Siemens

Need:

Siemens is one of the world’s largest electrical engineering and electronics companies. Active in the UK for 163 years, it is Britain’s largest supplier of medical technology and is ranked second for information and communications technology. It currently employs more than 21,000 employees in the UK.

In 2004 Siemens enlisted the help of DDI to take current directors from some of the smaller business units through an assessment process to identify those with the potential to lead larger business units.

Solution:

DDI’s approach was to create tailored, individual assessment centers to test a defined set of leadership capabilities: building and driving business strategies, implementing change, communicating, leading teams, and interacting with suppliers. These competencies formed the foundation of the “day in the life” assessment the senior executives experienced. Each participant played the part of a high-level executive who is on the first day of a new job, under pressure from a number of quarters to make decisions or set action plans in motion. The assessment process covered each of the competencies several times in different ways to ensure the robustness of the data. DDI also conducted personality profiles on the participants. DDI looked at executives’ “enablers”—are they sociable with a hunger to learn? They also looked at their potential “derailers”—are they overly competitive with a tendency to manipulate others?

Result:

Feedback from participants has been positive, and 30 percent of the executives that have gone through DDI’s assessments in the past year have moved to different roles. Siemens now has a clear view of its people’s strengths, is more able to move its people around the business units, and has the ability to grow its own specialist leadership talent.