Challenge
Spencer Stuart had previously conducted the search for the company’s CEO, a leader with strong operational skills and a record of successfully integrating acquisitions in a consolidating industry.
Working through our proprietary consulting process for new CEOs – The First 100 Days – the decision was taken to assess the senior management team he had inherited. Alongside McKinsey on strategy and Accenture on organizational design, our task was to ensure he had the right people in the right positions to implement his vision for the business.
Action
With the CEO and group HR director, we established criteria for assessing leaders in the company, taking into account the new strategy and our prior work on numerous management audit exercises. We also identified key messages around the company’s strategic priorities to be shared with senior management during the assessment sessions.
The initial phase involved assessing 45 senior managers and was undertaken by members of our Consumer Goods & Services Practice in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Our consultants used a combination of biographical interview, career assessment and structured, competency-based interviews, our proprietary Executive Intelligence Evaluation (ExI ®), and 360-degree referencing. Individuals were then benchmarked against best-in-class executives holding similar positions in world-class companies.
Each assessment report focused on the individual’s fit against the new skill-sets and behaviors required to achieve the company’s strategic objectives. All those who were assessed were subsequently debriefed.
Result
Two months after starting the process, we presented our findings and were in a position to advise the CEO and group HR director on the composition of the new top team – complete with an overview of the major areas for development of the company’s senior management team. Individuals capable of filling newly created roles were also identified – including a number not previously considered as candidates for very senior positions.
After successfully completing this assignment, we were asked by our client to assess the next 85 top executives in the business using the same methodology, reporting and feedback structure.
Since these executives included regional GMs and functional specialists in different geographies, a broader team of Spencer Stuart consultants from the US, Canada, Latin America and throughout Europe took part in the second phase of assessments.
This second round was completed in three months. Our subsequent recommendations gave our client greater clarity as to who should be given leading positions of responsibility across the global company.