Using the Nine-Box Grid System to Fill Succession Gaps

Using the Nine-Box Grid System to Fill Succession Gaps

The nine-box grid system is an approach used for examining talents within organizations, especially in making recruitment decisions. It is made up of 9 virtues that elaborate potential assessment and performance assessment of employees in an organization. Typically, the grid rates a high performer as an individual who consistently delivers strong performance and makes contributions to the organization through undertaking increasingly challenging roles in the organization. These individuals are usually characterized by professional and outstanding leadership skills (Caruso, 2011). In contrast, individuals listed in the bottom corner of the grid, otherwise known as are classified as low performance-low potentialbecause they do not demonstrate professionalism, real seriousness, and competency in their work ethics. More so, they show low rates of performance, and they lack innate motivation. The essay seeks to elaborate the use of the nine-box grid system by analyzing its use in filling succession gaps, and its relevance in selecting two of the past five chief executive officers of McDonald’s.

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9-Box Grid in Filling Succession Gaps

Nine-box grid system is essential for decision makers, especially when they face the challenge of developing clear standards on how to determine an employee’s performance and potential.

The Nine-Box grid can be broadly used to:

• Categorize performance. The performance management process under this approach can be classified as excellent, good, and poor performance.
• Categorize Potential. Organizational decision makers have the role to predict potential, which can be quite challenging. The nine-box grid system classifies performance into three dimensions, namely high, medium, and low potential.
• Categorize talent pool. This process becomes easier for HR managers, especially after identifying the previous two approaches. Each member evaluated above is then categorized according to their performance and predicted potential. This function is important because a great deal of the organization’s success depends on its ability to successfully develop talents (Caruso, 2011).

Competencies Required for the CEO Position

Ideally, a CEO should fit in the highest quadrant, the consistent star (i.e. high performer and high potential). A chief executive officer of McDonald’s should be able to consistently deliver high performance irrespective of macro and micro challenges. Also, a high performing CEO should be able to meet the technical, professional, and leadership thresholds set by the organization. In addition, they should be able to fully subscribe to the organization’s missions and strategic goals. The ability to learn quickly and adapt to new and challenging situations is a plus for potential CEOs (McCool, 2008).

Evaluation of Key Competencies of the Last 2 CEOs at McDonald’s

Jim Skinner

The nine-box grid classifies his competencies as a consistent high performer, a big picture thinker, a problem solver, and most importantly, a professional and consistently self-motivated. Some of the traits that characterized his administration as McDonald’s CEO include his ability to relate well with customers and employees, and also adapt to changes in the external environment. For instance, he introduced the snack wrap which perfected the tortilla. It only took 18 months to actualize the concept, which shows his competence to execute his strategies. More so, his time as a CEO was characterized by his ability to subscribe to the company’s visions and goals. At one point, he stated that McDonald’s was founded on hamburgers, and not pizzas, oatmeals, or large pieces of real estate (Skinner et al., 2013).

Don Thompson

The fact that McDonald’s uses the situational replacement succession plan makes it easier to identify the potential replacement of a CEO. Following a 4.1 percent decline in sales at McDonald’s in 2014, Donald Thompson stepped down, and the company was taken over by Steve Easterbrook. Some of his key competencies include high focus on development, and the ability to seek out new experiences. This can be elaborated from the fact that he was strong and experienced as he had successfully led McDonald’s in running the UK and European markets;this led to gradual improvement in the financial and operational performance of the company. Also, he can be labeled as technical, professional, and could demonstrate exceptional leadership skills while he was a CEO. The fact that he is an electrical engineer in profession made him even more appealing in terms of technical expertise (Thompson, 2011). His professionalism can be demonstrated by the fact that he decided to step down after the decline in sales in 2014.

Rating Using the 9-Box Grid

Therefore, Jim Skinner can be suitably placed in the High potential-High performer quadrant. This is evident from hisadministration as a CEO from 2004 to 2012. The key competencies mentioned above fur………………………………..