The Science Of Talent

In an operating environment of constant rapid change, the ability to adapt is no longer a competitive edge—it’s a necessity. To keep pace, today’s CEOs must carefully curate agile teams able to respond to shifts in workforce expectations, geopolitical turmoil and digital disruptors.

“Creating and sustaining a thriving workforce has always been important, but recent shocks to the system—economic, geopolitical and technological—have made it even more critical,” says Russ Becker, CEO of the talent management solutions provider Talogy. “Companies are navigating a high degree of ambiguity, and the accelerating rate of change means they need to be more adaptable than ever.”

Instilling that level of adaptability in an organization starts with its people. Identifying the characteristics and capabilities proven to drive individual performance in a dynamic market can inform and improve talent decisions, explains Becker, whose company has been using rigorous, evidence-based talent assessments to help organizations select, develop and engage talent for more than 75 years.

Predicting Performance

The process starts with developing a tailored assessment that correlates high-performance outcomes against behavioral traits and capabilities. “What predicts success at one company can be very different than what predicts success at another,” says Becker. “So, one of the first things we do is understand who the highest performers are in the organization today. We want to dig into what separates the people delivering exceptional results from the average or underperforming employees. What do they do differently? What traits or behaviors drive that success?”

Assessments can include tests or interviews that assess personality traits, such as creativity, emotional intelligence, innovative thinking and judgment, as well as simulating real-life business scenarios to observe how individuals make decisions, respond to pressure and demonstrate leadership. Developed in collaboration with leading psychologists, data scientists, software developers and HR consultants, these experiences can be conducted in person or virtually, depending on the organization’s needs.

The goal is to derive a holistic view of what drives success in a specific environment and workplace. “We look at the full range of attributes and put all of that together to explain the full puzzle of what predicts performance within the company,” says Becker. “We’re able to draw on Talogy’s research on enduring predictors of success over many decades and also incorporate the capabilities and competencies that have risen to the top in a specific environment to identify what’s most important right now for an organization.”

Once the assessments are complete, Talogy provides results that are both actionable and relevant. “There are typically two key use cases,” Becker explains. “The first is selection—using the data to identify potential hires who are likely to succeed in a given role or environment—because there’s no decision that’s more important than who you hire, who you bring into the organization to go execute against what you’re doing. The second is development— understanding the strengths and capabilities of your current team members and how to support their growth.”

Data-Driven Decisions

To inform hiring decisions, Talogy provides detailed reports that analyze a candidate’s strengths and fit for both the role and the organization and, in some cases, suggest interview questions that explore potential gaps or strengths more deeply. Talogy’s consultants also parse findings to help craft an effective talent management strategy, adds Becker, who notes that assessments can also guide post-hire development. “A big mistake we see companies make is spending significant time and energy evaluating and learning about job candidates, only to leave all that insight on the shelf post-hire,” he says. “The best-performing organizations use that information to jump-start onboarding, accelerate time to productivity and tailor development from day one.”

Tools like manager guides and individual development reports provide coaching tips, performance strategies and growth recommendations tailored to the assessment results and the team or project environment. Organizations can also use assessment data to understand broader capability trends across teams, departments or hiring cohorts.

A professional services firm, for example, worked with Talogy to analyze the career paths of its partners for common competencies and experiences. The results not only informed its recruiting strategy, it also increased the yield rate of hires who ultimately made that jump in the career progression ladder.

This integrated, insight-driven approach ensures that every talent decision—from recruitment to retention—is rooted in science and tailored to both business goals and the evolving needs of individual employees. “It’s the ability to refine throughout that career life cycle of the employee that can be so valuable to companies over the long term,” says Becker. “There’s a lot of talk today about building skill-powered or talent-powered organizations. But many companies lack the data to actually do it. We help them connect the dots—at both the individual and organizational level—to realize that value.”