29 Jan A Strategic Tool for Human Resource Development
Sparebanken Hedmark, a Norwegian Savings Bank, has been a client of PI® Europe since 1982. For the past 25 years, the bank’s economic results have been among the very best, including a high and stable level of customer satisfaction as well as a 3% turnover rate.
Sparebanken Hedmark has been a client of PI® Europe, a PI® member firm, since 1982. At the time, behavioral assessment tools were not commonly used by the Norwegian financial and banking industry. Sparebanken Hedmark began using The PI® Behavioral Assessment, along with The PI® Job Assessment, which profiles the behavioral requirements of the job, to assure quality in the recruitment and selection of its employees. Soon after deploying the tool, the bank’s HR Director, Eldar Kjendlie was amazed by how easy PI® was to use and the depth of interesting and useful information it could provide his team. “By using PI® in combination with The PI® Job Assessment in the early stage of the recruiting process, we can obtain a much better background than we could before, as well as assure the quality of job description, job advertising, and total recruitment,” explains HR Director, Eldar Kjendlie.
Organizational Development
Based on the bank’s knowledge and experience in using the tool, PI® has become a central element in the bank’s human resource function, which includes organizational development. In addition, PI® is used at both a strategic and operational level, in areas such as personnel planning, recruitment, performance assessment, conflict resolution, team building and coaching.
Performance Assessment
PI® is used in preparing performance assessment interviews as an integrated element in organizational development, describing basic personal qualifications related to the dynamic changes in job demands. “Our use of PI® has made it easier to develop more motivating and productive job positions for our employees,” explains Eldar.
Conflict Resolution
PI® is also very useful in team building, coaching and conflict resolution. “PI® has proven to be very important in creating confidence, understanding, and frankness among colleagues. PI® helps to develop more productive and collaborative teams within our bank,” Eldar adds.
PI® as a Development Tool
There are two main factors that make the PI® a development tool fitting the bank’s general view of its human resources development strategy:
- PI® is used as an index to provide insight into a person’s natural, motivating, work behaviors.
- As a dynamic tool, PI® gives a description of the person’s current behavior and uncovers strategies and opportunities to strengthen behavior/job fit.
These factors help the bank’s managers in coaching both individually and dynamically.
PI® Analysts
Today there are about 80 authorized PI®-analysts in the bank and its subsidiaries. The HR- department has the main responsibility regarding the general use of PI®, but the majority of the analysts are managers at the bank’s ten profit centers and its two subsidiaries. During the recent 15 years, the bank has frequently been using the PRO (which is the job describing tool in the PI®-system) in personal planning and recruitments.
Today there are about 80 authorized PI®-analysts within the bank and its subsidiaries. Although the HR staff maintains responsibility for the general use of PI® throughout the bank, the majority of the analysts are managers at the bank’s ten profit centers and two subsidiaries.
Outstanding Economic Results
For the past twenty-five years, Sparebanken Hedmark has obtained outstanding business results.
Measured in a national scale, the bank’s economic results during these years has been among the very best. During this same period, the bank has also been on a high and stable level of both customer and employee satisfaction, and the bank’s turnover rate has been low (on average about 3 % over the last 5 years).
“The Predictive Index® has been a valuable tool for developing and maintaining the bank’s human resource and management functions during this successful period for our bank, – and it still is!” explains Eldar.