Need:

Within three months time, two German-based subsidiaries of SAP were slated to be combined through an alliance.  Forty-two senior management posts at the three top levels of the combined organization needed to be filled from a pool of 87 incumbent managers.  Both organizations needed to be represented equally on the management team.

Solution:

Working with DDI, SAP first established the selection criteria for the positions and created the selection process.  Candidates received detailed information about the process and all steps involved.  Applying the hiring criteria, DDI designed robust, “day in the life” executive assessment centers to accurately assess each candidate.  The data gathered through the assessment centers enabled SAP to select the best candidates for the alliance leadership team.  After the appointment decisions were made, DDI coaches held personal meetings with candidates to provide them with feedback on the behavior they had demonstrated during the assessment and the results of a personality test they completed as part of the assessment center.  This information then served as the basis for the individual’s own development planning.

Results:

Within 10 weeks of the start of the project—ahead of schedule—the two SAP subsidiaries had a valid basis upon which to make the key personnel decisions.  The data from the DDI assessment centers provided SAP with valuable information to guide the systematic development of top managers and for measurement of success.