Appreciative Inquiry.
It is our firm belief that we need to conduct in-depth interviews that go beyond the standard questions to assess whether the candidate meets the selection criteria on his/her ability to lead teams, inspire others, and navigate complex situations. This is the reason that we combine the well-known STAR-methodology (Situation – Task – Action – Result) with the methodology of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). With this combination Cross International offers a unique approach.
Detecting leadership skills through the evidence based approach of the appreciative inquiry methodology.
Selecting the right candidate is an investment in the organization's future. By carefully evaluating candidates and prioritizing fit for the role and the company's culture, you can increase the likelihood of finding a successful leader who will contribute to the organization's growth and success. Hence, an evidence based approach should be used.
Detecting and selecting the right candidate for an executive search assignment is a crucial decision that can significantly impact the organization's success. To make the best choice, it's essential to go beyond the surface and assess candidates' qualifications, experience, and fit for the role and the company's culture. Key factors to consider when selecting the right candidate are of course :
- the exact definition of the role and success criteria of the position, which is necessary to ensure that candidates possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to excel in the position.
- thorough background checks on educational background, professional qualifications, and work experience, which is done by cross-reference information from resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and references to ensure accuracy and consistency.
- estimating the cultural fit and alignment of values with those of our client to ensure that the candidate shares the company's vision, embraces its principles, and contributes to its overall success.
- assessing leadership qualities and experience to evaluate the candidates' track record of success in managing projects, driving change, and fostering a positive work environment.
The study “The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 100 Years of Research Findings” (Schmidt, Oh & Shaffer, 2016) has summarized the practical and theoretical implications of 100 years of research in personnel selection. The research presents the validity of a variety of selection tools and procedures. Among the findings, we can see that the GMA (General Mental Ability) tests keep the first place as the screening tool with the highest validity. Structured interviews combined with GMA, create one of the two most validated combinations, that can be used both for entry-level and selection of experienced job applicants. The biographical data measures (questions about past life experience) has been also found as a selection method with good utility as a selection measure.
These findings are at the basis of the approach of Cross International. It is our firm belief that we need to conduct in-depth interviews that go beyond the standard questions to assess whether the candidate meets the selection criteria on his/her ability to lead teams, inspire others, and navigate complex situations. This is the reason that we combine the well-known STAR-methodology (Situation – Task – Action – Result) with the methodology of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). With this combination Cross International offers a unique approach.
Appreciative Inquiry was developed in the late 1980s by David Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve University. They were inspired in part by Ken Gergen's work on Social Constructivism: the idea that there is no one indisputable truth, but that people mutually create reality, so to speak, by how we perceive, give meaning and name things. Originally, the Appreciative inquiry (AI) methodology is an organizational and change model that encourages change while using the strengths that exist within a company. Generally speaking, to apply Appreciative Inquiry to a problem solving situation, you focus on the positives. This helps you build on strengths, where conventional problem-solving can help you manage or eliminate your weaknesses. It was only in the beginning of the 21st century that its principles have been translated into recruitment (a.o. A.Kluger “The feedforward interview” in Human Resource Management Review).
The purpose of the Appreciative Interview is to bring the positive aspects of employee experiences into focus This is accomplished by first eliciting stories of concrete successes, that is, stories regarding instances and events in which employees were at their best, and then by inquiring into the facilitating conditions that allowed them to perform at their best. As we act in a search on behalf of our clients and represent and support their employer brand, the A.I. interview approach has also the positive side-effect of leaving a positive feeling of well-being after the interview, even if the result is negative in the context of selection. Too often we hear of selection interviews piercing about negative experiences , mistakes etc. that add nothing more. Moreover, questioning the life experiences of the candidates in a positive way increases the validity of the prediction of the interview (see table “Bio data”). The Appreciative Inquiry methodology (A.I.) creates both a very accurate gauge for the fit of the candidate to the job, while preserving the well-being of the rejected candidates. Note that candidates will recognize that the job does not fit them merely through self-reflection on their answer to the question. In this way, the image of the hiring employer was enhanced because the employer was perceived as supporting the right decision for the candidate, rather than appearing as unjustly standing in the way of the candidate.
At Cross International, we start of course from the expected core competencies that are necessary within the job content, but they redirect many selection interviews too much to 'gap' thinking that is mainly focused on adjusting possible deficiencies in the context of a new function. At Cross International we prefer a more positive A.I. approach where we start from the existing talent and see people employable in their strengths. Linking client and candidate from this appreciative approach also has a much longer motivating effect.
In conclusion, bringing together the appreciative inquiry methodology with a structured interview is not only a unique, but also scientifically based way of selecting candidates with high predictive value. Moreover, we also offer on-line testing which, combined with the above, makes the predictive value of our method the strongest combination (see above table: 0.76).