Decision Dynamics Assessment

This assessment is a powerful performance predictor, selection and development tool, as it can distinguish typical leadership behaviours of the 20% top and bottom level performers. The top-performer benchmark can be customised by 5 levels or a client-driven job profile, which makes Decision Dynamics a global market leader.

The Assessment

The Decision Dynamics assessment was created by two organisational psychologists from Princeton and Yale universities and soon taken on by demanding clients such as NASA and Rockwell. This initiated a continuous research and development process of 40 years, which has created an assessment that is one of the most highly validated and performance-oriented tools globally - honoured by the Harvard Business Review (we can send you the article).
One of its strongest suits - besides the highly validated benchmark - is its case study that cannot be manipulated towards preferable outcomes. The assessment is administered online and translated across 20 languages.

We will explore together whether the online process will fulfil your needs, or whether we need to add behavioural interviews to validate the outcomes and provide additional data about your core areas of interest. This is especially relevant for internal selection, M&A situations and executive level development planning.

The Core Concepts

Translated into user-friendly charts

Role Style is the visible leadership style. Operating Style talks more about underlying preferences and drivers.

Standard Measures with Benchmark

Decision Styles: describes four fundamentally different styles of decision making, which lead to different leadership styles, communication patterns and strategic ability. The results can be compared to a selected benchmark profile, which provides insights about the leader's ability successfully to function in a specific role.
Career Concepts and Motives: these factors - which can be compared to a selected benchmark profile - provide insights about a leader's job fit and organisational fit. A great tool not just for selection, but also career coaching.
Emotional Behaviours: this is an emotional intelligence measure considering factors such as Ambiguity Tolerance, Empathy, Energy and Confidence. Candidates can be bench-marked towards target requirements and possible risks are highlighted if they are underused or overused.

Additional Measures

Complexity Motives: measures the extent to which a person appreciates complexity in their work, and what methods they use to manage complexity (for example working through systems, people and influencing repertoire). These insights are especially relevant for leaders in highly complex or dynamic environments.
Leadership Growth Potential: a leader's ability to grow and succeed in higher level roles. Core drivers are Agility - the ability and willingness to learn and perform successfully in a range of new and different jobs and situations; and Leadership Presence - the capacity for and engagement towards taking on and commanding managerial positions (managerial drive, emotional strength, self-awareness).
Competency Library: a list of 89 competencies that can be mapped towards the Decision Dynamic assessment results.

The Report

There are several ways for you to receive the assessment results:

A computer-generated report or profile that focuses on your key areas of interest. Reports also provide information about specific strengths, challenges, and possible development actions.
An integrated report - written by C2C Plus consultants - that highlights core strengths and development areas and includes the data from our behavioural interviews.

A debriefing session ensures that participants understand the links between the data and their leadership performance and can initiate development action planning.

Computer generated report

The text below the charts explains possible risks and benefits of specific style combinations.

The Benchmark

Decision Dynamics can benchmark towards a client specific, customised job profile or towards 5 leadership levels (from supervisor to CEO) - calibrated towards the 20% top performers. These performance connections have been validated over 40 years of research studies, the largest of which featured 180'000 managers at five different levels across five continents and 50 countries. It was published in the Harvard Business Review (2006) and - unusually for HBR articles - reprinted in 2011. Send me the HBR article.

C-Level Benchmark for Role Style

Grey = benchmark, blue = candidate. Fit 39% This candidate does not show enough integrative and flexible styles, but tends to be hands-on and top down.

Performance Impact of Decision Dynamics

Continuous research for 40 years has demonstrated clear leadership 'success profiles' for the top 20% performers.
Success profiles vary per managerial level; Performance at a lower level is a poor predictor of potential success at a higher level. Our benchmarks for the next higher level increase the accuracy of selection and development planning.

Top performers focus more on more on flexible and integrative leadership styles when they move up the hierarchy.

Higher level leaders who do not change heir styles to more integrative, strategic approaches, are poor performers.

Improving Selection Accuracy

Assessment based placements have a better success rate than traditional placements.

Decision Dynamics research shows a promotion rate after placement of 16% in assessment-based placements, but only 2% in traditional placements.
The chart to the right shows the impact of the 'Fit' with the Decision Style benchmark for retention after placement.

Executives with strong style fit are more likely to stay in the company after placement.

order a sample: Benchmark Report