to choose the best ability test). In this sense, several mandatory points can be distinguished - something like a checklist, according to which it is worth checking each offer and weeding out obviously unprofitable and inappropriate ones:
- Fame and reliability of the provider, its experience and customer recommendations
- The "theoretical base" of the provider: how convincing and scientifically substantiated are the methodologies, approaches and models used
- Breadth and depth of portfolio of instruments to choose from
- “Sharpened” tools for business, taking into account the specific realities of modern business
- Willingness to interact in various formats - training, evaluation, customization, development from scratch
- Information on the validity and reliability of the proposed instruments
- External persuasiveness (external validity) of instruments, their perceived complexity (if we are talking, for example, about tests) and depth (for questionnaires)
- For tests, the relevance and regularity of updating normative groups is of particular importance.
- Interaction mechanism - for online assessment, this is primarily the quality, reliability, convenience of interfaces, for face-to-face assessment - the speed and intensity of information exchange
- A set of proposed reports, their quality and depth
Finally, almost always, when choosing an assessment tool, one has to choose between highly specialized tools that evaluate a strictly defined range of characteristics, and “broad-purpose” tools that provide not so deep analysis, but allow assessing a person from many different angles. This choice, again, is determined by the objectives of the evaluation. For example, if we are talking about evaluating candidates for a position that is constantly undergoing some kind of organizational, technological, and content changes, if it is necessary to assess the qualities of a person in a dynamically changing environment, those tools that allow you to look at a person from different angles will be more useful. .
- Company SHL - one of the leaders in the market of evaluation tools. What tools do you offer? Do you make a distinction in approaches when evaluating candidates for vacant positions and existing staff of the company? What is it?
We offer a range of tools designed to assess candidates and employees throughout their life cycle in company. The portfolio structure of our instruments is based on two basic models. First, we proceed from the fact that the result required by the organization is determined by the behavior of people, and the basis of behavior is potential. Therefore, from the point of view of the organization, it is possible to evaluate all three components: the results achieved in the past, today's actual behavior and the elements of potential, on which the future success of an employee depends both in this position and in the organization as a whole.
Assessment centers (assessment centers) are considered the most effective means of assessing current behavior. In them, the participants are offered exercises in which any real business situation is simulated. This approach allows the candidate or employee to visually demonstrate both their strengths and areas for development. SHL portfolio contains dozens of exercises different types: analytical presentations, individual business exercises (also known as "in-trays" - completely written exercises that model various aspects of individual administrative and organizational work), group discussions, fact-finding exercises, role-playing games, etc. At the heart of the mechanics of any exercise is the concept of competence - a stable cluster of observable behavioral manifestations that determine the success of the work.
The exercises provide the opportunity to give one assessment of the competence (although, of course, for this you need to test the competence with at least two relevant exercises). For comparison, the potential cannot be assessed "in one figure", since it, by definition, consists of several heterogeneous entities. First, it includes a person's motivation - factors that determine what will increase his productivity and efficiency, and what can become an obstacle. Secondly, these are personality traits - actually character traits and individual characteristics that determine how a person manages his own emotions, how he interacts with others and how he solves various problems. To assess these two groups of factors, professional questionnaires are usually used - motivational and personal, respectively.
By the way, we do not recommend the use of clinical personality questionnaires in a business context - for at least two reasons. First, they were originally designed for other purposes and in principle do not answer the question of the future performance of a person at work. Secondly, an overly free interpretation of clinical scales, in particular, by non-professional psychologists, can cause more harm than good, and give reason to label an employee.
Let's return to the components of the potential. The third element is a person's knowledge and skills, which are assessed using appropriate professional tests. The fourth is intellectual ability. To assess them, ability tests are used: from the well-known numerical and verbal tests to tests of critical and systemic thinking, creativity, the ability to make managerial decisions, and many others.
If we talk about differences in the assessment of candidates and current employees, then there is no fundamental difference in the tools. In other words, there is no tool that can be said to be completely inappropriate in one case and effective in another - the only exception would be, perhaps, the 360-degree assessment. All other tools can be used in one case, and in another. Their weight in the overall assessment and, in a sense, the logic of interpreting the results will change.
As a rule, in practice it looks like this. If we are talking about current employees, then first of all, most likely, their behavior will be evaluated - for this it is most logical to conduct an assessment center, as well as resort to the 360-degree method. If we are talking, for example, about candidates for any positions, including candidates for a personnel reserve or a program for the development of high-potential employees, then certain components of the potential often come to the fore. Then, at the level of instruments, the task of their evaluation is solved by various tests and questionnaires.
The SHL portfolio contains all of the listed potential assessment tools: tests of various abilities, and personality and motivation questionnaires (as well as highly specialized questionnaires developed on their basis - for example, a questionnaire on sales styles or a questionnaire on working styles), and tests of professional skills and knowledge ( for some areas and industries).
- What methods are most in demand by progressive companies?
Progressive companies tend to use a wide range of assessment methods and tools, and in their choice are based on the specific needs of the case. However, this does not mean, for example, that the selection of candidates for each position uses a fundamentally different set of tools. On the contrary, progressive companies are characterized by a complex and structured selection funnel. At the first stages, screening takes place using several tools, regardless of the position. In the future, at the stage of the actual selection, candidates are faced with those tools that most effectively determine the presence and level of the required characteristics. For example, if we are talking about hiring young professionals and employees at the level of a department head in a large manufacturing company, then at the beginning of the selection, both the former and the latter may face ability tests. However, in the future, potential managers may be offered tests of situational thinking, designed to determine the quality of their decisions. management decisions, identify a characteristic managerial style, etc.
A similar picture is observed for the evaluation of current employees - although our research shows that objective evaluation tools are used significantly more often in selection and recruitment. According to our 2013 Global Appraisal Trends Survey, 72% of companies use appraisal for external recruitment, 62% for internal promotion, but only about 40%, for example, for tasks related to identifying high-potential employees and developing them. , succession planning, etc. In other words, these tasks, for all their importance, are much more often solved on the basis of subjective judgments and incomplete data.
In general, and interestingly, professional tests have historically remained the most popular assessment tool, i.e. skill and knowledge tests. If we talk about the global picture, then personality questionnaires and ability tests come on their heels - for comparison, in Russia the share of companies using such tools is much lower. In general, perhaps, it cannot be said that progressive companies are characterized by a preference for some specific tools: rather, they are distinguished by the breadth of the range of methods used, the depth of understanding of the purpose of the assessment, and finally, the accuracy of the correspondence between the tasks of the assessment and the selected tools and the effectiveness of their use. received data.
- Now many companies are trying to simplify and automate the processes associated with the assessment. How have these trends affected the offerings of service providers?
Speaking about the automation of evaluation processes, three separate, albeit strongly interconnected, trends can be distinguished.
First, the automation and computerization of the "old" assessment tools, which are well known in paper and booklet versions, continues. The integration of such “digitized” tools within online valuation platforms significantly reduces the cost of valuation activities and makes them more convenient for the client, so almost all providers are interested in this aspect of automation. In fact, today there is not a single large category of assessment tools that exists only offline. The only exception is exercises and simulations, but even in this area there is significant progress (see below, in the third paragraph).
Secondly, not only the tools themselves are integrated, but also the data, i.e. results of evaluation activities. In this case, from the point of view of IT, we are talking about personnel management systems (HRIS - HR Information System) or talents (TMS - Talent Management System). Data integration ensures coherence, validity and consistency of adoption personnel decisions at all stages of an employee's life in an organization. In principle, this task is already beyond the competence of evaluation service providers. However, they are involved in the creation of such information systems to support the integration of all data at all stages - from the assessment to the storage and analysis of information. Actually analytics becomes here key point and a source of competitive advantage for the company.
Thirdly, radically new tools are emerging, based on today's technological capabilities. The most striking example is the emergence of electronic individual business exercises, or e-trays. These are not so much the usual "in-trays" translated into electronic format, but a very special evaluation tool.
The main advantage of e-tray exercises is that the simulation of the work situation becomes interactive, i.e. the appearance of new documents occurs as and in direct connection with the actions of the participant (as opposed to the "classic" version, in which documents are available from the very beginning), which provides many alternative event scenarios. Although e-tray exercises are gaining popularity today, only about 10 companies worldwide used them in the previous decade. The most telling example is Deloitte, which uses such a solution as one of the selection steps for hiring graduates, as well as for evaluating internal applicants for junior management positions. Why is this format not very popular? This is due, firstly, to the exceptional complexity and high cost of development (even compared to the development of “classic” exercises) and, secondly, to the problem of predictability of simulation scenarios and, thus, the reliability of competency assessment.
However, it can be predicted that in the coming years we will see at least attempts to implement them; in addition, they are guaranteed more frequent mention in professional circles.
- How will assessment methods evolve in the near future? What trends in personnel assessment can you highlight?
The most important trend that determines the future of the evaluation area is the constant development of information and computer technologies. In addition to the above aspects of automation - the computerization of exercises, the integration of data within talent management systems, the emergence of fundamentally new formats - it is also necessary to note the increasing influence of mobile technologies. According to our research, users of assessment tools are increasingly saying they value being able to take assessments and/or access results through mobile-optimized apps or portals. Interestingly, if in developing countries about a third of companies are already talking about this and thinking about it, then in developed countries it is only one in six.
Another trend is customization. Fewer companies are ready to use boxed solutions. And we are not talking about superficial changes in tools like the design of “packaging” or, say, transferring an exercise from one industry to another. Today we are talking about customization at a much deeper level, at the level of mechanics and semantic content of assessment tools. What does this mean? Firstly, development from scratch or adaptation of tools to the customer's competency model. Secondly, the creation of special reports aimed at identifying the most key aspects of the personality of a candidate or employee - and presenting this information in an extremely understandable form, in a living managerial language.
The third trend is the linking of evaluation results to business results. In principle, this trend cannot be called new, because the requirement to “prove the effectiveness of the instrument” underlies any investment activity in principle. Today we hear more and more often that it is people who are the most important and most valuable asset of the company: it is not surprising that investments in this asset are subjected to especially rigorous analysis. This trend manifests itself at the level of interaction between the service/assessment tool provider and the client. In fact, understanding what is called a business impact, the ability to define and communicate it today is becoming another criterion for the quality of a provider - perhaps one of the most important.
The fourth trend, local in nature, is associated with the gradual adoption of more objective assessment tools and the rejection of more subjective ones. As noted above, Russia lags far behind the world in terms of the use of aptitude tests, personality questionnaires and similar assessment tools. We expect that as the benefits of such tools are demonstrated, they will be used more frequently. Of course, this does not mean that the "usual" methods - biographical interviews, test tasks or cases, recommendations - will completely disappear in the near future. This definitely won't happen. Despite the lower predictive ability (the so-called predictive validity), such methods can bring certain benefits to the company and solve specific problems in the selection and / or evaluation of current employees.
If we summarize the above trends, then the "megatrend" in the field of evaluation is undoubtedly an increase in objectivity due to various technological and conceptual solutions. Today, the requirement for objectivity ceases to be a requirement for individual tools and becomes a requirement for the assessment system as a whole - even, perhaps, for the talent management system in an organization.
- What can you recommend to those HR -specialists who are only tasked with organizing a systematic assessment of personnel in the company. Where would you advise them to start?
As with any major project, it's best to start by clarifying the company's goals and the needs behind them. Why does an organization need staff appraisals? What kind of problems are supposed to be solved in this way? How will the performance of the organization be different once the assessment is implemented? What will change for the better? What business outcomes are expected to be affected? Finally, how can the management of the organization and other stakeholders know that the evaluation has been implemented, and that it has been implemented adequately and effectively? And just as important, who are the stakeholders, who can help and who can hinder the implementation of this project?
Once the strategic context is clear, the tactical and organizational context needs to be dealt with. First, what positions are we talking about? What stage of the life cycle of an employee in an organization is it? Second, what constitutes success for these positions—i.e. what meaningful metrics and target business results reflect this? Third, what is behind the successful performance of these positions? (In fact, the ideal answer to these questions is to develop a complete competency model for each position). Finally, what information about candidates or employees should be collected – ideally?
In other words, you need to correlate business results with the characteristics of people, and then identify the most important categories of objective data regarding the competencies and potential of candidates and employees, as well as their performance. And only after that should one proceed to the choice of assessment tools and the formulation of selection criteria.
Another important piece of advice is to treat innovation with a certain degree of caution. First of all, this is important if it is not just a new tool or method, but a new platform or approach to assessment. It is worth weighing all the pros and cons, assessing not only the potential benefits of the proposed innovations, but also their fundamental compatibility with the specifics of the business. In addition, a formal policy on the use of new platforms and technologies in the field of assessment can be a useful tool, regulating, for example, the value of specific information to the organization, which can be collected lawfully and honestly in relation to candidates, and also indicate possible ways its use.
If we reduce all the variety of recommendations, " best practices”, advice from HR gurus and just ideas based on common sense and business experience, to three key tips, then, in my opinion, this will be next trio:
1. Understanding the goals and objectives of the assessment. Both the introduction of assessment tools and their direct application in each specific case should be based on a clear understanding of the purpose of the assessment, how the information will be used, and what decisions it will influence. Of course, there is a certain probability of error in determining these strategic parameters. However, a much more risky scenario is one in which HR basically does not think about what exactly the assessment tools are used for, why the company collects this information about people and what role it will play in certain HR processes.
2. Quality and efficiency of tools. Only tools should be used that are designed to answer the questions asked and provide HR with exactly the information they need. Further, it is necessary to take into account the context of the use of tools and not seek to find one tool that can answer all questions and at the same time provide an exhaustive description of a person, taking into account, relatively speaking, all possible options behavior in every situation. In addition, the reliability and validity of the instruments must be proven by independent studies. This requirement directly necessitates the need to work with proven, successful providers of assessment tools and services, who are able to offer a wide range of products and solutions and have many years of global experience in this field.
3. Valuing for the sake of the business, not for the sake of the valuation itself. Both when choosing tools and when using the data obtained, a logical chain should be traced connecting the results of the business as a whole, performance indicators of people and, finally, the characteristics of competencies and potential, which are measured by assessment tools. Further, investments in personnel assessment can be quite large and risky, so demonstrating the meaningfulness and profitability of such investments is simply necessary. This is especially important when you consider that HR is now becoming a full partner of business, and representatives of HR departments are required not only to implement modern, effective tools for assessing candidates and current employees, but also a truly strategic, systematic approach to business as a whole.
Assessment methods should correspond to the structure of the organization, the nature of the activities of the personnel, the goals of the assessment, be simple and understandable, provide for the use of quantitative indicators, combine written and oral assignments.
The most well-known and widespread means of assessment are tests, but the accuracy of the information obtained on their basis, as a rule, is 35-45%.
The number and combination of all test methods vary depending on the specifics of the vacancy and the candidate. Their diversity can be systematized into the following most used types of tests:
The ability test is a Wechsler scale consisting of two groups of tasks: verbal, checking vocabulary, and general awareness, consisting of tasks based on completing a drawing, picking up objects, etc.
Bass Questionnaire. It diagnoses the predominant orientation of the personality and the specificity of the motives of its activity.
Thomas' technique, which reveals the style of interpersonal interaction and human behavior in conflict situations.
A test questionnaire that evaluates the interests and character of a person. They are also used to determine the propensity for a particular type of activity and are used for career guidance.
Tests for psychological stability and stress resistance, honesty. Use a lie detector.
The tests evaluate relatively simple psychological factors well - the formal level of intelligence, emotional stability, sociability, but very poorly measure complex factors - leadership, openness to learning, result orientation, innovation. Therefore, tests are most often used to assess personnel in lower positions, for which there are few requirements and they are simply formalized. In order to assess senior managers in our country, tests are traditionally not used or are used only as auxiliary tools. With regard to top managers, tests can reveal only the pronounced specifics of their intellectual and emotional make-up, but to assess complex managerial competencies such as strategic thinking, leadership, learning ability, etc., other methods are needed.
The competency interview is also a means of personnel assessment and is a structured conversation that is aimed at a detailed analysis of the real behavior of a person in his usual work situations - how he makes decisions, how he plans, exercises control, how he behaves in stressful situations. The structure and content of the interview depends on the competencies that are assessed in it, and is developed specifically. In doing so, you need to answer the following questions:
What was planned to be done during the reporting period;
What was done from the planned;
What prevented the implementation of the planned work;
Such an interview lasts from one to three hours, depending on the number of competencies being assessed, and is conducted primarily in situations of time pressure when it is necessary to quickly obtain accurate information about the manager, for example, when selecting candidates for senior management positions or assessing training needs.
Such interviews with employees are carried out in order to inform them of the results of the evaluation of their performance. It allows the manager to take stock of the work of the subordinate, reinforce the desired behavior, point out shortcomings in the work and jointly develop a plan for improving the work.
It is important to keep in mind that the error in the procedure for conducting an interview on competencies is directly proportional to the inexperience of a specialist, his inability to control subjective factors (his preferences, stereotypes, experience) and standardize the interview situation. An error in the format of the procedure is inevitable, when the competencies being assessed do not really manifest themselves, as in the assessment center method, but are only subjected to detailed analysis. It is possible to replace reality with your detailed knowledge and ideas about how it should be - a person who is able to tell in detail about how to manage a subordinate or work with information may not do it effectively enough in real situations.
Such competencies as, for example, leadership, teamwork, influence, are very difficult to assess in an interview - they can be assessed mainly in specially organized simulating real work situations. business games ah, the possibilities of application of which are provided by the assessment center method.
The assessment center is designed to evaluate employees in terms of competencies for a specific personnel task. Outwardly, this resembles a training - participants are also offered business games and tasks, but their goal is not to develop skills, but equal opportunities for everyone to show their strengths and weaknesses. In each task, an expert is assigned to each participant. He records in detail the behavior of his ward, which relates to the observed competence. A relatively high accuracy of assessments in the assessment center (60 - 80%) is provided whole system procedures:
game tasks are precisely designed for specific competencies and ideally have passed the validation procedure;
each participant has different experts in different tasks, this reduces the effect of subjective factors;
Several tasks are offered to assess each competence, which dramatically reduces the chances of the participant to disguise the real level of their development.
Game situations can be of different formats - group discussions, pair games, individual written assignments. By combining these types of game situation formats, it is possible to create conditions so that each participant has the maximum opportunity to express their individuality.
Decisions made based on the results of the assessment center:
Selection of candidates for leadership positions
Assessment of senior and middle managers in order to identify the need for training, evaluate its effectiveness
Nomination of candidates for the personnel reserve.
In Russia, the method began to be used quite recently. It is used in very few companies. In most cases, consultants who know this technique are invited to conduct an assessment center in domestic organizations.
Another advantage of the assessment center is that candidates in the process of conducting an assessment center do not just talk about how they will act in a particular case (as, for example, in a case interview), but interact with each other in the mode real time, having the opportunity to demonstrate such characteristics as a tendency to leadership, the ability to establish contact, etc. As a rule, the assessment is carried out in groups of 7-10 people.
The assessment center is one of the most reliable methods of personnel assessment. Its results allow us to say with a high degree of confidence that the person being assessed has the necessary professional and personal qualities. Assessment is a set of assessment procedures, such as competency-based interviews, psychological and professional testing, situational-behavioral interviews (case-interviews), etc. Usage various methods in the complex (assessment center) gives the most complete picture of the knowledge, skills and abilities of the employee, the effectiveness of his activities, the characteristics of his behavior, personal qualities.
The choice of methods depends on the specific task, the budget allocated for the assessment, the number of assessed and the requirements for them. The assessment is not always used in full. There are several categories of employees for whom it is advisable to use the most complete set of methods included in the assessment center:
managers (including candidates for the personnel reserve);
leading specialists who manage large projects and play an important role in the activities of the organization;
persons in whose activities communication occupies a significant place (customer acquisition managers, sales managers, sales agents, etc.);
analysts, that is, those who often have to deal with the analysis of situations, people, trends, etc.;
creative professionals involved in the development of new products.
To assess other categories of workers, it is not advisable to carry out a full assessment procedure, as this may require too much cost. Therefore, if the number of the company's staff is several hundred or thousand people, a simplified assessment procedure is carried out, which is a combination of two or three methods that are most significant for a particular category of employees.
Method of management by objectives (MPC).
Conducting an assessment using the UOC method consists in the joint setting of tasks by the manager and employee and evaluating the results of their implementation after the reporting period. The reporting period coincides with the financial year. The system covers all positions in the company - from ordinary personnel to top managers.
At the beginning of the period, the leader, together with the subordinate, draws up a list of tasks. After outlining the range of tasks, the criteria for their implementation are determined. Sometimes a different importance factor (weights, often expressed as a percentage of overall "success") is used for each task. The manager must ensure that the tasks for the period are formulated within the framework of the organization's strategy.
During the evaluation interview at the end of the reporting period, the employee and the manager determine the success of each task, find out the reasons for success and failure, and develop measures to improve the quality of work.
Decisions made on the basis of the evaluation of the UOC:
revision wages
Payment of premiums and bonuses
Non-material motivation: awarding honorary titles, awarding letters and distinctions, etc.
Advantages:
The employee understands the criteria for the success of his work even before the start of the tasks
there are elements of the translation of the company's strategy
feedback elements appear
the method is optimal in terms of time costs
Flaws:
the method is quite subjective, since the execution of tasks, as a rule, is evaluated by one person (manager)
focus on the employee's past achievements, rather than on his future development.
Assessment by objectives consists of the following steps:
- 1. Determination of several main responsibilities of the employee.
- 2. Concretization of each of these functions in certain economic indicators(profit, volume, costs, timing, quality, etc.).
- 3. Establishment of units of measurement and a system of indicators reflecting the results of activities (reduction of terms, reduction of marriage, profit growth as a percentage of the previous year - for managers, etc.)
- 4. Establishment of minimum and maximum "performance standards" for each indicator.
- 5. Correlation of the maximum and minimum performance results with accepted standards(above the maximum, at its level, below the minimum) and the derivation of the estimated score.
- 6. Average score for all indicators.
360 degree method.
Its main purpose is competency-based assessment performed by people who constantly interact with the employee.
360 degree evaluation applies for both individual personnel tasks(for example, when a candidate is included in the talent pool or as part of team building trainings), and as an addition to the main system (for example, the 360-degree method is used in the case of assessing managers).
Four groups of people express their opinion about the employee: managers, subordinates, colleagues, standing on the same level with him job hierarchy, and clients (or partners). Hence the name - 360 degrees - that is, a "circular" assessment.
leaders
employee
Clients or Partners
subordinates
A group of 7 - 12 people is selected for the assessment: the employee himself, managers (for example, direct; superior; top manager, to whom the employee does not report, but knows him by name). joint work), clients (internal and external), subordinates, colleagues from their own and other departments. For an objective assessment, it is desirable that among the respondents there are people who can give an employee not only a positive, but also a critical assessment.
The questionnaire can be both standard and designed for a specific task. All participants must complete it. The most commonly considered competencies are:
Leadership
Teamwork
People management
self-management
Sociability
Organizational skills
Ability to make decisions
Professionalism
Initiative
Ability to adapt.
Data from all completed questionnaires is collected together and usually sent to an external provider for processing. The services of external providers are used to achieve complete confidentiality - respondents should not be afraid that their answers will be seen by the person being assessed - only in this case there is a chance that they will honestly express their opinion about it.
Only the immediate supervisor can show his assessment to a subordinate, thus providing feedback. The evaluation results may look like shown in Figure 3.
Gives feedback
Sets good
business relationship
open to new ideas
values the opinions of others
recognizes achievements
Decisions made as a result of the 360-degree assessment:
Definition strengths and areas of employee development;
This assessment, as a rule, is not used as a basis for revising wages and accruing bonuses, as well as when making personnel decisions during promotion.
The purpose of a 360 degree assessment can be:
Identification of training needs and identification of development areas;
Expansion of an existing corporate system estimates;
Making a decision on monetary compensation.
Advantages:
360 degrees - an objective comprehensive assessment, which is rarely possible in ordinary life;
Promotes trust, more open feedback;
Takes into account the opinion of external customers;
Helps strengthen corporate identity, because competencies that are significant for the company and corresponding to its corporate culture are selected for evaluation.
Flaws:
Only competencies are evaluated, not performance results;
Requires very high degree privacy;
Expenses for payment of services of external consultants;
It is difficult to get a frank opinion of subordinates about management - especially in Russia.
Organizations also use the observation method - observation of the assessed employee in an informal setting (on vacation, at home) and in a working environment using the methods of momentary observations and photographs of the working day. You can also create a critical incident - creating a critical situation and observing the behavior of a person in the process of resolving it.
Business game - conducting an organizational and activity game, analyzing knowledge and skills, ranking players by roles (idea generator, organizer, critic, expert, clerk, observer, etc.) and assessing ability in a small group.
Biographical method - analysis of personnel data, personnel record sheet, autobiography, education documents, characteristics.
Questionnaire - a specially designed questionnaire with a list of specifically selected questions and answer options. The essence of this method is to collect maximum information about the employee using a questionnaire, questions to the candidate, tests.
Certification is a form of a comprehensive assessment of personnel, based on the results of which decisions are made on further career growth, relocation or dismissal of an employee.
Certification is still the most common method of personnel assessment in Russia. According to the Certification Regulations, certain categories of employees may be excluded from the assessment process: those who have worked for less than one year, young professionals (who have worked no more than three years after graduation), pregnant women or those with children under three years of age. By decision of the administration, representatives of the top management of the company may also be excluded from the procedure.
Certification can be carried out once a year, two or three. According to the decision of the administration, it can be regular or extraordinary.
Certification evaluates such characteristics of an employee as his qualifications, level of knowledge and practical skills, business and personal qualities. The evaluation criterion is professional standard specialties and positions of persons subject to certification.
To conduct certification in the organization, an certification commission is created. It usually consists of representatives of the middle management of the enterprise, employees of the personnel management service, members of the trade union. The commission includes 5-11 people. The number of members of the commission, as a rule, is odd. On the large enterprises several attestation commissions can be created - the main commission and commissions for divisions.
During the appraisal, the professional knowledge and skills of an employee are assessed (often in the form of a standard exam), the results labor activity(to be completed evaluation paper or a direct supervisor's recommendation is given) personal and managerial qualities.
The certification process can be divided into four main stages:
- 1. Preparatory stage - preparation of an order for certification, approval attestation commission, preparation and reproduction of documentation, informing labor collective about the terms and features of certification;
- 2. Formation of the composition of the certification commission and its approval: CEO(chairman); head of the personnel department (deputy chairman); head of the department where certification takes place (member of the commission); legal adviser (member of the commission); and social psychologist;
- 3. The main stage: organizing the work of the attestation commission for the divisions of the enterprise, assessing the individual contributions of employees, filling out the “Attestation” questionnaires, computer processing of the results.
- 4. Final stage: summing up the results of certification, making personal decisions about the promotion of employees, sending them to training, moving or dismissing employees who have not passed certification.
Decisions made on the basis of certification results:
lowering or increasing the category of payment (for this, there must be a bit grid for the specialties in question);
transfer to another position
dismissal
recertification
education
Advantages:
the method is well known and worked out
based on the results of certification, legal decisions can be made
collective decision by the commission.
Flaws:
the method is perceived negatively by many employees, is associated with great stress
may not apply to all categories of employees
requires a lot of labor and time
employees do not receive feedback
aims at evaluating past performance.
Thus, thanks to certification, we can plan the training and hiring of personnel, create a personnel reserve and objectively change the salaries of employees.
The effectiveness of the assessment method depends not so much on itself, but on its compliance with the business objectives and corporate culture of the organization, as well as on the literacy of implementation. Assessment methods may change depending on the stage of development and the needs of the organization. The evaluation system of the same company can combine several methods.
The choice of personnel assessment methods for each specific organization is a unique task that can only be solved by the management of the organization (possibly with the help of professional consultants). The evaluation system should take into account and reflect a number of factors: the strategic goals of the organization, the state external environment, organizational culture and the structure, traditions of the organization, the characteristics of the workforce employed in it.
Having considered the main theoretical characteristics of evaluation methods, we should proceed to a practical consideration of this issue using the example of Tourists OJSC.
Personnel assessment is a system that allows you to measure the results of work and the level of professional competence of employees, as well as their potential in the context of the company's strategic objectives.
During the assessment, the employer compares the employee holding a particular position with a specialist ideally suited for this position.
In the West, formalized valuation appeared in US companies at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the 1960s, a new methodology appeared - management by objectives (MBO - Management by objects) - the personal achievements of each employee were evaluated.
In the 1980s, a technique called Performance management (PM) was created - performance management. Not only the result is evaluated, but also the ways to achieve it. Assumes large-scale feedback from the employee. It can serve as a predictive tool for future professional development employee and planning his career in the company.
In the 1980s - 1990s, the objectivity of the assessment increased with the advent of new technology- "360 degrees", which involves a systematic survey of people (manager, subordinates, colleagues and clients) with whom the employee works.
At the same time, the popularity Assessment Center(Assessment Center), which involves a comprehensive assessment of competencies. It was mainly used in the evaluation of senior managers for the purpose of appointment to these positions and for enrollment in the personnel reserve of companies.
In Russia, attestation is considered the traditional way of assessment.
Modern assessment methods in Russia have appeared recently, with the advent of Russian market Western companies. The number of companies using RM, Assessment Center, including internal, "360 degrees" is growing, but not as fast as we would like. The main obstacle is Russian mentality continuity of Western technologies, distrust of them, as well as a craving for stability and conservatism.
Consider the main methods of personnel assessment used in Russian companies.
Certification
The certification procedure is set out in officially approved documents. In the absence of such, the organization must have a "Regulation on the certification" of the company's personnel approved in the prescribed manner. The procedure and all regulations are agreed and approved by the first persons of the company.
Attestation is the right of the company administration, which can be exercised in relation to all or certain categories employees. Employees who have worked for less than one year, pregnant women or those with children under three years of age, and representatives of top management may be excluded from the assessment.
Certification is carried out once, twice or three times a year. It may be by decision of the administration of the regular or extraordinary.
Certification evaluates qualifications, work results (assessment sheet or on the recommendation of the manager), the level of knowledge and practical skills (in the form of a standard exam), business and personal qualities.
The evaluation criterion is the professional standard of specialties and positions.
An attestation commission is being created from representatives of middle management, employees personnel services, trade union members. The number is usually determined by an odd number of participants in the amount from 5 to 11. The commission, in the presence of the employee, considers all the data and makes a decision on the future fate of the employee in the organization.
The results may be the basis for the dismissal of an employee in accordance with Art. 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
In case of disagreement with the decision of the certification commission, the employee has the right to appeal to the labor dispute commission at the enterprise or go to court. The Commission must provide reasons for its decision.
It consists in the joint setting of tasks by the manager and the employee and the evaluation of the results of their implementation after the reporting period (usually the end of the financial year).
The assessment affects all categories and positions of the company.
1) A list of tasks is compiled:
a) the manager himself sets tasks, and then brings them to the employees. Then there is an adjustment taking into account the suggestions of the employee;
b) the manager and the employee set tasks independently of each other, and then agree on them at the interview.
2) Criteria for completing tasks are determined (coefficient, weight as a percentage of the overall success for each task) in accordance with the company's strategy.
3) The success of the task is determined. The opinion of the manager is considered a priority or a higher manager is involved in the decision.
4) Measures are outlined to improve the quality of work.
Evaluates the results, methods and competencies of employees, identifies areas for development, plans an employee's career. Participation is accepted by all categories and positions of the company. The emphasis is placed on the feedback of the leader with the subordinate in the form of regular contacts once a year (formally) and more often (as needed, informally).
Task-setting interviews and a final interview (conducted jointly by the manager and subordinates) are held once a year, where the employee is provided with feedback on his work and ways to develop his success and quality of work are developed. The results of work on tasks and competencies are evaluated, areas are identified and plans for employee training and career development are drawn up.
"360 degrees"
Competency assessment performed by people who work with the employee on a regular basis.
It is used both for individual personnel tasks and as an addition to the main system. The employee himself can initiate this method of assessment in order to determine his areas of development.
An opinion about an employee is made by four parties: a manager, subordinates, colleagues and clients (from above, below, next to and around) in the amount of 7 - 12 people. It is desirable that people evaluate not only positively, but also critically.
Competencies assessed:
Leadership
Teamwork
People management
self-management
Sociability
Vision
Organizational skills
Ability to make decisions
Professionalism
Initiative
Adaptability
The data of completed surveys and questionnaires is collected and sent for processing to an external provider (to achieve complete confidentiality) or processed online (automatically). Only the leader can show his assessment, thus providing feedback.
The results of the assessment (usually on a five-point scale) are received by the employee and his manager.
Assessment Center
1) Preparatory stage:
- determination of the objectives of the assessment;
- development (updating) of the competency model. The model should be consistent with the overall strategy of the company and include the competencies necessary to perform a specific task. To develop competencies, business leaders and preferably the first person of the company are necessarily involved. Competences are prescribed by levels.
2) Development of the Assessment Center procedure:
- development of a plan-scenario (timing and logistics of the event);
- modeling and/or adaptation of exercises;
- determination of the set and sequence of evaluation methods;
- training of experts, training of observers;
- familiarization of assessed participants with the Assessment Center program.
3) conducting the Assessment Center:
- conducting a business game, case studies, group discussions in which the selected competencies are manifested. The topic can be anything, and does not have to correspond to the content of the employee's work. Each case provides an opportunity to assess several competencies in different combinations. Exercises are performed in a group or in pairs. The behavior of employees is monitored by specially trained observers - external consultants, employees of the HR department, representatives of business units;
- individual interviews, tests (for intelligence, personality) with each participant according to the results of the game;
- overall assessment of the game participant (integration session)- summarizing assessments. All observers express their opinion about human behavior during business games and discuss overall rating each competence;
- drawing up a report on the results of the Assessment Center;
- providing feedback to the participants of the Assessment Center. It is very important that the consultants/observers who give feedback are extremely tactful and cautious. Often ambitious employees with high self-esteem are evaluated in Assessment Centers. After giving feedback, they should leave a positive impression.
Also, evaluation methods can be informally dated coaching, which is not basic, but gives more detailed information about the employee - his potential, motivations, intentions, aspirations, strengths and weaknesses. Coaching is a strong motivating and initiating employee responsibility method for their activities, therefore, at all stages of an employee’s work, it can be used both as an assessment method, and as a development method, and as a way to motivate an employee.
Comparative characteristics of various methods, stages of implementation of the assessment system in the company, as well as the difficulties that arise in this.
Determination of the need for personnel assessment
The company must assess, and the consultant can help in this by informing (the pros and cons of each assessment method), which assessment method is acceptable for the company and whether it is necessary at all, based on the analysis following factors:
The date of the last assessment.
Company age.
To what extent the company is financially prepared for the implementation of the assessment activity.
Have a strategy and mission.
How developed is the corporate culture of the company and what are its features.
Company size.
The scope of the company, the nature of the products or services provided.
Socio-psychological atmosphere in the company.
Stage of work of employees to be assessed and other factors.
To determine the actual need for an assessment, the consultant and the customer need to understand the reason for contacting a consulting company, because the wishes for an assessment can be very different, from the real need to identify the level of success of the company to the assessment as a tribute to fashion. The last wish is not a need for an assessment, and its implementation can start the irreversible process of the company's collapse. Therefore, the process of determining the true intentions, where a clear goal, result and specific tasks of the company are built, is the first and most important stage in the actual assessment of the personnel.
Each stage of an employee's work in the company involves the use of certain assessment methods
Can only be used in combination with other methods
+ - can be used separately
At the end of the probationary period, evaluation interviews and tests on knowledge of the subject of activity are used.
Benefits of an assessment
Benefits of valuation for a company
1. Determining the results of work, the level of knowledge and skills of the company's personnel.
2. Ability to rotate staff and create personnel reserve.
3. Creation of purposefully personnel development program.
4. Staff motivation.
5. Building a corporate culture.
6. Organizational development.
Benefits of assessment for an employee
1. Determination of the place and role of each employee in the company - horizontally and vertically.
2. A clear understanding of the tasks set, the criteria for the success of their implementation, the dependence of wages and bonuses on the results of work.
3. Opportunity to receive feedback from the immediate supervisor.
4. Ensuring that achievements are not left without attention (if the system works effectively).
5. Opportunity for professional and career growth.
The place of personnel assessment in the process of personnel management
Training. Personnel assessment helps to identify the needs of employees for training, as well as to determine the effectiveness of the training programs used.
Personnel planning. Evaluation of performance indicators allows you to determine both the current and future quantitative and qualitative need for staff.
Personnel selection. Information from the performance appraisal is used to improve the recruitment and selection methods used.
Employee development and career planning. Evaluation of performance indicators allows you to assess the potential of an employee and outline ways to perform more complex and responsible work.
Stimulation and motivation of work. Performance appraisal helps to improve the effectiveness of the motivation and incentive system by providing feedback to employees, evaluating their contribution to achieving the goals of the organization and department.
Formation of a personnel reserve and work with it. Evaluation of the work and working behavior of employees underlies the formation of a reserve and determining the effectiveness of its preparation.
Implementation of a personnel assessment system in the company
The implementation of the assessment system in the company takes place in several stages:
1) Deciding on the creation of an assessment system in the company by top management and the HR department of the company. Actions at this stage:
Determine the goals of the assessment and its impact on the motivation of employees (previously conduct a survey of employees).
The HR function should make a presentation to senior management about the advantages and disadvantages of various evaluation methods.
Deciding on the implementation of the assessment system in the company as a whole and on its method of implementation.
The decision to create a working group.
2) Creation of a working group, which will include representatives of middle management, HR department, legal and PR services, possibly external consultants and company employees. The Group provides senior management detailed plan actions to create and implement the system, and a budget, if necessary.
3) Selection of assessment methods and development of the first version of the system. Stages:
a) development of a system of corporate competencies.
b) to be specified organizational structure companies and linear subordination to clarify the hierarchy cascade.
c) the evaluation system correlates with the business planning system in the company and KPI
d) the evaluation system should fit into the entire range of HR tools.
e) review and clarify job descriptions.
Result - final decision about the assessment method, the structure of the assessment system, the set of competencies, the assessment scale, options for forms and forms.
4) Refinement of the system and preparation of documents by the HR department: assessment regulations, assessment forms, instructions for the manager and employee.
5) Information support systems within the company, conducting training for managers (evaluators) according to the plan: explaining the benefits of evaluation for the company and employees, a clear description of the sequence of evaluation, the structure of evaluation forms and how to fill them out, training in setting goals and relating them to a business plan, a story about the consequences results for employees and the company, training skills for conducting assessment interviews with employees.
6) Refinement of the system, taking into account the wishes of middle managers.
7) Conducting training for staff.
8) Conducting an assessment.
9) Summing up, analysis of successes and failures.
Mistakes and difficulties in the implementation of the assessment system
Inconsistency in the method of assessing the degree of maturity of the company.
Negative attitude of employees to any assessment of their work.
Evaluation of the personal qualities of employees in isolation from official duties and competencies.
The evaluation system is not connected with the system of material and non-material motivation.
Managers feel they don't have time to evaluate.
Participation of employees in setting tasks is minimal.
Managers give bad feedback, and employees don't know how to take it.
Low or high self-esteem of employees.
- Personnel assessment, assessment
Keywords:
1 -1
For beginners: breeding a broiler at home Boiled water for broilers
Only lovers will survive
Features of advertising aimed at children
retouching old photos in photoshop retouching old photos
What is an NPO: decoding, definition of goals, types of activities Does a non-profit organization have the right