BUSINESS INSIGHTS | FALL 2009 EFFECT

Applying Manufacturing
Excellence Principles to Your Executive
Recruiting Campaign

by Larry Keen

Before beginning my career in executive search eight years ago, I worked for more than 20 years in public and private manufacturing environments, first on the shop floor and later in various project and leadership positions. During my tenures, I studied many process improvement disciplines including pull systems, cell flow, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Kanban, Theory of Constraints, Total Quality Management, and a host of others.

As I reflect upon applying these disciplines toward recruiting campaigns and processes, I am reminded of the challenges in implementing them within traditional office environments, where products and services are less tangible. However, the same process improvement principles that help manufacturers can be applied to organizations with an executive search need.

Strategic and tactical planning

Often when it comes to recruiting key executives, many companies turn to a limited number of friends and associates when the search process begins, without taking into account the necessary strategic considerations. If organizations borrowed from some of the same principals of manufacturing and applied a more rigorous planning process to their recruiting effort, they would more consistently achieve quality hiring results.

To get to that point, the first step is to determine the profile of your ideal candidate. This includes the required professional competencies, essential job experiences, and the cultural fit. Businesses should agree on acceptable deviations from this profile and be firm about standards and expectations. Once you have identified these success factors, then the following strategic and tactical considerations are needed:

• What types and sized organizations employ individuals of interest? Solicit input throughout your organization and know your biases.
• Remember that your desired candidates might be employed in an industry unrelated to yours.
• What are the specific companies and organizations that employ these individuals?
• In which region or location are potential candidates based?
• Who are the companies you do not want to recruit from? Be sure to protect or honor your existing relationships.

Efficiency and operational excellence

In manufacturing, we think of systematic and methodical processes, tolerances, accuracy, reliability, consistency, time and motion, and controls. We establish schedules and commitments; we engineer, reengineer, and then continually work to improve.

In searching for top talent, there is also a need to identify the most effective systems and methods for locating prospects. Organizations need to execute a comprehensive plan accurately and on time. To accomplish this, ask yourself the following questions:

• How will you ensure that you connect with all of the possible candidates that fit within your strategic plan?
• How will you spread the word through your targeted candidates and their networks?
• How will you obtain market information and feedback during the search process (including compensation), and how will you know what the market is saying about your firm?
• Do you have objective input regarding your internal interview questions, processes, and candidate evaluations?

It’s ironic that many organizations dedicate significant resources into the disciplines on the manufacturing floor without giving the same level of attention to creating an effective recruiting and search campaign. Often those campaigns fall short because the process lacked the definition and structure that is so necessary to be effective.