Sears, Roebuck, and Co.@ Indiana University
Leadership Assessment
Steve Kirn, VP of InnovationAlicia Winckler, Mgr of Testing and Selection Processes
Oct. 24th, 2000
Agenda
• Introductions• Review of Assessment Methods• Focus on Assessment Centers• Assessment Center
Demonstration• Debrief and Questions
Leadership Assessment: A “Selection” Decision
Organizations make very impactful statements about their values when they decide who to promote.
Leadership Assessment
Lesson #1:
Know What You’re Looking For…Consider:
CultureBusiness StrategyOrganizational StructureCharacteristics of Successful Performers
Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods
InterviewsRole PlaysWork SimulationsIn-basket ExercisesWriting Work SamplesBusiness Case Analyses Presentation Work SamplesLeaderless Group Exercises
Leadership Assessment:Assessment Methods
InterviewsPros...People are
comfortable with this method
Good at assessing communication skills
Cons...Not reliable and,
many times, not valid
Interviewers may have a “false sense” of feeling like they know the person
Leadership Assessment:Assessment Methods
The best interviews are conducted when:
• the questions are behaviorally-based
• the questions focus on specific examples of past work performance
• interviewers are trained regarding “what to look for”
Leadership Assessment:Assessment Methods
Work SimulationsPros...People consider this
activity “face valid”Predictive validity,
when analyzed reliably, is high
Good at assessing job relevant skills/tasks
Cons...Significant cost to
develop and to runCan only accommodate
a limited number of applicants
Not suited for some specific tasks/skills
Leadership Assessment:Assessment Methods
Work simulations are usually used when:
• the process can be highly automated
• the job is critical to company success
Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods
Leaderless Group ExercisesPros...Predictive validity,
when analyzedreliably, is high
Good at assessinggroup behaviors
Cons...Training assessors
can be difficult Can only
accommodate a limited number of applicants
Leadership Assessment: Assessment Methods
Leaderless Group Exercises are usually used when:
• building relationships is an essential function of the job
• being a successful individual contributor does not predict success in this position
Leadership Assessment
The best assessment decisions are made when you use multiple methods and multiple assessors to make decisions based on multiple traits of candidate performance.
Leadership Assessment
Lesson #2:
Once you know what you’re looking for…you must know how you’re going to find it
Leadership Assessment
Skills Assessment Method
Interviews BusinessCase Study
GroupExercise
Communi-cation
X X
ReportWriting
X
Problem-Solving
X
NegotiatingSkills
X
Leadership Assessment
An Example at Sears:
Development of Key Executives Starting with an Assessment Center
Leadership Assessment
Lesson #3:
Once you know what you’re looking for…and you know how you’re going to find it…you must know when you’ve found it.