Allan Church, Ph.D.

I’m not talking about having a list of names to consider for the next leadership position when it
opens. Everyone has one of those... A recent integration of psychological and management theory and practice-based research has identified the components of an new universal model of potential called the Leadership Potential BluePrint. The BluePrint has been adopted by organizations including PepsiCo, Eli Lilly and Citigroup as part of their assessment and development efforts.

What is the true definition of “high potential”? How do we identify high-potential talent? Can
leadership potential be developed in someone, or is it something that is inherent and predetermined
in an individual? Ask anyone working in talent management or human resources
and they will tell you that these questions reflect some of the most intense and ongoing
debates in organizations today. Nonetheless, identifying potential is key aspect of an effective
talent management system...

OD is alive and well today. However, it is critical to take the pulse of practitioners in the field periodically in order to understand how things have changed or stayed the same over time with respect to our values, attitudes and interventions of choice. Recently, we undertook such a survey research study as a follow-up to one that had been conducted in the early 1990s (Church, Burke, & Van Eynde, 1994). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the key highlights of that research. Findings… Show more

OD is alive and well today. However, it is critical to take the pulse of practitioners in the field periodically in order to understand how things have changed or stayed the same over time with respect to our values, attitudes and interventions of choice. Recently, we undertook such a survey research study as a follow-up to one that had been conducted in the early 1990s (Church, Burke, & Van Eynde, 1994). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the key highlights of that research. Findings are based on over 400 responses to our survey. Show less

The purpose of this paper is to describe the ways in which,vwhen appropriately implemented, 360 feedback has the ability to provide newvdata-based insights that will enhance the overall quality and effectiveness of the performance management (PM) process in an organization.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences between an Organization Development and Talent Management mindset and the applicability of requiring different sets of interventions based on employee attitudes and key drivers of engagement. While an OD approach would suggest providing developmental experiences and programs for all employees, the TM model is much more focused on identifying and developing the few individuals with the highest potential to move into future leadership roles.… Show more

The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences between an Organization Development and Talent Management mindset and the applicability of requiring different sets of interventions based on employee attitudes and key drivers of engagement. While an OD approach would suggest providing developmental experiences and programs for all employees, the TM model is much more focused on identifying and developing the few individuals with the highest potential to move into future leadership roles. Is one more appropriate than the other? Can they co-exist as frameworks? The answer to both questions is yes. Both broad based development and targeted development are needed in organizations today to drive employee engagement. The data from the present study confirm that argument. Implications for internal HR functions are discussed.

Show less

Although high-potential and executive assessment has been a popular topic in practice for decades, the primary emphasis in the literature has been on the development and use of specific tools and interventions. As a result, when organizations seek guidance on the practice of assessment in corporations, Industrial-Organizational psychology (I-O) practitioners and consulting psychologists have limited information available with which to compare. This article attempts to close the gap in the… Show more

Although high-potential and executive assessment has been a popular topic in practice for decades, the primary emphasis in the literature has been on the development and use of specific tools and interventions. As a result, when organizations seek guidance on the practice of assessment in corporations, Industrial-Organizational psychology (I-O) practitioners and consulting psychologists have limited information available with which to compare. This article attempts to close the gap in the literature by presenting the results of a benchmark survey. The survey was designed to provide insights and visibility to talent assessment efforts in large organizations with strong talent management and leadership development functions. Specifically, the results focus on the use of formal assessments with high-potentials and senior executives, including the purpose of the assessments, the application of various methodologies, a discussion of scope and ownership models, and the type of resources used to support such efforts. The article concludes with summary observations and implications for internal and external I-O, talent management and consulting practice. Show less

The extent that we can learn to capture, understand, and take effective action from the insights generated to improve employee engagement, effectiveness, person-organization fit, and drive culture change is what we define here as Big Data-Driven OD. The purpose of this paper is to introduce OD practitioners to concepts inherent in the Big Data movement in industry, and present a framework for integrating these concepts more directly with traditional data-driven OD approaches for change. The… Show more

The extent that we can learn to capture, understand, and take effective action from the insights generated to improve employee engagement, effectiveness, person-organization fit, and drive culture change is what we define here as Big Data-Driven OD. The purpose of this paper is to introduce OD practitioners to concepts inherent in the Big Data movement in industry, and present a framework for integrating these concepts more directly with traditional data-driven OD approaches for change. The degree of philosophical overlap between Big Data and OD is then discussed and a framework for integrating Big Data and OD is introduced. The paper concludes with some applications of Big Data to specific types of OD domains, as well as potential challenges for the future. Show less

Organizations today are increasingly focused on talent as a strategic asset and a competitive advantage for achieving business success. As a result, most major organizations have recognized the need for and outlined a formal process to identify and assess high-potential talent. There is, however, little agreement within or between organizations on the definition and components of the concept of potential. The existing definitions and models of potential are often narrowly focused on only a few… Show more

Organizations today are increasingly focused on talent as a strategic asset and a competitive advantage for achieving business success. As a result, most major organizations have recognized the need for and outlined a formal process to identify and assess high-potential talent. There is, however, little agreement within or between organizations on the definition and components of the concept of potential. The existing definitions and models of potential are often narrowly focused on only a few select factors and give little attention to the broad spectrum of potential talent in an organization. This article introduces a new integrated model of potential that incorporates previous literature and current assessment practice regarding high potentials, provides a coherent structure of potential, and is reflective of a variety of different talent pools. The model provides a useful method for answering the key question—Potential for what? Three key components of potential are described by the model: (a) foundational dimensions, (b) growth dimensions, and (c) career dimensions. Implications for assisting organizations in more effectively managing their high potential talent for strategic business objectives are discussed. Show less

"Waclawski and Church have edited a valuable (re)introduction to the field of organizational development. The book is primarily intended for the vast majority of us who are either ill-informed about the field as it is practiced today and/or skeptical about the value of the change interventions encompassed by the term organizational development (OD). An important goal of the editors in compiling this collection of essays was to demonstrate the importance and power of the theory and practice of… Show more

"Waclawski and Church have edited a valuable (re)introduction to the field of organizational development. The book is primarily intended for the vast majority of us who are either ill-informed about the field as it is practiced today and/or skeptical about the value of the change interventions encompassed by the term organizational development (OD). An important goal of the editors in compiling this collection of essays was to demonstrate the importance and power of the theory and practice of OD as a data-driven tool for organization improvement and change." - Seymour Adler, Ph.D. (Review in Personnel Psychology). Show less