Potentia - a tool for assessing "how far an individual can go"
Potentia, used at its simplest level, is a tool to help select those who will have the intellectual ability, and relevant personal traits, to allow them to reach senior roles in an organisation. It is an ideal and unique tool for assessing “how far they will go”. Based on the research of Elliott Jaques, the process was originally designed in Shell, and has been used in a large number of international organisations since its commercialisation.
We've used Potentia
for graduate recruitment,
where the development scheme is specifically designed to provide a pool for senior managers for the future;
at the most senior level,
where two organisations merged, and difficult decisions had to be made regarding the make-up of the new management team;
in the development of a sales team
- all the sales people were good at selling, but which of them had the intellectual capacity to take the more senior roles, of managing and directing the sales force?
Potentia was the key that unlocked all these issues.
A great deal of research has been undertaken and there exists significant statistical evidence for its predictive ability.
People in senior positions tend to
- solve (business) problems that span long time scales, with great complexity and uncertainty (Problem analysis)
- be able to provide a range of possible solutions to these problems (Creative Thinking)
- make rational judgements about which solution is most likely to provide the best result (Judgement)
- strive to solve the problems they encounter (Drive)
- push hard for the required solution, despite setbacks (Resilience)
- think of all the personal aspects of the problem, for all the individuals who are involved (Empathy)
These are the Potentia “ladders”:
Intellectual ladder - Problem Analysis, Creative Thinking, Judgement
Temperament ladder - Drive, Resilience, Empathy.
Assessment
The Intellectual ladder was undertaken via a non-technical case study. The candidate was asked a set series of questions which demand them to think of the case study in an ever more complex and uncertain environment. There are a possible 6 levels of questioning, and a candidate may be assessed as having a profile like: Problem analysis, IV; Creative Thinking, IV; Judgement, III. This gave insight into the type of roles they might be good at, and the level in the organisation that they might reach. (Previous work having determined the ideal profile for the role - called Role Profiling.)
The Temperament ladder was scored through interactive role-plays. The candidate played a part, and the assessor played a series of roles within the same scenario. The candidate was taken through a series of role-plays, with increasing difficulty and demand. The difficulty and complexity came through having to manage the growing and developing problem in a more and more complex environment. At the top levels, the candidate may have to consider the political situation, possible police involvement, the role of the press etc.
The candidate's profile was again compared with that developed for the role by Role Profiling.