University of Birmingham

How does it work? Selection and assessment methods

A process of consultation took place with each head of budget centre to identify the cadre of people they classified as being those that reported directly to them. In addition, we produced some guidance criteria to facilitate this process.

Once we had a list of all nominees from across both academic and non-academic parts of the university we wrote to the target group, seeking volunteers to undertake either the 360-degree feedback process or the development centre. This resulted in 13 individuals taking up the offer of the 360 and only six for the development centre.

How does it work? Development methods

13 individuals took up the opportunity of a 360-degree process based on our '13 capabilities' framework. This was then followed with the one-to-one feedback sessions to explore the feedback and produce a personal development plan.

Six individuals took up the opportunity of taking part in the development centre, which was based on 8 of the 13 capabilities (five of the capabilities were not suited to a development centre approach). The participants were asked to complete some pre-work to gain greater clarity on personal learning objectives. The development centre took place over two days and comprised a series of exercises, role-plays, forum theatre and individual coaching sessions. The exercises involved working individually, as pairs and as a small group. Individuals were given at least four sessions of individual coaching as well as opportunities for peer- and self-reflection, but no time for teas and coffees as a result!

This table reflects the capabilities that were being observed in each exercise.

External consultants were used to design and observe/coach over the two days, with the benefits of assurance over confidentiality, particularly in the coaching sessions, and also the added expertise. However, this was a costly option.

The exercises used over the two days were not based on higher education contexts. This seemed to work very well; participants did not get distracted with the accuracy of content for each exercise.

So, how does this fit with our succession planning process? For every capability area sits a number of behavioural indicators. We now have three levels for each capability area: first line, middle and senior level. Therefore we can now use a development centre approach for those aspiring to move up to senior levels and observe them against the behavioural indicators for managing change at this level. Examples of behavioural indicators might be:

• Conveys a clear vision of how and why change is needed within the university/school/department;
• Creates an environment where both academic staff and support staff want to be involved in change, enthuses others by his/her vision;
• Engages stakeholders at the earliest stage, gains their commitment to the change and actively manages them and their fears and concerns on a ongoing basis;
• Is explicit about the assumptions he/she holds and is open to having these challenged;
• Is explicit about his/her expectations of others;
• Maintains a positive attitude when dealing with ambiguity, coaches others to live with ambiguity;
• Responds positively to complex situations, even when there appear to be conflicting views;
• Actively facilitates others to contribute;
• Is adaptable and flexible and can manage the unexpected.

Feedback is then given against the capabilities and behaviours demonstrated over the two days, from two observers, and can also be combined with feedback from a 360-degree process to provide the basis of a personal development plan.

Evaluation

In addition to immediate feedback following the intervention via validation forms, we ran a session for each intervention approximately three months after it had taken place using the following questions.

360-degree process:

• What were the benefits of the 360-degree process to you personally?
• Personal development goals – what’s challenging?
• Personal development goals – what’s working?
• What aspects of your behaviour have changed as a result of the 360-degree process?
• How will you take you personal development goals forward?
• What support do you need?
• What barriers are you likely to experience?

Development centre:

• What were the benefits of the development centre to you personally?
• Personal development goals - what’s challenging?
• Personal development goals - what’s worked/working?
• What aspects of your behaviour have changed as a result of the development centre?
• How will you take your personal development goals forward? What support is required? What are the potential barriers?
• Overall it was felt from the evaluation that the development centre provides the opportunity to work at development on a deeper and longer-term level, whereas the 360-degree process provides a good starting point and more often confirms people’s own views.

Success factors for both interventions:

• A chance to have an individualised development plan;
• In some cases the individual’s development plan changed completely as a result of the feedback;
• The development centre preceded by 360 provides the benefit of both external and internal feedback;
• The development centre allows the individual to try out real situations in a safe environment using actors;
• Good amounts of reflection time for both interventions;
• Coaching can be useful as an intervention to be used as part of the development centre, but could also be used after each intervention as a way of keeping up motivation and momentum to follow through on the development plan;
• Action learning sets were initiated after each intervention.

Challenges:

• Encouraging individuals not to think of a development centre as a training course;
• Follow up of the individual’s development plan, that is, maintaining focus and momentum;
• Continual engagement of line managers to ensure that the development plan dovetails with outcomes of the individual’s appraisal and to ensure that there is continued support from the line manager.

Learning points:

• Being clear about the priorities amongst the capabilities we are looking for, as there is a limit to what can be covered in a development centre;
• Having a good set of printed resources as an addendum to the personal development plan including web links, virtual resource centre links, access to non-executive roles to encourage the follow up of personal development plans;
• Learning sets as a way of keeping up group links/networking;
• 360-degree process feeding into the development centre works particularly well, because the individual comes to the development centre with an objective picture of their strengths and development needs which can be targeted further at the development centre itself.