The Dynamic Duo of Assessment and Development: Building a Strategic Integrated Framework

The Dynamic Duo of
Assessment and Development
Building a Strategic Integrated Framework
©Development Dimensions International, Inc., 2017. All rights reserved.1

©Development Dimensions International, Inc., 2017. All rights reserved.
Building an integrated
development architecture?
We know.
It sounds massive.
And it is.
But we can help.
2

Use this guidebook as your
“how to” manual to make
your integrated assessment
and development dream
come to life.

For greater success in fully
realizing leadership development
and growth in your organization,
you must address all components
of the framework.

DDI’s Integrated Assessment and Development
Architecture
TALENT GROWTH:
Strategic Alignment and Governance
Assessment
Strategy
Individual
Development Strategy
Audiences:
• Audiences
• High-Potentials
• Mid-Level
Leaders
• Special Groupings (i.e. GMs)
• First-Level Leaders
• Senior Professionals
Cohort
Development Strategy

We often want to jump to the
core solution when beginning
a development initiative,
but strategic considerations
about how the overall process
is aligned and governed
are an important first step.

An initiative is more successful
when the organization’s
environment and business
strategy are examined first.

It’s critical to understand:
• The problem to be solved.
• Who the stakeholders are.
• What success will look like.
• How solutions will be kept alive
on an ongoing basis.

Too often, when governance,
accountability, and
sustainability are not
considered, initiatives fail.

Four Recommendations for Strategic Alignment
and Governance
Start with the business context
and identify the critical few
business drivers that are essential
for organizational success.
1.

and Governance
Business drivers have direct implications
for the skills required for executives and
leaders to achieve desired outcomes.
WHY?

and Governance
Define the growth initiative’s purpose.2.

and Governance
This will help you lay the foundation for
creating a sound business case and identifying
initial approaches for integrated assessment
and development activities.
WHY?

and Governance
3. Define accountabilities for both
participants and senior sponsors.

and Governance
TIP: Identify the stakeholders
and establish a steering team to
ensure ongoing guidance,
commitment, and engagement.

and Governance
Define the resources available to
participants as they advance in their
development journey.
4.

and Governance
Questions to consider:
• Will there be a curriculum? If so, what kind?
• Will there be a need for rotational or
developmental assignments for key participants?
• Will internal mentors be assigned? If so, who?

Let’s RECAP!
18

and Governance
1. Start with the business context and identify the
critical few business drivers that are essential for
organizational success.
2. Define the growth initiative’s purpose.
3. Define accountabilities for both participants and
senior sponsors.
4. Define the resources available to participants as they
advance in their development journey.

Next up!
Time to create the
assessment strategy.
20

Two questions to consider when thinking
about the integration of assessment and
development are:
• What is the purpose of the assessment?
• How will the data be used?

The answer should lie in how
the data will be used, but
also in the degree of the
development effort’s rigor.

The next step is to create
alignment between business
needs and the capabilities to
be assessed.

Don’t just accept
the existing
competency model!

Challenge the process by
investigating the criteria that will
be needed for future success and
ensuring that this is part of the
assessment design.

STOP!
If you haven’t ensured strategic alignment,
there is no need to go any further.
26

TIP: Start by using business
drivers to align the business
and assessment criteria.

Four Considerations for Assessment
When crafting the
assessment strategy,
there are four critical
items to consider.

Who is to be assessed?
The methods used for senior leaders will need
to be different from those used to assess first-
level leaders. This detail leads us to our next
two considerations.
1.

How deep does the assessment
need to be?
2.

What is the scale of the rollout?3.

What is your communication strategy?4.

TIP:
Participants will need to know:
• What is being assessed.
• Why the assessment is taking place.
• How the data will be used in their
development journey.

Stakeholders will need to know:
• How they will get feedback on assessment data.
• How they will leverage that data as talent analytics.
• What the process will be for participants flowing
through assessment phases.
• What handoffs will be needed between different
players supporting the learners’ development
efforts.
TIP:

Shall we RECAP?
35

1. Who is to be assessed?
2. How deep does the assessment need
to be?
3. What is the scale of the rollout?
4. What is your communication
strategy?

Assessment can actually
catapult leaders into
development.

When your leader population is
accurately assessed, the resulting
data make it clear where the
leadership skill gaps exist.

When assessment data are used as
the starting point for development,
skill gaps—and therefore gaps in
the organization’s leadership—are
addressed.

When leaders participate in
development that is connected to
specific learning and development
needs, they are more likely to buy
into, and personally engage in,
development.

So…
We’ve considered strategic
alignment and governance.
We’ve thought about our
assessment strategy.
You have one guess as to
what comes next…

Time to think about
our overarching
development
strategy!

We’ve found that both
individualized and group
development efforts are
crucial to helping leaders
grow their capabilities.

It’s helpful to distinguish
between these two
(hopefully integrated)
pathways.

What is Individualized Development?
It includes in-depth, personalized development
based on the participant’s assessment findings.

What is Individualized Development?
The personalized planning process includes
documenting the specific learning goals,
actions, learning methods, applications,
timelines, measures, and support to create a
plan for each participant’s unique needs and
learning goals.

What is Cadre or Group Development?
This approach is best thought of in terms of
common curricula and other group-based
learning methods, such as action learning
teams and peer learning groups.

Now that we understand
the difference between
individualized and
group development,
lets talk strategy.

Individualized Development Strategy
Strategy is needed to ensure leaders have a
clear execution plan for their development
and the right environment in place to support
achieving those plans.

When crafting the individualized development
strategy, there are four critical items to consider.
Four Considerations for Individualized Development

Facilitate a clear understanding of
what an individual development
plan must look like.
1.

Determine the range of
resources that will be available
to the learners.
2.

Establish an ongoing process for
reviewing, checking progress, and
completing the plan.
3.

Hold participants and
stakeholders accountable.
4.

Accountability is the most important
element in the process. Often, plans
don’t get executed and development
doesn’t take place due to shifting focus.

RECAP?
57

1. Facilitate a clear understanding of what an
individual development plan must look like.
2. Determine the range of resources that will
be available to the learners.
3. Establish an ongoing process for reviewing,
checking progress, and completing the plan.
4. Hold participants and stakeholders
accountable.

Cadre Development Strategy
Group development initiatives often target:
• High-potential leaders.
• Transitioning leaders.
• Leaders within a particular level or business
unit for in-role development.

The most common approach to group
development is to offer a curriculum or a
broader learning journey consisting of:
• Courses.
• Action learning.
• Group-level experiences intended to foster
learning partnerships and networks.

There are many factors to consider
when formulating a strategy and
design for developing cadres of
leaders or executives.

The strategy needs to include factors such as:
• Alignment with business strategy.
• Alignment between assessment and individual
development.
• Senior leaders advocacy.
• Learner communication and engagement.
• Application sustainability.
• Measuring return on investment.

Questions to think through:
• Is the curriculum connected to organizational strategy
and business drivers?
• What does the assessment data tell us about critical
capability gaps?
• What are the unique needs of your learner audience?
• What kinds of learning programs “work” in your
organizational culture?

To get your program off the ground, you must
consider:
• Communication
• Engagement
• Alignment to audience and culture
• Ensuring sustainability

Questions to ensure sustainability:
• What will be participants’ required follow-up steps?
• Who will be accountable for what outcomes?
• How will you measure success and impact?

You guessed it.
RECAP!
67

To realize leadership development
and growth in your organization,
you must address all components
of the framework.
• Strategic Alignment and Governance
• Assessment Strategy
• Individualized Development Strategy
• Group Development Strategy

Want more detail?
Read our white paper.
Learn more about DDI’s solutions.
Visit our website.
Contact us to start building your integrated framework today.
info@ddiworld.com
+1 (800) 933-4463

The Dynamic Duo of Assessment and Development: Building a Strategic Integrated Framework

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