Improving the Way Naval Aviators are Selected

Employment Testing

Situation

The U.S. Navy has used its Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) to identify potential pilots for over 30 years. During this time, some of the test items had become outdated and some items became familiar in the aviation community. EASI·Consult® was asked to update the test by creating additional test items allowing for random forms of the tests.

Solution

After reviewing Navy Aviation training material and interviewing subject matter experts, EASI·Consult® delivered test items for the five ASTB tests. Many included visual graphics to measure spatial orientation skills of pilot candidates. We also identified the industry-leading item management system most suited for the Navy's needs.

Outcome

The item sets included 15% more than was requested to ensure customer complete satisfaction. The Navy was extremely happy with us the quality of the test items. After reviewing the quality of the visual graphics provided by EASI·Consult®, the customer contracted with EASI·Consult® to replace all of the remaining similar type questions.

Improving the Way Employees Are Selected for International Assignments

Expatriate and Family Assessment

Situation

A Pharmacy Benefits Management business was growing globally. They knew the importance of staffing new offices in foreign locations with people that knew their business in the United States. They also realized how expensive a mistake it can be to send someone overseas who is not prepared for those challenges.

Solution

EASI·Consult® designed an assessment process for potential expatriates and their family where applicable. In addition to the typical individual assessment process that would be used for an employee. There is also a cultural readiness questionnaire administered to the employee and spouse.

Outcome

The global pharmacy benefits management business has been very satisfied that this process helped uncover information about the employee and their family that they would not have learned through conventional selection processes. The company also feels that knowing what potential issues might arise for a family on an overseas assignment will allow them to better manage those issues.

Raising the Bar for Store Managers

Assessment Centers

Situation

A premier specialty retailer of home furnishings and gourmet cookware in the United States was in a heavy growth period, opening a new store each month. They could not afford to make a wrong decision when it came to selecting management teams for their stores.

Solution

After a thorough review of management responsibilities and direct observation of representative stores across regions, EASI·Consult® and the customer determined that an Assessment Center would fill their needs. EASI·Consult® worked with SMEs to develop a Store Management Competency Model. A full-day Assessment Center was developed around the competency model and validated.

Outcome

The Vice President of Store Operations now has an objective tool to identify the competency level and readiness of candidates for store manager and assistant manager positions.

Aligning Individual and Organizational Performance with Company Values

Leader Competency Modeling

Situation

The firm was a company that provided business process engineering and lean techniques to companies in the public and private sector. Their management team had defined a set of core values and beliefs that they wanted to use to run their consulting business. The organization came to EASI·Consult® to create a 360 tool that could be used to monitor their behavior against these values.

Solution

EASI·Consult® helped the company operationalize their values and beliefs.This allowed for the creation of a 360 tool and a process whereby the management team could gauge their adherence to their values. EASI's work also included follow-on coaching over the next 6-12 months.

Outcome

The organization felt that the management team had a language to talk about their individual and organizational performance. After the yearlong project the company felt their day to day behavior was more reflective of their espoused values and beliefs.

Helping a European Company Navigate U.S. Employment Law

Employment Law / Selection Audit

Situation

A Denmark based cancer diagnostic healthcare organization hired a well-known U.K. consulting firm to develop an Assessment Center (AC) to help them hire better qualified managers for their European facilities. After the AC was completed, the customer decided to expand its use to their U.S. facilities but wanted to ensure it met state and federal employee selection guidelines.

Solution

EASI·Consult® conducted a systematic review of the U.K developed AC materials and the development process, looking for evidence that essential steps for validating the AC were followed. We outlined key areas where additional information and validation steps would be needed to support the AC under U.S. employment standards and coached the U.K. consultant on the most efficient way to bring the AC up to standards.

Outcome

The U.K. consultant followed our recommendations for documenting validation steps already taken and collected additional job analysis information. The customer expanded the use of the AC, as planned, and now has a technical report to support the validation of the AC for use in their U.S. facilities.

Supporting Fair Hiring Practices

Employment Law / Expert Witness

Situation

A major plaintiff's class action law firm, with central offices in Washington DC was retained to lead class action litigation against one of the largest U.S. telecommunication companies for unfair practices in employment testing.

Solution

The attorneys turned to EASI·Consult® to provide social science expertise. Our Litigation Support division acted as Expert Witness on employee selection procedures and conducted scientific literature reviews for the case strategy over a two year period.

Outcome

After two years of case preparation by both parties, a pre-trial settlement was reached.

Creating a Benchmark Human Capital Program

Leader Competency Modeling

Situation

The Energy Research and Development Center (ERDC) is a group of seven Laboratories around the United States that provide scientific solutions to the Army Corps of Engineers. EASI·Consult® was asked to participate on a team led by Information International Inc. (IIA). At the outset of the project ERDC indicated that they wanted to become a benchmark organization with regard to Human Capital.

Solution

Our team of Consultants did an assessment of the current state of Human Capital within the Labs and ERDC. This was followed by an extensive set of recommendations to move from their current state to become a benchmark organization. EASI·Consult® was then asked to complete a role clarification exercise to define and clarify the roles of Branch Chief, Division Chief and Technical Director. EASI·Consult® was also asked to create Competency Models for the positions of Researcher, Senior Manager, Middle Manager and Technical Director.

Outcome

The competency models were then used by ERDC as the basis of all their Human Capital Systems i.e. selection, performance management, development and succession.

Improving Individual Performance Through Coaching and Leadership Development

Coaching and Executive Development

Situation

The Public Building Service (PBS) is part of the General Services Administration and provides office space to the Federal Government. When EASI·Consult® initially became involved with PBS they were going through an organization transformation. They wanted to change how they went to market and the services they provided to their customers. EASI·Consult® worked with PBS to create a process whereby they could assess their existing employees and place them into jobs in the new organization. This assessment and placement process provided a tremendous amount of information about PBS' strengths and development needs.

Solution

The information that came out of the assessment and placement process was used as the basis for over 400 development plans. It was also determined that, along with the creation of development plans, EASI·Consult® would provide on-going Coaching to selected Managers. There was also a need to improve the managerial skills of Supervisors. EASI·Consult® conducted their Leading to Greatness Program that provides participants feedback in the area of job/person fit, management style and the environment or climate those styles create.

Outcome

PBS has an employee population with the skills needed to provide the necessary services to their customers.

Determining Interrogator Competencies that Result in Superior Performance

OD

Situation

The Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI) at the time, now known as the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment (DACA) asked EASI·Consult® to conduct a study that would determine the skills necessary to be a superior criminal interrogator.

Solution

We employed a competency modeling and cognitive analysis approach. In order to fully understand the nuances of skills required of superior interrogators, video tapes of real life criminal interrogations were reviewed. The videotapes were reviewed with the interrogator who initially conducted the interrogation. This allowed us to determine the skills necessary to be a superior interrogator.

Outcome

EASI·Consult® defined a set of superior interrogator competencies. It was determined that some of the competencies would be difficult, if not impossible, to train people to do and should be used as the basis of selecting people. With other competencies, people could be trained much more effectively in an interrogator development program.

Scientific Research in Action

Validation Research

Situation

At the time, the world's largest brewing company had been using a full day Assessment Center (AC) to select and promote candidates for First Line Supervisory positions. This program ran for 10 years. The customer felt it was time to re-evaluate the AC's effectiveness.

Solution

EASI·Consult® was asked to conduct a predictive validation study, evaluate the individual role-plays and improve the competency model on which the AC was built. Job success of supervisors was compared to their overall AC scores and each of the competencies.

Outcome

The customer was provided with research evidence that the AC did predict success on the job. The accuracy of the AC was further enhanced by adding several new competencies to the Supervisor Model and updating content in several of the role plays.

Improving Customer Satisfaction Through a Web-Based Survey

OD / Survey Design

Situation

The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps contracted EASI·Consult® to administer a 44-item on-line web based survey to Corps Officers. The goal was to assess their satisfaction with the internal customer service of the Commissioned Corps.

Solution

Survey invitations were emailed to active-duty commissioned officers around the country and abroad. Responses were received from officers across a wide variety of work categories, locations, tenure, and officer ranks. Officers also responded to one open-ended item asking them how to improve the internal customer service of the Commissioned Corps. Responses to this item were sorted thematically.

Outcome

The survey data was used as the basis for problem solving and action planning.