Is this important? If so, why?

We all know that it’s important to assess candidates for promotion using fair, reliable and valid methods. But if we have one exercise which fits the bill, do we really need to spend the time and money on a second?

One Exercise:

  • Less stressful and demanding on the candidate’s time
  • Reduced administrative burden

  • Cheaper

Two Exercises:

  • More balanced assessment. From our data using the Career Progression Gateway exercises (Case Study and Role-Play) we have examples at each level from CM to AM where candidates would have been unsuccessful based on their result on one exercise alone, but achieved a pass mark on their two exercises average (standard practice in results reporting).
ExerciseCandidate IDScoreCandidate IDScore
Crew Manager
CSXFRSCMC0575XFRSCMC1162
RPXFRSCMC0559XFRSCMC1175
FINAL AV SCORE67FINAL AV SCORE69
Watch Manager
CSXFRSWMC0659XFRSWMC0489
RPXFRSWMC0673XFRSWMC0450
FINAL AV SCORE66FINAL AV SCORE70
Station Manager
CSXFRSSMC0981XFRSSMC0150
RPXFRSSMC0947XFRSSMC0181
FINAL AV SCORE64FINAL AV SCORE66
Group Manager
CSXFRSGMC0870XFRSGMC1456
RPXFRSGMC0856XFRSGMC1470
FINAL AV SCORE63FINAL AV SCORE63
Area Manager
CSXFRSAMC0253
RPXFRSAMC0281
FINAL AV SCORE67
  • Some individuals are more comfortable with either a written exercise or more interactive format such as a role-play. Not all exercises will fit with an individual’s assessment preferences, but by using two different types it reduces the risk of unfair disadvantage.
  • Most people would be able to pick one exercise over another in terms of preference. For an organisation which only uses one type of exercise, it’s luck of the draw for those people whether it will suit them or not. This can lead to candidates who may otherwise have demonstrated potential for promotion or further development missing out, which is not only a loss for both the individual and organisation, but also a real cost to the organisation, in terms of the investment in an individual’s ongoing development plan, and repeat assessments
  • A significant difference in performance between exercises can also highlight a key area for development, that may have otherwise been missed, such as the ability to effectively communicate verbally.

Do we need more than two exercises?

Although using three or four exercises would provide more information, evidence suggests two is enough to meet best practice; the gains from having more than two exercises are not significant enough to justify the additional resources.

The important thing is that the two main exercise formats are represented to deliver a comprehensive assessment of behaviours. Broadly speaking these categories are interactive (role-plays, group discussions, presentations) and written (case studies, in-baskets, analysis).

What if an organisation uses other assessment exercises?

As long as all the exercises are fully validated (proven to measure what they are meant to) and designed to assess the same criteria using the same scoring framework, then there is no problem.

The difficulty is when assessment exercises each measure different things which makes it difficult to compare results (like measuring one thing in centimetres and another in kilos and trying to reach a combined average!) At times, internally designed exercises apply different scoring structures for different exercises, which can also be a significant burden for the internal FRS staff tasked with summarising various assessment reports to debrief candidates and concisely create a development plan. With the Career Progression Gateway (CPG) for promotional assessments, we use a 4-point scale and provide detailed indicators to guide assessors towards an accurate assessment. These are quality assured and tested in trialling. Organisations often don’t have the means to ensure the validity of exercises.

Summary

Use of both verbal and written exercise types provides a comprehensive behavioural assessment. This allows more valid identification of strengths and development needs, and a greater breadth of information for use within feedback reports and development plans.

In more cases than not, the ultimate decision about whether to use one or two exercises comes down to budget. At VCA we are keen to ensure best practice decisions can be made and have options to support that, including a trial period discount for using both exercises or our new LITE version of the CPG.

If you would like more information on this, please send us a message.