“WE’VE SHIFTED FROM A GUT-DRIVEN PROCESS TO A SHARED LANGUAGE”

Three years ago, the Adecco Group, a Zurich-based workforce solutions company, began a pilot project in North America that uses CEB’s research to fill executive positions. Courtney

Abraham, Adecco’s Global Head of Talent Strategy and Development, explained the company’s motivation and results in a conversation with

HBR. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: Why did Adecco begin using this research?

A: Like most other companies, we had a formal talent review process in which we looked at people’s capabilities, strengths, and gaps. But it was a paper exercise, and we did it only for part of the organisation. When it came to actually choosing someone for a position, it became totally subjective; it was based on the leader’s intuition. I was hired three years ago to revamp the process. Where did you start?

We looked at best practices and at what other companies were doing to solve the problem – to take a subjective process and make it data-driven and actionable. And we needed a business case: the financial drivers and business rationale for finding talent and developing people for their next career moves. The most critical part of the new system is that it’s contextual. We look at the six most important challenges someone will face in a new role and compare them to candidates’ skills and competencies, motivations, and runways. We can

then focus on what’s needed for a successful transition. We’ve shifted from a gut-driven process to a shared language. What are the odds that the same candidate would be chosen under the old and new processes?

Slim to none. Under the old system, we tended to look at the next person in the hierarchy, and if we didn’t think he or she was ready, we made an outside hire. We went outside very frequently. Now we are much more likely to promote from within, but with our eyes wide open. Because we are developing people earlier in the process and have a better sense of the gaps in their skills and the challenges they will face in their new roles, we can use onboarding and development to actively coach and support them. Hiring from outside is a bigger risk, because we don’t have as much data about candidates. We’ve also found that our internal hires are much more likely to be successful and to have early wins, because they understand our business, the people, and the competitive landscape.