Best Practices: All Net
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Written by Liz Jones   
Friday, 29 February 2008
Do executive hires feel like a half-court shot? Our experts say an executive assessment tool can help build an all-star team.
Best Practices: All Net - Health Executive - RedCoat Publishing
Do executive hires feel like a half-court shot? Our experts say an executive assessment tool can help build an all-star team.
On a muggy July day in 2006, Jim Fiorenzo sat down at his desk and began weeding through his e-mails. He answered a few phone calls, addressed a member of the media, appeased an annoyed physician, attended a meeting or two, and then sat down to write a business plan for his organization. Several weeks later, he learned he had gotten the job.

Fiorenzo, along with four of his colleagues, participated in an executive assessment, a full-day simulation designed to test their skills as healthcare leaders. According to Eric Hanson, executive consultant with Development Dimensions International, the full-day simulation approach to leadership assessment was derived from techniques used in military applications during World War II and eventually adapted to the general business environment. Over the years, it has enabled companies such as GE and AT&T to accurately assess potential leaders. Recognizing the complex challenges inherent to the healthcare industry, DDI developed an executive assessment specifically for healthcare leaders.

“Day-in-the-life” executive assessments go far beyond the typical interview series, 360-degree reviews, and various intelligence and personality analyses to determine if a candidate has what it takes to take an organization to the next level. Our experts say that as the baby boomers get ready to retire, healthcare organizations will be looking to build all-star teams.

Trying out for the team
Hanson said DDI helps healthcare organizations identify the skills and characteristics they need in a leader, present and future challenges, and cultural cues in order to design an organization-specific executive assessment. DDI then provides participants with reading materials about the fictitious healthcare organization they will oversee for a day, laying out the hospital’s history, financial standing, size, specialties, and marketplace.

Nearly all executive assessments are held at a DDI facility, not only to give participants a level playing field, but also because DDI has developed a technology system to support the assessments. “E-mails, phone calls, and calendars are created by our team,” said Hanson. DDI facilities are equipped with audio and visual recording equipment, so consultants can go back and assess each participant’s performance.

Consultants play various roles over the course of the day-long assessment. For instance, one might pose as a member of the media, complete with a camera man and a microphone; another might play the role of a difficult physician.

During the assessment, a participant is faced with problems and scenarios designed to draw out certain characteristics. As a result, DDI is able to analyze both written and interactive data. “In a physician meeting, we are looking at the person’s ability to develop effective relationships and negotiate. In a media interview, we are looking at how well a person demonstrates executive disposition,” said Hanson.

“It’s like trying out for a sports team. You’re not going to rely on interviews to build the next championship basketball team—you want to see everyone shoot three-pointers,” he said.

Jim Fiorenzo, for instance, was vying for the position of COO of Erie, Pa.-based Hamot Medical Center. At the time, he had more than 25 years of management experience under his belt, the majority of them with Hamot. “I looked forward to the competition. It gave me a chance to showcase what I have learned over the years,” he said. “I didn’t know when my phone was going to ring, what would show up in my inbox, or who was knocking on my door,” he said. He recalls spending the morning putting out the proverbial fires and the afternoon working on his vision and mission statement for the fictional hospital.

Coaching candidates
When the assessments for a particular position are completed, a team of three to four DDI consultants evaluates each participant’s performance using specific templates that measure skill levels and proficiencies. They share their findings with the contract organization and also with each participant during a two-hour feedback session.

Fiorenzo learned that his management skills were at or above par, but he needed to hone his public speaking skills—although he could speak well in a small venue, he needed a little more practice in front of a television camera. He is also currently working on delegating more responsibility to his vice presidents, allowing them to be the eyes and ears of the organization. “I didn’t get graded or scored on a scale of one to 10, but they made me aware of what I do well and what I need to work on and why,” he said.

The assessment process doesn’t stop there. DDI creates a personal development plan for all participants, whether or not they are chosen for the position. “We help candidates turn what they have learned from the assessment into action. Perhaps someone needs to work on interpersonal relationships before moving to the next level, and we tell them how,” said Hanson.

Slam dunk hires
According to Don Inderlied, senior vice president of corporate services at Hamot Medical Center, the assessment process has helped the organization create a strong succession plan. Based on the development plans created from the assessment, the four other individuals who contended for the COO position were either promoted or granted greater responsibilities.

Inderlied added that once Fiorenzo was approved as COO designee, he went through a nine-month transition period prior to the previous COO retiring. “I have been with this organization for about 20 years, and this was the first orderly transition at that level of leadership,” said Inderlied. “Prior to that, if someone left, the board would simply choose a new leader out of a handful of candidates.”

And with several of Hamot’s leadership team getting ready for retirement in the next three to eight years, it’s a tool Inderlied will use frequently. He noted that although Hamot has only used the executive assessment tool to evaluate internal candidates thus far, the hospital is not opposed to sending external candidates through the fire. “The executive assessment is a great tool to help us make very expensive decisions.”

Of course, traditional interviews and 360-degree assessments have their place in every organization, but with the help of the executive assessment tool, your next executive hire could be a slam dunk.
 
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