Assessing For Development With A Global Healthcare Company

Our client is a science-led global healthcare company who research, develop and manufacture innovative pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products.

The client partnered with YSC Consulting to strengthen their talent pipeline and identify those who could potentially lead the enterprise in the next eight to ten years. This included:

• Working with three different talent levels, confirm the capability of identified leaders to ensure they have the potential to reach the top leadership positions.
• Identify and support the selected individuals in their personal development and career management.
• Enable the client to make more well informed and direct judgements on potential.
• Ensure the process is integrated into the longevity of the initiative, as the client would need to be able to handle it independently.

YSC adapted the assessment process with the client to ensure it fit their needs precisely.

The process began with a rigorous research phase to ensure there was a thorough understanding of the anticipated leadership role requirements and the experience needed. YSC also conducted external research on what leadership of the future looks like. This research led to the creation of tailored questions for the assessment.

The leaders participated in an individual four-hour assessment. The assessment was a developmentally focused interview accompanied by psychometrics, framed around experience, aspiration and potential to progress. All individuals involved will undergo this process every three years, to evaluate progress and determine if they are still considered enterprise talent for the business.

After the assessment, the YSC consultant generated a report on the individual. The reports looked over a ten-year time frame with clear statements about readiness for the next level of the pipeline. They were matched against the partnership pipeline to give internals the ability to understand the leadership expectations.

A two-hour feedback session translated the bespoke reports into a career development plan to help define the path to achieving the goals co-created by the consultant and individual.

Each individual involved in the initiative was paired with a ‘development partner’ from HR to support them throughout their career journey, regardless if they changed roles or line managers. After the assessment, YSC debriefed the HR partner to equip them to support and coach the individual.

The global calibration informed subsequent aggregate insights produced and ensured unbiased judgments across regions and genders.

The initiative has been rolled out globally. The progression, performance, engagement and retention of the initial talent pool were monitored in order to ascertain the key predictors of talent for leadership in the organization.

Results have indicated that women in the programs received lower ratings of potential than men. YSC has made appropriate recommendations to address the disparity.