Foreword
To ensure effective generational turnover in management positions, the Administration decided to integrate the Assessment Center methodology into the pre-selection phase of public competitions. This approach made it possible to assess from the earliest stages of the process not only the technical-specialist skills required for the role, but also the managerial skills considered essential to fill top positions.
The ultimate goal was to select candidates who could effectively fit into the municipal organizational environment and competently manage human and economic resources, thus contributing to improving the quality and efficiency of the administrative machine.
Project
The project, developed by consultants PRAXI in collaboration with the Authority, involved two public competitions announced in 2020 for the positions of Administrative Manager and Technical-Management Manager. Restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of the guidelines stipulated in the Ministerial Safety Protocol.
The intervention aimed to verify the candidates’ possession of the seven behavioral competencies specified in the notices:
- Planning, scheduling, summarizing and organizing work according to objectives and deadlines;
- Process control and ability to identify critical issues in a timely manner;
- Leadership, coordination, professional development and evaluation of employees, delegation skills;
- Problem solving and organizational innovation;
- Communication, social and emotional intelligence;
- Group work;
- Flexibility and change orientation.
An Assessment Center was designed for each procedure consisting of five tests, conducted in-person over one day, under the supervision of Assessor PRAXI.
- Group Dynamics: simulation of a fictitious but likely organizational situation to be faced in teams.
- Personality Test: internationally validated instrument with standardized scores to identify the distinctive traits of each candidate.
- Individual reflection document: filled out by candidates to provide a thoughtful description with respect to their career path.
- Business Role Play: Simulation of an interview with an employee, played by a PRAXI consultant, to observe the management of a critical situation in the work environment.
- Structured individual interview (BEI – Behavioural Event Interview): based on questions designed to explore lived professional experiences.
With the exception of the personality test, all tests were designed ad hoc to ensure the assessment of each competency in at least two exercises, ensuring maximum methodological rigor and consistency with the criteria defined in the calls for applications.
Results
The Assessment Center made it possible to select the most suitable candidates using objective criteria: 53 percent of participants for the Administrative Manager competition and 64 percent for the Technical Manager competition passed the pre-selection phase, thus gaining access to the next traditional phase of the competition.
Beyond the numbers, the value of the project lies in the qualitative approach adopted by the City of Padua. The Authority chose to integrate a rigorous and internationally recognized assessment methodology, placing behavioral competencies at the center of the selection process. This strategic choice, aimed at ensuring the effective suitability of future managers to the organizational context, anticipated by about two years the National School of Administration’s Guidelines for Access to Public Management, confirming its foresight and orientation toward innovation in selection processes.
