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Interviewing Candidates During Organizational Change

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Summary

This article by Mark Murphy provides advice on how to assess job candidates during times of organizational change. It discusses the study on change resistance, which found that only 24% of frontline employees like taking risks, as well as the five primary motivations driving our actions in the workplace. It then provides an open-ended interview question to assess a candidate's ability to handle change and offers examples of two responses to demonstrate the differences in a candidate's response. The point of the article is to help leaders determine which candidates can thrive in a changing environment.

Q&As

What are the five primary motivations driving people's actions at work?
The five primary motivations driving people's actions at work are Achievement, Power, Affiliation, Adventure, and Security.

What is the purpose of the open-ended question, "Could you tell me about a time when you experienced change?"
The purpose of the open-ended question, "Could you tell me about a time when you experienced change?" is to assess the extent to which someone will succeed in a changing company.

How can employers evaluate candidates who can thrive during times of organizational change?
Employers can evaluate candidates who can thrive during times of organizational change by asking them open-ended questions about their experiences with change.

What are potential differences between two candidate's responses to the question, "Could you tell me about a time when you experienced change?"
Potential differences between two candidate's responses to the question, "Could you tell me about a time when you experienced change?" could include one candidate appearing to struggle with internal conflict about the change, while the other signals their capacity for collaboration and flexibility.

What are the key characteristics of someone who can embrace change and take it in stride?
The key characteristics of someone who can embrace change and take it in stride are collaboration, flexibility, and the ability to adapt and overcome challenging situations.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides a great insight into how to assess candidates who can thrive well during times of change and upheaval. The use of an open-ended question to prompt candidates to share their experiences will help leaders determine which are the best candidates for the job.

👎 This article fails to mention any other potential assessment strategies for candidates during times of organizational change. Additionally, the article does not provide any solutions or guidance on how to handle candidates who may be unwilling to adjust to change.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about interviewing candidates during organizational change. It talks about how to assess candidates who can thrive well during times of change and upheaval and the importance of asking the right questions to figure out if they can handle change. It also discusses the motivations that drive people's actions at work and how those motivations can be a factor in how people respond to change.

Friend: That's interesting. It makes sense that companies would need to assess how people handle change when they are interviewing candidates. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, it highlights how important it is to assess a candidate's ability to handle change during the interview process, especially for organizations that are undergoing lots of change. It also emphasizes the need to ask open-ended questions and avoid leading questions that only prompt positive responses. Additionally, it's important to be aware of the different motivations that drive people's actions at work and how those motivations can affect how they respond to change. That way, you can get a better sense of how the candidate might handle the change and if they are the right fit for the organization.

Action items

Incorporate the open-ended question, “Could you tell me about a time when you experienced change?” into every interview to assess a candidate’s ability to thrive in a changing environment.
Research the five primary motivations driving people’s actions at work (Achievement, Power, Affiliation, Adventure, and Security) to better understand how to assess a candidate’s ability to handle change.
Read the report “6 Words That Ruin Behavioral Interview Questions” to ensure that you are not inadvertently guiding the candidate toward a specific type of answer.

Technical terms

Change Management: The process of managing the transition of an organization from its current state to a desired future state.
Interviewing: A process of asking questions to obtain information from a person or group of people.
Screening & Assessment: The process of evaluating a person's qualifications, skills, and abilities to determine if they are suitable for a particular job or role.
Mark Murphy: The author of the article.