In many organizations, an individual development plan (IDP) forms part of the performance management and development process. The IDP documents a personal/career growth and development strategy to improve performance and achieve short, medium- and longer-term career goals and aspirations. Assessments can facilitate career decision–making by helping individuals to pinpoint their career interests, potential and aptitude and generate a plan that is relevant and addresses training and development needs that result in improved individual and organizational performance and increased individual job satisfaction.
The following principles underpin a career and performance development process targeted at achieving both employee and organizational needs:
⎯ The employee has primary responsibility for drafting the IDP. While the IPD is jointly owned, it is employee driven;
⎯ The manager has primary responsibility for conducting the IDP discussion, providing meaningful input and signing off on the development plan;
⎯ There is no set formula for developing an IDP. The process needs to be flexible, providing options to meet the needs of all individuals. No attempt should be made to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach;
⎯ The IDP focuses on training and development that falls within the scope of the organization’s career pathways;
⎯ The IDP is an ‘enabling tool’ that facilitates both individual career development and organizational succession planning.
4.2.1 Career assessment tools
Career assessments tools are designed to facilitate career decision–making and development by providing insight into an individual’s strengths, behavioural preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills which can impact potential performance, job satisfaction and engagement.
Career assessments can help individuals to identify suitable career options, preferred work environments, competency gaps and development strategies that will prepare them for a career change or career progression.
Figure 7 shows the three-step process incorporating various assessments to facilitate career thinking and decision making.
FIG. 7. Three step process incorporating various assessments to facilitate career thinking and decision making
Examples of career assessment tools include:
⎯ Career assessment interview: A career assessment interview with a trained career counsellor or occupational psychologist can help integrate assessment information in the broader context of the individual's aspirations, personality, goals and the organizational culture. In–depth interviews provide insight into career goals and aspirations to determine whether individual goals match organizational needs. These interviews also provide an opportunity to assess behavioural competencies through competency–based questions;
⎯ Occupational Personality Questionnaire OPQ 32: Developed by Saville and Holdsworth Limited (SHL). Assesses preferred work behaviours and personality and identifies potential strengths and weaknesses, and areas for further development [32];
⎯ Identity Questionnaire – Careers Feedback Report: Developed by Quest Partnership. It can help an individual gain an insight into behavioural preferences, learning style, and possible vocations which may be best suited to their interests [33].
Selecting candidates for high cost intensive training and development programmes but who then fail to achieve success can be costly, for example one candidate failure in a licensed reactor operator training programme can cost a nuclear power plant more than $400,000 [31].
Research conducted to assess whether the NEO–PI–3 (a five factor measure of personality) could improve the selection of candidates for licensed reactor operator training, found significant correlations between several personality factors in both the written and simulated operating exams [31]. In particular, conscientiousness had predictive validity for operator exam scores. Results of the studies supported the use of using the NEO–PI–3 to improve operator selection.
4.2.2 Talent assessment tools
Trainability tests are a useful assessment method to determine whether individuals have the ability to learn a particular task and the potential to learn the skills required to achieve performance standards. During this assessment individuals are shown how to perform a critical task and are then given the chance to learn the task. This test gives an insight into their natural aptitude, and their existing level of skill and potential to learn and achieve required
Step 2: Current reality assessments
Career constraints,
Step 3: Forward planning
Career goals and
An important part of an organization’s talent management strategy is the design and implementation of an assessment process to evaluate performance, potential and readiness to progress. This is key to enabling organizations to identify future leaders, successors and/or high potential employees. Robust assessment data can be used to put together development plans to close the gap between where individuals are and where individuals need to be. A proactive talent management process can produce a talent pipeline that can meet the organization’s short, medium and longer–term capability needs.
The following questions can guide the choice of assessment tools:
⎯ What are the best practice assessment tools/methods to assess readiness and potential to progress?
⎯ What assessments practices can be used to help us develop a leadership pipeline with the right skills, competencies and breadth of experience?
⎯ What assessment practices can be used to identify and develop a talent pipeline for critical technical roles (e.g. operators)?
There are various assessment tools that can be used to identify and evaluate talent for leadership and critical technical roles (e.g. operators). An assessment or development centre provides a robust assessment of potential. When combined with other assessment data such the career interview, performance reviews/appraisals, on–job observations and 360-degree leadership evaluations, they provide a more holistic picture of an individual.
Examples of assessment tools that are used for talent assessment include:
⎯ Situational judgement test: For example, the SHL Management Scenarios Test can help individuals identify their readiness for a more senior or management role identify current strengths and area in need of development [34];
⎯ Performance reviews/appraisals: An effective performance review/appraisal will evaluate results and the behaviour demonstrated in achieving performance results.
Performance data will ideally include feedback from internal and external stakeholders that the employee interacts with on a daily or frequent basis; observations of behaviour in real situations; and objective performance indicators that reflect results achieved.
Accessing records of past performance reviews/appraisals can provide good insight into past behaviour;
⎯ Assessment centres: To identify high potential talent for leadership roles, simulation exercises can include chairing a corrective action review board, facilitating a team meeting, conducting a performance review, delivering a strategy presentation to the board etc. Table 4 below shows an example of an assessment centre for Maintenance Team Leaders. Each competency is assessed with least three different methods.
TABLE 4. ASSESSMENT CENTRE FOR MAINTENANCE TEAM LEADER ROLE EXAMPLE
Competency Group
Exercise (lead team
meeting)
Individual Exercise (role play)
Personality Tests
Group Exercise (problem–
solving)
SJT:
Management Scenarios
Problem–solving and decision–making
ü ü ü ü
Assertiveness ü ü ü
Communication and influence
ü ü ü ü
Builds and maintains relationships
ü ü ü
Motivating Others ü ü ü
Collaborative teamwork ü ü ü
Stress Tolerance ü ü ü
Adaptability ü ü ü
Resilience ü ü ü
Section 7 provides further detail on recommended assessment practices for developing leaders individually and collectively.
The flowchart in Figure 8 shows a generic talent management process to contextualise succession planning and the use of assessments in this process.
FIG. 8. Talent assessment for progression