Five Step Guide to Great Talent Reviews Using the 9 Box Karen N. Caruso, Ph.D. www.viaPeople.com Five Step Guide to Great Talent Reviews Using the 9 Box The Talent Review process is an important component of an organization’s succession planning process. Ultimately, talent review provides leaders with the information they need to make intelligent succession choices, guide recruitment strategy, and make decisions on talent development investments. When done effectively, talent review: 1. Increases the validity of the succession planning process, 2. Enhances visibility of talent across the organization, and 3. Facilitates accountability and ownership for development and results. Great Talent Reviews Begin with the 9 Box The 9 box grid is a simple, yet compelling framework for differentiating talent that can be used in all aspects of succession planning, especially talent review. The 9 box is a matrix; the 9 boxes are defined as a result of the relationship between performance and potential when both attributes are defined at three levels (e.g., Low, Moderate, High). Using the 9 box, talent review discussions become valuable and productive versus stressful and subjective. Step 1: Clearly Define the 9 Box The 9 box becomes most powerful when the descriptions that define the 9 boxes or ‘categories of talent’ are clearly defined. Clearly defining both performance and potential at all three levels will provide a common language and set of standards by which talent can be discussed, assessments can be calibrated, and succession planning decisions made. When performance and potential are poorly defined, you run the risk of becoming distracted in discussion and unable to reach consensus on talent plans. Armed with a clearly defined 9 box framework, your talent review discussions will actually be focused on strengths and opportunities versus clarifying terminology or debating the meaning of labels. While it may be tempting to utilize a ‘standard’ set of 9 box definitions or use the same set you used at your previous company, it makes good sense to create organization-specific definitions. The 9 box framework should articulate the behaviors required for success in the organization, as well as reflect an organization’s values and culture. The framework will likely evolve over time and become increasingly clear as the organization becomes more experienced in using the 9 box in talent review. Download viaPeople’s 9 Box Tool Kit for help in creating your 9 box. Step 2: Require Preparation Talent review meetings bring together leaders and their teams to discuss talent. In order for the discussion to be productive, each manager must prepare in advance. Managers should be expected to prepare for a robust discussion of their direct reports. The Secret Ingredient in GE’s Talent Review System This requires that they are able to GE’s Talent Review system has served as a benchmark for assess performance, values, many organizations. What differentiates their system from strengths, development needs, others is the intensity of discussion about performance and career goals, and potential flight risk leadership. The foundation of their system is about the of each individual. As part of this enormous amount of energy the organization devotes to the assessment they should place conversation about people.1 individuals in the 9 box grid and be prepared to engage in dialogue with their peers about their direct reports. HR leaders can play a pivotal role in helping managers prepare for talent review. They can offer objective insight into performance, assist in making assessment decisions, and coach managers on how to present in the talent review meeting. Succession planning software can make the assessment process easy for managers and streamline the collection of talent information across the organization. Using viaPeople’s dynamic 9 box tool, managers can make their 9 box decisions, identify strengths and development needs, and comment on retention risk all in one place. HR and business unit leaders can access the information provided by managers in real time to prepare for talent review meetings. Step 3: Facilitate Effective Discussion Effective talent review discussions are powerful. Through discussion, leaders gain greater visibility to talent across the organization. HR leaders should work with business unit leaders to plan for an successful talent review discussion. The selection of a meeting facilitator is part of the plan. The role of the meeting facilitator is to guide the group to the desired outcome while the business unit leader engages in the discussion. © viaPeople, Inc. 3 Quick Tips for a Great Talent Review Meeting • Set a clear agenda and ground rules in advance • Allow adequate time to work through the agenda • Opt for an in-person meeting • Assign a note taker to capture decisions and outcomes • Use the 9 box to to guide decision making • Each team member should share their assessments using the 9 box grid • Allow other team members to share their opinions based upon their experience • Agree upon final 9 box placement and identify key development actions for each individual Skilled facilitation is critically important, especially when organizations or leaders are new to the talent review process. The meeting facilitator should be someone who can provide an objective perspective and focus on the best outcome for the organization. An HR leader may be a good choice as facilitator or it may be best for the HR leader to engage in the discussion as a participant. Facilitators can keep the discussion of talent on track, shutting down irrelevant conversation that could lead to bias. Over time, leaders may assume more responsibility in guiding a productive discussion. Step 4: Plan for Action While the completed 9 box grid provides a consistent view of talent across the business, it is not the outcome of talent review. The most important outcome of the talent review meeting is the talent development action plan. During the meeting discussion, the goal should be to identify one or two next step actions for each individual. Succession planning software can help in capturing and storing developmental actions in an easy-to-access development plan. While potential development actions will likely surface as part of the dialogue, the 9 box grid provides direction for creating individual development plans. Understanding the characteristics of individuals in each category provides insight into the type of developmental activity required based on the profile of the 9 box category. For example, the top row of the 9 box defines three categories of high potentials. While all individuals who are categorized as high potential share similar characteristics, not all high potentials are high performers. High potentials have differing development needs based upon their demonstrated ability to perform in their current role. Download viaPeople’s Ultimate Guide to Talent Development Using the 9 Box. © viaPeople, Inc. 4 Example: Development Focus for High Potential/Moderate Performance The development of individuals with high potential and moderate performance should be aimed at providing both challenge and maximizing job performance. • Focus development on specific competency or skill gaps to move from moderate to high performance. • Provide developmental assignments with: o Significant variety and intensity, o Opportunity to test developing skills, or o Company-wide or cross-functional exposure. • Encourage external/volunteer assignments that require learning new skills. • Offer coaching aimed at improving specific competencies. • Provide opportunity to mentor others in areas of strength. • Prepare for long-term advancement opportunities while performance increases. Step 5: Rigorously Follow Up A great deal of effort is often put into the talent review and development planning process and little effort is put into ensuring plans are executed. Talent development action plans should be monitored and updated like any other business plan. HR leaders should collaborate with business unit leaders to review talent development progress on a regular basis, at least once per quarter, to ensure actions are being taken. Use Succession Planning Software for Talent Review Succession Planning software can make the entire succession planning process easier and more efficient, especially talent reviews! Gone are the days of the big white binder…everything that leaders need to assess talent, enter 9 box ratings, and track development is in one place. Companies should look for a solution that allows them to design the process and align it with their organizational culture. The Succession Planning software should be configurable, easy to use and intuitive but even more important it should match the company’s design and workflow. Most “standard” Succession Planning software is designed by the vendor as a one size fits all. viaPeople’s software is built to automate your design. viaPeople’s Succession Planning is available to organizations of all sizes and can be purchased as a standalone product. There is no need to buy all modules to implement the solution. Contact viaPeople today for a product demonstration and consultation with a Talent Strategy expert. 1 Krishnamoorthy, Raghu (2014). The Secret Ingredient in GE’s Talent Review System. Harvard Business Review. © viaPeople, Inc. 5 About viaPeople, Inc. viaPeople, Inc. is a talent management software and consulting services company. We specialize in providing best of breed performance management, 360 degree feedback and succession planning products that offer unmatched flexibility, ease-of-use and simple implementation. Our customers select viaPeople over all others because they get “their process their way” easily, quickly and with superior service. Visit www.viapeople.com to learn more. © viaPeople, Inc. 6
