It Starts with a Blueprint

It's no secret that to build a high performance team you need a variety of people who each bring unique behavioral qualities to the table. To put it in perspective let's compare a company to a building project. You would never embark on building a skyscraper without first meeting with the Architects and Engineers to build the blueprint. The key to designing a blueprint or construction plan that will achieve the end goal is relying on formulas that are proven to work. You would never construct a building without knowing for sure that the support structure of the foundation can support the load above. The design team relies on mathematical formulas and proven systems from past projects to build a validated construction plan or blueprint. It only makes sense. This is the same approach Predictive Success takes when building an organization blueprint with clients.

Now let's compare this to building an organization. When we build an organizational blueprint for a client-company, we start with an analysis of what's already working for them. We take a look at high-performing incumbent employees, and then build a data-driven model for success with these people as our starting point. We do this by analyzing the SELF patterns of these employees Predictive Index™ (PI) graphs. Common trends can be surprisingly easy to spot. By pulling the data from existing successful employees they have a validated blueprint for success. For new positions, or parts of the organization where there isn't enough data to pull from, we use what we call our Performance Requirement Options™ (PRO) survey. PRO works much like an equation for determining the load requirements on a building's support beam; it gives us a formula to determine what the behavioral load requirements are for each position. By getting 3-5 managers familiar with the position to complete the PRO, we can gain a clear understanding of that position's range of behavioral requirements. By combining these two proven formulas (PI & PRO), companies can get a blueprint that ensures success in all areas of their business.

Take a Look at XYZ Transportation's Org Chart: [Download PDF]

Each role at a company requires different behavioral demands. Over time the demands of some positions may even change. The best strategy for success is to build the Org Chart with the understanding that some positions (such as the CSR and Driver positions) may never change, while others (the CEO or CFO) may evolve significantly as the company matures. You can see that the Org chart above is made up of a combination of SELF and PRO patterns, indicating that some job designs were created with the PRO survey while others (the SELF Patterns) have been taken from high performing incumbent employees or validation studies.

Once a company has their blueprint, or Org chart created, they can start comparing the patterns of potential new hires to the demands of each position and/or looking at current employees to assess fit and potential succession planning. For anyone who has completed a Predictive Index™ analyst certification course, it's actually just that easy. Take an applicant's SELF PI pattern and draw it right on top of the blueprint graph and you will know right away where the fits and gaps are; invaluable knowledge when interviewing an applicant for a specific position. Similar to a contractor following a blueprint or construction plan, using this proven formula will let you know ahead of time if the person you are putting in the position can handle the job's behavioral load requirements.