Links to success
"The process gave us a much more thorough, rounded understanding of the candidates than you could ever get from an interview alone. It gave us so much more confidence in making the correct decision - we plan to use the techniques for future selection decisions." Pat Macmillan, HR Manager, Link Housing
Link Housing, a Scottish housing association employing 115 people, recently asked The Keil Centre to design a selection process for the recruitment of Customer Services Officers - a key role at the front line of the organisation.
Current selection research still shows assessment centres to be the best predictors of future job performance. Structured interviews can have almost as high predictive validity, particularly when combined with appropriate occupational tests. Whatever method is chosen, selection criteria need to be based on careful analysis of the competencies required for effective performance.
However, recent studies show that in the majority of UK businesses, traditional unstructured interviews remain the standard tool for recruitment. Even in large organisations, use of occupational tests or other methods is often restricted to senior level posts, or those which attract large numbers of applicants, such as graduate schemes.
Whilst lack of in-house resources may be one reason for smaller organisations' reliance on the interview, they may also suffer disproportionately from a poor selection decision. In these days of lean organisations, investing in getting selection decisions right is vital.
Working with Link's HR professionals, The Keil Centre designed a cost-effective selection process. Candidates were assessed via a combination of methods, including aptitude tests, a customer service questionnaire, a structured interview and a group task.
Developing career resilience in an uncertain job market
Nortel Networks plc, an international telecommunications company of around 80,000 staff, is a company facing continual change. In order to remain competitive there is keen interest in developing 'career resilient' employees - people who see change as an opportunity, are always finding ways to develop themselves, and take the initiative to make improvements.
Nortel's interest is shared by many other progressive employers. With down-sizing and flatter organisational structures, the traditional career ladder is no longer available. An additional problem for staff in project-based organisations is that their line manager may change before they have seen through personal development plans drawn up as a result of their annual review. These situations can result in skill shortages. For example, some staff may leave because they feel the company has not developed them. On the other hand, they may not have taken advantage of the opportunities available. As a result of this perception, turnover of staff may be higher - and more costly - than need be. One of The Keil Centre's Chartered Occupational Psychologists was at the dissertation stage of her MSc in Change Agent Skills & Strategies. Nortel Networks' HR Manager, Jeremy Stewart, commissioned her to study employees considered 'career resilient', to see what could be learned from them.
"There are a number of people within the company who seem to thrive on the turbulent change. We need to assess what are the qualities which enable these individuals to find personal success." Jeremy Stewart, HR Manager, Nortel Networks Plc
Could ways be found to help employees anxious about change and with a more traditional view of who is responsible for their development and career progression? A further remit was to identify risks to Nortel Networks in encouraging greater career resilience.
Four UK sites were visited to conduct in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups with managers and specialists. Their age, backgrounds and experience were very diverse. All were seen as having the desired career resilient approach to change. Respondents drew and talked through images of their career path, providing rich insights that are difficult to tap into through words alone. In addition, each person completed a work-based 'locus of control' questionnaire to assess the extent to which individuals look to themselves for direction (internally-referenced) or see much of what happens in life as being outwith their control (externally-referenced).
The study identified a wealth of information on the characteristics shared by the career resilient participants. This includes key motivators, attitudes and beliefs, and how they plan their careers, form social and business relationships and seek career development support from the organisation.
From the findings, Nortel Networks now have information that could help them select people with career resilient characteristics. Would this necessarily improve performance across all parts of the company? While the characteristics of the career resilient group have many advantages for an organisation, there are potential downsides. They are unlikely to perform well when closely managed. They may leave or reject promotion if the future means 'more of the same' or upsets the balance between work and life outside. If they remain too long in a role or are expected to move before seeing results they will feel frustrated. They may not give of their best if their goals and purpose are not clear. Previous research on work locus of control supports these conclusions. However, this research also suggests that less changeable roles, especially those which are rule-based, e.g. payroll, are likely to be performed better by people who have an external locus of control.
So how can an organisation help employees develop greater career resilience so they can cope better with change? Resistance or reluctance to change can often come from an individual's inner beliefs about themselves and the extent to which they can influence what happens. At The Keil Centre we have experience of working with people to help them challenge these beliefs and attitudes. We suggest alternative ways of viewing a situation and introduce them to strategies which help replace negative thoughts about a situation with more realistic and constructive ones. With these building blocks in place, we can take people through a process which enables them to identify what they want and need from work, set personal goals, identify opportunities to grow themselves and develop the business, and have the courage to take a risk.
When Pressure's On
Like many other businesses, bp's Grangemouth petrochemicals complex is not immune from competitive pressures. Site leadership is keenly aware that whilst pressure can help individual performance, stress is always bad for your health, and is never good for any business. Demands on individual employees are on the increase, placing learning and development high on the agenda.
A cross-side vertical slice working party lead by Ian Fyfe, HR Manager at bp Grangemouth was given the task of devising an education programme about stress, accessible to all employees. The working party was assisted by Ian Tierney and Ronny Lardner, Chartered Psychologists at The Keil Centre.
The working party identified key messages for the programme, including an emphasis on prevention, senior management endorsement, how to recognise stress and its symptoms, management's role and the resources available within bp Grangemouth.
To get the message across to all 2500 employees and their families, including many shiftworkers, bp called upon the expertise of Picardy Productions, Scotland's largest independent video production company.
Working together, bp, The Keil Centre and Picardy devised a comprehensive multi-media educational package with a bespoke seventeen minute video, a site-wide intranet web-site featuring video clips, a pocket-sized booklet posted to every employee's home address and a poster campaign.
The educational programme was rolled out across the site in December 1998. Working part member Charlie Sim has been monitoring its impact. In the first few days, the web-site was accessed by 900 users. Employees confirm the programme has met their expectations, and other progressive organisations are looking to learn from bp's experience.
"The key issue was how to develop a programme which will endure and will be used as a resource for many years to come. The involvement of employees at all levels and representing key interest groups was also important so that the final product was something of real value and practical use.
The expertise of The Keil Centre and Picardy gave the product a credibility and depth which we could not have attained working on our own. I am delighted with the final outcome." Ian Fyfe, HR Manager, bp Amoco
Achieving results with Open Space
Twenty-four Edinburgh lawyers were sitting in a circle at the annual Partners Conference with nothing in the middle and a blank space of wall behind, wondering what would happen next. All they knew was the start and finish times. There was no agenda, no list allocating people to topics - only the overall theme "How to keep the firm ahead of the competition over the next five years". Needless to say, there were more than a few sceptics.
Within half an hour everything had changed; six sessions were underway with another six planned - even the sceptics were hard at work dealing with issues of personal concern. To reach that point, each person who cared to was invited to identify any issue related to the task. They wrote a few words and posted them on the wall. This act noted their taking responsibility for the session but not for having all the answers. When all the issues were posted, everybody went to the wall en masse to choose sessions. The off they went to participate. This was it, Open Space Technology in action.
What else was different to a traditional conference? Firstly, there were the four Principles of Open Space. One of these, "When it's over it's over" ensured that people remained alert and avoided dragging out a session beyond its useful life. Secondly, there was a poster with two footprints. The Keil Centre's facilitator explained that if anyone ended up in a session wishing they were somewhere else, just to quietly stand up and walk out, maybe taking ideas to another session. Simple rules conveyed empowerment, "this is your conference, the success is your responsibility". The results can be impressive. "We considered issues in a way that we had not achieved before", said Alan Menzies, of Anderson Strathern.
The Keil Centre has run open space events for forty-five people in a government department and participated with on e hundred participants. In use for over seventeen years, Open Space has been used worldwide with a myriad of groups.
Although the process is simple, preparation is required. At times The Keil Centre will do advance research to provide focus. In addition, people need to see change taking place as a result of their efforts, so follow-up is essential.
"The process enabled us to consider difficult issues in a way that we had not achieved before." Alan Menzies, Chairn, Anderson Strathern
For more information on using Open Space please contact Louise Clarkson.
Supervisors' management of safety - 'Soft skills' vital for safety improvements
The first-line supervisor is a key individual in the management of safety, playing a vital role in the implementation of any improvement or change initiative. It is therefore critical to establish the skills, behaviours and attitudes required by supervisors to manage safety effectively.
To establish best supervisory safety management practice, Mark Fleming of The Keil Centre carried out a study for AMEC Process and Energy, bp Exploration and Production, Phillips Petroleum and Health and Safety Executive's Offshore Safety Division.
A 360° evaluation methodology was used, in order to obtain an accurate and rounded measure of supervisors' safety management performance. The study revealed that supervisors' attitudes and behaviours have a direct impact on their subordinates' level of safety.
The research results indicate that future supervisor training programmes should include a focus on the interpersonal aspects of safety management. Training should be skill-based as opposed to purely knowledge-based, providing supervisors with the opportunity to practice the skills required to develop a participative style of management. The study concluded that such training programmes could be used as a catalyst for safety climate improvement, by involving supervisors in identifying the mechanisms and measures for the improvement process.
"It is critical that first-line supervisors possess the skills required to manage safety effectively, as their influence is decisive." Bob Miles, Human Factors Research Manager, HSE