The topic of best practice profiles (BPP) has already been discussed in detail in several previous articles. A BPP serves as a basis for comparison. It allows conclusions to be drawn about the candidate's positioning in terms of individual personality traits and reveals potential areas for development and growth. It shows what makes the best in an industry tick and which characteristics are particularly necessary and conducive to success in a given profession. In short, a best practice profile is a comparison with the best.
This article discusses the steps required to create a best practice profile. Creating a best practice profile consists of five steps: First, the most successful employees in a professional group within the company must be identified. In order to identify these employees, success criteria must be defined. What criteria should be used to select the most successful employees? Which figures are decisive for success? Examples of success criteria are the sales achieved or the return on investment. Next, a best practice group is formed from the most successful employees in the company and the characteristics relevant to success and verifiable are collected. Figure 1.1 shows a table for determining the most successful employees.
Next, each selected employee completes an online aptitude assessment. This is a self-assessment that identifies and highlights the participant's strengths and weaknesses. Some sample questions can be seen in Figure 1.2.
This is followed by the evaluation of the aptitude diagnostics. The results of the aptitude diagnostics show the various characteristics of the most successful employees. By combining and evaluating all profiles of the best practice group, a best practice profile is created. This profile is also known as the ideal profile. It shows which criteria are consistently important or unimportant for the participating employees.
However, the evaluations of each individual employee are also considered and recorded in an individual profile.
In the final step, the values of the individual profile are compared with those of the best practice profile. A deviation analysis is performed. This checks the extent to which the values of both profiles match for the individual characteristics. The key criteria are also checked. Attention is paid to whether the key criteria are the same and how great the difference between the individual profile and the ideal profile is. Figure 1.3 shows an example of a partial evaluation of an aptitude assessment.
By comparing the best practice profile with several other profiles, significant changes in self-assessment relative to the values of the comparison group can be more easily identified.
In a structured interview, deviations can be discussed on the basis of the BPP. In addition, targeted questioning can clarify the causes of the discernible differences.
The next article in this series will focus on quality criteria. What criteria must a good and reputable procedure meet? What else should be taken into account?
After completing his studies in automotive engineering and industrial engineering, he began his professional career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development, and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing for Japan and South America as well as marketing strategy for North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consulting firm in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
His doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics ideally complements his areas of expertise, particularly in relation to human resources and management consulting. His dissertation deals with the identification and verification of typical personality traits of engineers and the definition of areas of development for a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz" (Aptitude Diagnostics in Practical Use).
At the same time, he focuses on establishing networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Over the past 20 years in HR consulting, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully on the market today.
As part of our "mini-series" on international negotiation, inourlastarticlewe discussedtheobjectives of negotiation as well as effective preparation and argumentation. Today, we will look at other key aspects of international negotiation using a case study.
Today, Peter H. is negotiating with representatives of the Australian company Smith Ltd., a competitor in the V-belt sector. Smith Ltd. wants to improve its product quality and is negotiating with Peter H. about a know-how license. Since it is not worthwhile for Peter H.'s company to produce in Australia itself for various reasons, he is also interested in granting a manufacturing license.
Smith Ltd. is seeking an exclusive manufacturing license for Australia. They have to invest heavily in implementing the know-how and therefore want to be protected in Australia. Peter H. is interested in a secure income from license fees. He fears losing money because if Smith Ltd. is unable to implement the know-how as planned, his license income, which is linked to Smith Ltd.'s sales, will remain low. Peter H. intends to grant a non-exclusive license so that he can sell a license to another company if necessary.
Failure seems inevitable. Both parties insist on their positions and the negotiating atmosphere deteriorates. The problem boils down to whether the manufacturing license should be exclusive or non-exclusive. Even if the parties agree on the other issues, the license becomes the core issue. A position-oriented negotiation approach not only leads to disagreement on the matter, but also to a mixing of the factual and relationship levels.
How can this problem be solved? Peter H. must try to negotiate objectively and in a way that focuses on interests. First, the unresolved issue of the "license" should be declared a common problem for both parties. Furthermore, a structure should be developed that shows where interests and common ground lie. Ideally, this structure should have been developed in advance by one of the parties and could look like the following illustration:
A closer analysis of these structures reveals that the interests of both parties overlap at a certain point: Peter H. grants Smith Ltd. an exclusive license on the condition that a certain minimum annual turnover is achieved after a specified start-up period. This ensures a minimum license fee. As long as Smith Ltd. achieves this minimum turnover, which may be staggered over the years, the license may not be granted to third parties in Australia. The exclusivity is therefore linked to a minimum turnover – the license is thus virtually exclusive and Smith Ltd. remains unrivalled in its country.
As a rule, both parties make concessions to each other during the course of the discussions and move closer to each other's positions. It is also important to negotiate each individual concession. A smart negotiating partner will only make a concession if the other party is prepared to make a concession in return. The better you know your own interests and those of the other side, the greater the opportunities for making concessions.
Relevant aspects of international negotiations:
Communication level
Analyze the other side's understanding of language, i.e., how in-depth and detailed their language skills are and how much overlap there is between what you say and what the other side responds with. The more accurate your analysis, the better you can assess whether the statements of both parties are congruent.
Active listening and questioning
Interests must be explored through attentive listening and questioning. The ability to listen is a trump card in the age of internationalization! Those who let their negotiating partners finish speaking, put themselves in their shoes, ask specific questions, and refrain from lecturing have a good chance of obtaining as comprehensive a picture as possible of the other side. Listening and understanding does not necessarily mean agreeing with a specific opinion. It also gives you the opportunity to uncover contradictions based solely on the other party's presentation. Then you can beat them at their own game, i.e., with their own arguments.
Definition of key terms
In many negotiations, it is a good idea to define key business terms together in advance. This reduces misunderstandings from the outset and structures the course of the negotiation.
Interests instead of positions
Positions are often associated with negative commitments and reflect personal attitudes. It is difficult to break away from such a standpoint without at least partially losing face. It is better to explore the interests hidden behind the obvious positions and discuss them.
Interest-based negotiation has a de-escalating effect and shows how to recognize the underlying ideas of both parties and find possible points of intersection.
Once you know the interests, it is easier to respond appropriately and effectively. Those who succeed in summarizing the position of the other party and then explaining their own point of view significantly improve their chances of success.
Expanding the scope of negotiations
Once you have explored both your own interests and those of the other party, new, previously unrecognized possibilities for a solution emerge—the scope of negotiations is thus expanded.
Contract coordinator
It often helps to appoint a contract coordinator on both sides. If this approach has not been common practice for your business partner in the past, you should explain the advantages of a functional working relationship. Taking all intercultural factors into account, emphasize your partner's obligation to cooperate in order to ensure that the necessary preparatory work for the contract negotiations is carried out. Propose the next steps and work out the individual implementation steps or milestones together with your partner: Who? When? With whom? How? Also determine who is responsible for meeting the milestones. This will ensure that the euphoria after a jointly achieved negotiation result does not fizzle out, but that the next steps proceed efficiently, quickly, and purposefully with the help of a contract coordinator.
Delayed or non-existent responses, overly complicated application procedures, or excessive requirements from HR departments—errors in internal processes often make it difficult to fill vacancies quickly. The problems are well known, but are rarely actively addressed.
Given the shortage of skilled workers, which is already reaching considerable proportions in some occupational groups, one would assume that companies would pull out all the stops to fill critical positions as quickly as possible. But in many cases, the word "actually" is also the key term that describes the failure of these efforts. "We should coordinate much more closely with the specialist department," "The candidate should receive our contract offer as soon as possible," "We should build up a pool of applicants." Every experienced HR manager knows how important internal processes are for successful recruiting, but in practice, these internal processes are not handled as they should be.
Lack of feedback is the biggest criticism
According to a reader survey conducted by the job and application portal Karrierebibel.de*, applicants are particularly annoyed when they receive no response or only a very late response to their application or interview. Almost 23 percent of participants stated that they never heard back from the company after applying. 13.5 percent of those surveyed did not receive any feedback after the interview.
Other points of criticism include a lack of transparency regarding why the application was unsuccessful (18 percent) and the fact that the position in question is advertised again after the rejection (just under 10 percent). All of this shows a lack of appreciation for the applicants and ultimately damages both the image and the recruiting efforts of the company seeking to fill the position.
Threat to new hires
A recent study by recruitment agency Robert Half** also confirms that recruitment processes take too long, resulting in the loss of applicants. The reasons for this lie partly in the overly extensive processes, but also in the increased demands of applicants. More than half of the CFOs surveyed in the study (55 percent) agree that applicants have become more impatient. This is because most candidates have several options available to them through multiple applications and therefore have a choice.
"The consequence: lengthy application processes jeopardize the quality of new hires," the study states. In plain language, this means that if companies waiting to make a decision wait too long, the good candidates will have jumped ship in the meantime and, in the worst case, the search will have to start all over again.
After completing his studies in automotive engineering and industrial engineering, he began his professional career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development, and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing for Japan and South America as well as marketing strategy for North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consulting firm in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
His doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics ideally complements his areas of expertise, particularly in relation to human resources and management consulting. His dissertation deals with the identification and verification of typical personality traits of engineers and the definition of areas of development for a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz" (Aptitude Diagnostics in Practical Use).
At the same time, he focuses on establishing networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Over the past 20 years in HR consulting, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully on the market today.
Companies that need support in crisis management or need to fill a vacant management position on a temporary basis often resort to so-called interim mandates. One area of application is project work, when the capacities or project management expertise of the respective company are insufficient. Other possible applications include, for example, special topics for which a company does not need to have one or more experts on its permanent staff.
But how willing are specialists and managers to accept such interim positions? The HR experts at HR Consult Group asked this question in a survey of over 10,000 candidates. The aim of the study is to gain a better understanding of the wishes and needs of candidates in order to tailor the services offered by recruitment consultancies as precisely as possible.
Back to the initial question: Do candidates even want to accept temporary leadership positions?
Yes, they do!
When asked about interim mandates, the vast majority of participants (60 percent) indicated their willingness to take on such positions. Of these, slightly less than one-fifth of respondents (18 percent) stated that they are fundamentally willing to fill an interim position. In doing so, they consciously accept the short-term nature and specific challenges that such jobs entail. At 42 percent, the majority of participants would accept project-based interim positions, thereby establishing a clearly defined (thematic) framework for the role from the outset. However, 40 percent of candidates would not want to take on such a position.
Interim positions often involve rather difficult and sometimes unpleasant tasks, such as restructuring or even closing and liquidating a company. It is therefore not surprising that many of the candidates surveyed are not interested in such a position. However, particularly ambitious job seekers may find fulfillment in these often tricky problems. Once the case is solved, the next challenge in the form of another interim position awaits the candidate.
After completing his studies in automotive engineering and industrial engineering, he began his professional career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development, and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing for Japan and South America as well as marketing strategy for North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consulting firm in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
His doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics ideally complements his areas of expertise, particularly in relation to human resources and management consulting. His dissertation deals with the identification and verification of typical personality traits of engineers and the definition of areas of development for a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz" (Aptitude Diagnostics in Practical Use).
At the same time, he focuses on establishing networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Over the past 20 years in HR consulting, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully on the market today.
It is not only technical knowledge, such as qualifications, professional experience, and industry expertise, that is crucial for successfully performing a job. Above all, soft skills, professional interest, motives, values, and social behavior must be taken into account.
The thesis was put forward that successful members of a professional group are almost identical in terms of their personality traits and soft skills. Each standard or best practice profile forms its own specific image that is typical for the respective professional group.
The following phenomenon was observed when defining personality traits for typical area managers:
A well-known car manufacturer had staffing needs in its sales department. This raised the question of how to fill the vacant positions.
Contrary to the usual procedure for personality tests, which involves comparing new candidates with a demographic group or focusing on specific characteristics desired by supervisors, a reference profile of people in the same profession was created here. This allows for a comparison that yields far more meaningful conclusions.
For further optimization, a best practice profile has been created so that it is not only possible to determine whether a candidate has the characteristics required for the position, but also whether they are highly likely to be successful in the role.
To verify this revolutionary approach, HR Consult Group AG tested the top 10 percent of 1,400 salespeople from the same premium car manufacturer and created a best practice profile (BPP). Surprisingly, this BPP was also very clear. The characteristics of the key competencies and thus the profiles of the best salespeople are identical, regardless of age, region, ethnic origin, or nationality.
To obtain further evidence of the accuracy and success of this approach, the most successful salespeople at another premium car manufacturer were surveyed. The corresponding BPP shows that even the best salespeople at this manufacturer were almost identical.
An example of an almost identical match in terms of key criteria can be seen in the following figure:
Therefore, there is a conviction—and evidence has been provided to support this—that successful members of a professional group exhibit personality traits that are highly consistent in terms of key competencies. These traits are further crystallized in the best practice profiles. They represent the personality traits that are actually decisive for professional success.
The differences between candidate profiles and standard profiles can be used to identify and implement personnel development requirements in the form of training or further education.
The key finding is that successful members of a professional group are almost identical in terms of their personality traits and soft skills. Each standard or best practice profile forms its own specific image that is typical for the respective professional group.
The next article in this series will describe how to create a best practice profile.
After completing his studies in automotive engineering and industrial engineering, he began his professional career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development, and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing for Japan and South America as well as marketing strategy for North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consulting firm in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
His doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics ideally complements his areas of expertise, particularly in relation to human resources and management consulting. His dissertation deals with the identification and verification of typical personality traits of engineers and the definition of areas of development for a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz" (Aptitude Diagnostics in Practical Use).
At the same time, he focuses on establishing networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Over the past 20 years in HR consulting, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully on the market today.
As part of our series on internationally relevant topics by our author Sergey Frank, we are dedicating a three-part article to the extremely important question of how to conduct successful negotiations on the international stage.
Negotiations play an important role in every business, including at the international level, of course, and rarely proceed in a uniform manner. Complex situations often arise internationally, for example due to differences in the language skills of the negotiating parties or diverging cultural and value systems. Discussions usually take place in English or in third languages, often with the assistance of interpreters, as described above. In addition, there are differing priorities and time expectations.
These aspects are complex and harbor considerable risks that can result in misunderstandings, wasted time, and frustration. To prevent this and at the same time improve communication and understanding between the negotiating partners, certain rules of the game must be observed.
These rules include a clear four-step negotiation process: opening and setting the key milestones (part 1), communicating and exploring the interests of the other side (part 2), the actual negotiation (part 3), and agreement and, ideally, conclusion of the contract (part 4). The result of a negotiation may initially only be a partial agreement, before further issues are negotiated in another round. And the process of understanding, listening, and negotiating may also be repeated several times. Especially in people-oriented cultures such as those in the Middle East, Asia, or Russia, negotiations can drag on for a long time.
In many countries, the personal level is perhaps even more important than the factual level. To avoid serious conflicts, it is therefore important to separate the two levels. Often, the partner is not seen as a representative of a company, but as a person. Discontent about an unpleasant situation can lead to this anger being taken out on the other person. To avoid this, it is better to clearly separate relationship elements such as understanding, respect, affection, fear, and anger on the one hand, and factual elements such as prices, specifications, competitive advantages, payment, and delivery terms on the other. You can always negotiate your interests consistently, but at the same time treat your partner politely.
The goal
Personal appreciation and integrity are essential components of any business relationship, whether national or international. In this context, it is impossible to provide a magic formula for successful negotiation at the international level. Furthermore, it is not the intention to teach rhetorical tricks that could potentially "trick" or "cheat" the other party. The following section deals with conscious negotiation, i.e., how to act in a factual, rational, and structured manner. It is in the negotiator's primary interest to
negotiate effectively and professionally
avoid ineffective conflicts
to achieve appropriate results as quickly as possible
Achieving commitment even in an intercultural context.
After thorough preparation, including a clear definition of what you want to achieve, the actual negotiations can begin. Negotiations generally follow the pattern shown in the diagram below, whereby the process of understanding, listening, and negotiating can be repeated several times. The final contract is often reached in the form of partial agreements.
The above illustration clearly shows the overall constellation and also the dynamics of contract negotiations. In principle, these are based on good preparation for negotiations, the achievement of partial agreements, and then the continuation of negotiations. Ultimately, a comprehensive contract is concluded (or not).
It is useful to consider the following points regarding the individual steps:
Preparation
Before the actual negotiations begin, you should try to get to know your partner. The more you know about them, both professionally and personally, the better. It is therefore very important to create a positive atmosphere at the beginning of a negotiation.
Politeness and hospitality are a given in this context. In addition, it is important to show interest in your partner as a person, communicate openly, make friendly eye contact, and, last but not least, use humor. National customs also play a very important role in international negotiations.
It is generally advisable to allow sufficient time for negotiations. Time pressure often leads to negative outcomes. Lack of time is often used as a means of exerting pressure, especially in international negotiations.
If you determine the specific topic for a negotiation in advance, you can assume that the negotiation will proceed as planned and not get out of hand. One way to do this is to divide the topic into main topics, secondary topics, main arguments, and secondary arguments. This structures what may initially appear to be a complex issue and makes it understandable, both for yourself and for your partner. The following points should be noted:
Agenda – structure the topic of negotiation
Definition of key terms, because it is often important to define terms precisely, ideally in collaboration with the other party.
Developing a negotiation strategy and preparing for your own goals, but also reflecting on the priorities of the other side
Flexibility – searching for options and reconsidering possible concessions
A step-by-step approach – from smaller to larger issues as negotiations progress
In addition to personal aspects, the procedural approach is also relevant, and a clear structure for the discussion is essential. With regard to the argumentation, care should be taken not to start the negotiation too coldly and soberly. This form of negotiation with high initial positions and negative statements such as "this far and no further" is considered too demanding in many countries. You also risk losing face if you give in to your expectations during the course of the discussions.
It is therefore important not to establish positions that are too high from the outset, but rather appropriate ones. Factors such as saving face and interest in the culture and personality of the other party are generally of great importance. Therefore, negotiate less about positions and more about upstream interests. Those who succeed in summarizing the other party's position and then explaining their own point of view significantly improve their chances of success.
Clear and consistent arguments should be well prepared. This preparation usually takes some time. It is advisable to check the consistency of your own point of view and any changes to it. At the same time, as many options as possible for the negotiation goal and strategy should be developed in advance.
It is equally important to consider the other party's objections, insofar as they are foreseeable, in order to be able to respond quickly and appropriately.
In reality, such preparation is often lacking, especially due to time constraints. The parties usually go into negotiations ill-prepared and with a solution that they believe to be correct and therefore infallible; conflicts are then inevitable.
Please remember: there are few other areas where so much can be gained or lost so quickly as in international negotiations. In the next part, we will focus on the right structure and show how helpful a change of perspective can be in this regard.
