Talent Review | Trends + Insights
Status Quo: Why the 9-Box has outlived its time
Potential Concerns | The risks with potential are real.
Harmful Labels | The 9-box puts people in a proverbial box/label.
Blindspots’ Blindspot | It ignores the derailers some have and muddles the message especially when high performers have big blindspots.
Better Practices* in Talent Reviews
*“Best practices” we see in companies are sometimes just common practices. Better practices are rooted in research, stories (from the people), and practical application (e.g. lightweight).
Define Leadership | Try emphasizing what matters in modern, complex environments, such as agility, resilience, growth mindset, and managing tensions.
Start with Current Data | Roll Up the What + How of people’s performance and trends from past performance, but don’t put too much weight on this. The criteria should be rooted in something known about the person, not just the latest leadership team’s view.
Weight Superpowers + Blindspots | In the algorithm of a dimensional review of a person, discuss criteria before the conversation is to occur. Then, weigh the most essential behaviors or mindsets more than others, and be sure to denote the blindspots in meaningful ways.
Notes for Succession Planning | Talent Reviews are not Succession Planning. For SP: 1. Start with the role, not the person. 2. Focus on diversity. 3. Focus on development, and 4. Focus on focus (only conduct for C-Suite or 1 level below and do it well.)
Start with Better Data | A Canvas View Is More Nuanced Than A 9-Box
Airbnb Case Study: Bias Busting Tool
Much research recently points to why unconscious bias training—without meaningful system change—makes things worse. At Airbnb, we “built in” the training at the moment it mattered—when it came to talent.
We created bias-disrupting cards and a short, animated video that contained pointers on how to safely call out bias in talent reviews and decisions of any kind. It contained simple questions to ask for more specific, observable examples, instead of relying on generalizations or gut feelings and ways to point out when we might be holding someone to a higher standard than another.
For example, if someone says “I just think he has leadership potential,” the cards reminded you to say something like “Can you give me an example of a time you observed that potential? What does leadership mean to us/you?”
Over time, the cards also became a symbol of everyone’s role in ensuring a fair discussion, thereby taking bias “fixing” off the plate of Human Resources and/or underrepresented leaders (e.g., women leaders, leaders of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, etc.).
Finally, the cards deflated the tension in the room. For instance, we observed leaders holding up the card in hand and calling each other out, and even themselves, with humor and lightness, once they got comfortable with it.