Making Sure a Candidate Is the Real Deal

Many companies are increasingly looking to business simulations, in addition to interviews, to identify and hire the right executive. These tailored, intensive, one- or two-day-long programs place executive candidates in fictitious, yet highly realistic situations designed to mimic the key challenges of a potential position. These simulations go beyond “How would you react?” behavioral questions because the candidates react to actual, unpredicted events with trained consultants who play various characters in the organization. In essence, they are real-time assessments of candidate performance in highly plausible scenarios.

Typically, a few days before a simulation begins, a candidate receives a rich case study on the fictional company and is given a fictitious name and job description of their role to play within the organization, such as head of a geographic region.

After reviewing all of the fictional company information and the issues it faces — Is the company prospering? Undergoing a merger? Facing cutbacks? — the candidate reports to work as if it were an actual daily routine. In reality, the situation is completely new to the candidate, yet in the role-play scenario, he or she has an office and co-workers who greet him or her by name.

The candidate is inundated with typical workplace challenges: disgruntled employees, harried bosses, emails and telephone calls. But unlike a real workplace, the actors playing co-workers are psychologists who observe the candidate’s reactions to the challenges they present. Through the candidate’s interactions and the decisions made, the psychologists determine the candidate’s leadership qualities and where there is room for improvement.

Let’s take a hypothetical example of a candidate interviewing for a general manager opening at a manufacturing company. Her case study included information on the financial performance of her business unit, competitors, key strategies and team members. She also received short briefings for the meetings she would have with her various co-workers — direct reports, peers and boss — all of whom were played by psychologist actors. One of the meetings was with a direct report, designed to test her ability to diagnose and address her region’s slow adoption of a change initiative.