Leading Retailers need to have employees who are proactive, to create "actions" with customers and truly get "into the world of the client"

1. MAY 2004
STORES WWW.STORES.ORG
EMPLOYEE SCREENING
Measuring the Qualities
Needed for Success
iParty uses survey tool to define behavioral traits for managerial
positions and match candidates with jobs they naturally enjoy
openness or perceived need to support, it can be closed,” she adds. iParty
change to adapt to his current work- administers the PI to all prospective man-
place environment, and a combina- agement employees. In the future, the
eing able to understand managerial tion of the two. retailer plans to extend its use to selecting
B candidates’ natural needs and behav-
iors is essential to finding a person
who will find his assignment energiz-
ing and satisfying, and, therefore, will do well
in the job, says Lori Chamberlain, vice presi-
In effect, the PI measures how well an
individual’s natural self is in sync with the
current or prospective work environment.
An ideal match identifies a candidate who
can slip into a job situation like a hand fits
store associates.
iParty also uses the PI to help managers
interact with employees in a manner that
meets and nourishes their personal and pro-
fessional needs. Managers are trained to
dent of human resources at Dedham, Mass.- into a custom-made glove. interact with individual employees in ways
based iParty. That, in turn, leads to increased “People are most effective when they are that suit both their styles, for example. The
productivity. able to tap into their natural behavioral goal is to create positive relationships that
Party goods specialty retailer iParty is traits,” explains Handalian. “That means stimulate creativity and productivity, while
using PI Worldwide’s Predictive Index (PI), most of their energy is going into their jobs minimizing negative, energy-draining and
to help define job positions, the qualities instead of changing themselves.” non-productive exchanges.
that individuals need to perform well in NOURISHING NEEDS Chamberlain first “It helps everyone understand everyone
specific jobs and whether a candidate has, began working with PI Worldwide in 1992 else, and it helps us understand ourselves as
or can develop, the qualities needed to be when she led human resources at Iron well,” says Chamberlain. “One of the first
successful. Mountain, a records management compa- things we do with a new employee is sit
Dan Handalian, senior consultant at ny. For her, PI Worldwide is an extension down and say, ‘Let me tell you what your
Wellesley, Mass.-based PI Worldwide, says of iParty’s human resources PI says about you and what my PI
the Predictive Index measurement tool is an department. says about me.’ It really pro-
efficient system because “you put very little “The Predictive Index motes strong communica-
in and you get a lot out.” allows us to define the tions throughout the
Based on how an individual responds to behavioral traits that organization. It pro-
qualities identified in the PI survey, a hiring we want someone to motes understand-
executive trained to read a PI can measure have to be promot- ing, and it keeps
what a specific individual needs from the ed or hired into a people energized
work world, says Handalian. “The needs specific job. In a and productive.”
we measure are every bit as real as the needs very objective way, iParty also uses
for food and shelter.” PI allows us, as the PI for conflict
The survey is a concise list of personality managers, to say resolution, team
traits. Individuals who take the survey high- whether an individ- building and em-
light those traits on the list that they believe ual job candidate ployee development.
best describe who they are and who they has those behavioral When iparty.com
believe others expect them to be, such as “I am traits,” Chamberlain was launched in October
brave,” “I am persistent” and “Others expect explains. 1999, the e-retailer had 25
me to be brave and persistent.” The survey “If the natural traits are close employees and no bricks-and-
takes about 10 minutes. but not exactly what we mortar stores. By the time
Interpreting the PI is accomplished by want, the PI helps us deter- iParty's success Chamberlain joined the
clustering answers in three areas: an indi- mine whether the gap is too depends on good company in December 2001,
vidual’s self, a measurement of his most nat- far away to manage or if iParty had acquired a chain
ural behaviors and needs; an individual’s it’s close enough that, with store managers of 33 stores, increasing the

2. EMPLOYEE SCREENING
staff to more than 700 employees. Since The team completes the PRO survey to manager for our positions,” notes
then iParty has added about 150 more bring the new position into focus. “It gives Chamberlain. “We use the PI and the PRO
employees and opened five more stores. us an idea of what qualities in that new to make sure we have the right profile as
Chamberlain brought iParty and PI position we should look for, what behav- well as the right person.”
Worldwide together very early in her iors,” says Chamberlain. FEEL THE DIFFERENCE Chamberlain estimates
tenure, precisely because the retailer was By defining the position up front, iParty that iParty generated a return on its PI
experiencing so much change. “We wanted can also streamline the job search process. investment in approximately three to six
to make sure that we were hiring the right “We’ve been able to write ads that are more months. “It took three to six months for us
profiles for senior management. These are focused and targeted to what we’re looking to notice something was different. You can
not positions you want to see turnover in,” to hire. It’s helped us in our behavioral actually feel PI. You can feel the difference,”
she says. “For us, the PI profiles she says. “It’s quite amazing when
were, and are, very important.” you read a PI to someone or you dis-
LEVERAGING STRENGTHS Because cuss their development plan off a PI.
of iParty’s rapid growth, the retail- There’s enthusiasm and excitement.
er’s executives realized that manage- “It’s as if you know what they’re
rial roles would evolve as the com- feeling and what they’re sensing.
pany continued to grow. There’s more camaraderie and
“Our management roles are very understanding, and with that
interesting to fill, and they have comes a sense of trust. Our employ-
some intriguing components to ees sense that they’re in good hands,
them that we can’t always figure out that we have their best interests at
on our own,” Chamberlain says. heart,” she adds.
“PI Worldwide has been great in Although many of the benefits that
helping us understand what the Chamberlain cites fall into the soft
profile should be. That’s been very ROI realm, they’re also key to build-
important because, as we’ve grown, ing a strong and committed manage-
our people haven’t gotten bored, ment team with minimal turnover.
and they haven’t felt that their roles “Our turnover at the store man-
have evolved beyond them.” ager level and above is better than
The PI differs from a perfor- the industry average,” notes
mance review in that it’s not used to Chamberlain. “The PI and the
rate people, but to develop them. PRO have given us substantial
According to Chamberlain, it’s bench strength. We know we have
great for understanding and lever- people waiting in the wings.”
aging people’s natural strengths. Chamberlain also credits PI with
“There’s a benefit for the employees helping to enhance iParty’s bottom
because they’re matched with jobs line. “We believe that profitability
that they naturally enjoy,” she says. can be increased if we hire the right
Recently, iParty needed to replace people and focus them on the right
a senior executive. Rather than things,” says Chamberlain. “PI
launch an immediate search, several seems to have given everyone who
iParty executives worked with PI By defining a position up front, works for iParty the sense that they
Worldwide to better understand the type of iParty streamlines are all individually responsible for the well
person they needed in the position to allow the job search process being of the workplace and for the well
the company to be effective today and in being of the customers who shop our stores
the future. questioning of candidates,” she explains. and buy our products.
To help shape their thinking, the team “We’re able to target our questions around “It’s everyone’s job to make sure we’re
turned to another PI Worldwide tool called the PI and what we’re looking for in the heading in the same direction. Everyone is
the PRO, a resource that helps clients eval- profile, so it’s really helped recruiting in responsible for creating an environment
uate the position instead of the person. more ways than one.” that is positive, upbeat and comfortable for
With the PRO, iParty is able to create a iParty also uses PRO to re-evaluate the everyone who works here,” Chamberlain
pattern for a position under development role of its store managers. continues. “By explaining the PI and offer-
by bringing together members of the man- “As we grew, our store manager profiles ing the PI readings up front, it’s as if we’re
agement team to brainstorm what the posi- changed, and our success going forward saying, ‘We’re putting our money where
tion’s needs are. depends on our hiring the right store our mouth is.’” — Liz Parks STORES
Copyrighted © 2004 NRF Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article does not represent an endorsement by the National Retail Federation or its affiliates.
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