In HRplus, the 9-box calculation plays a critical role in identifying and developing high-potential talent. Before the actual 9-box assessment, HRplus uses a series of well-defined, calibration and filtering activities to ensure that only those employees with strategic impact potential are evaluated. This targeted approach focuses on roles essential to business continuity and those with leadership potential, making the 9-box tool a valuable asset in succession planning. Here’s how the selection and 9-box calculation process typically unfolds:
Employee Selection for 9-Box Calculation
The 9-box grid is generally reserved for employees in critical roles or high-potential positions, rather than applying it broadly across the workforce. To focus on future leaders:
Focus on Critical Groups: Employees eligible for the 9-box calculation are often those holding roles essential to business operations or those who show promising leadership potential.
Performance and Potential Pre-Assessment: Initial selection involves screening employees based on recent performance appraisals, manager nominations, and other indicators of strategic impact potential. This early filtering ensures that only employees with leadership promise or business-critical roles are included in the process.
Preparation Activities in the HRplus System
With HRplus, specific pre-assessment activities ensure accurate and valuable 9-box outcomes:
Talent Pool Identification: Managers and HR teams use HRplus’s talent management features to identify high-potential employees. Metrics such as KPIs, appraisal scores and 360 feedback results inform these selections, helping focus the 9-box calculation on the most impactful talent.
Data Collection and Review: HRplus facilitates the collection of relevant data—performance metrics, competencies, development history—creating a robust foundation for assessment. This data is gathered from 360 reviews, recent appraisals, and employee goal achievements.
Calibration meetings between managers and HR ensure that each employee’s potential and performance are objectively assessed:
Calibration Sessions: Managers and HR hold calibration discussions to avoid biases and ensure consistency across departments. This collaborative process aligns each team’s talent evaluation standards, enhancing the 9-box grid’s effectiveness in identifying succession candidates.
Feedback and Inputs: Managers provide specific feedback on selected employees, focusing on leadership potential, readiness for increased responsibility, and overall fit for future roles.
9-Box Calculation and Placement
The final 9-box placement leverages HRplus’s automated capabilities:
Automated Calculation: With relevant employee data in place, HRplus automates the 9-box placement using standardized performance and potential metrics. This step ensures precise positioning within the grid based on pre-set criteria.
Customizable Parameters: HRplus allows for customization within the 9-box calculation, enabling HR teams to input specific criteria for performance and potential ratings (such as recent appraisals and 360 review scores) to refine the placement formula.
Competency Mapping: HRplus allows HR to map employee competencies against role requirements, identifying skills gaps and highlighting development needs after their 9-box placement. This mapping provides insights into each employee’s growth potential and alignment with critical role requirements.
Summary of Pre-9-Box Activities in HRplus
The calibration and filtering process in HRplus leading up to the 9-box calculation helps create a succession pipeline with targeted, high-impact talent. By:
Identifying critical roles and high-potential employees early,
Collecting relevant data from appraisals (including competencies), feedback, and performance metrics,
Calibrating ratings in collaboration with managers for consistent evaluation standards, and
Utilizing HRplus to automate or customize the 9-box grid,
HRplus optimizes the succession planning process. This approach ensures that the 9-box grid remains a reliable and effective tool for developing leadership talent and strengthening organizational continuity.
User Self Service>>Manager>>Talent>>Assessment
How to Nominate Employees for the Talent Pool
Once HR initiates the Employee Assessment event, managers can nominate employees within their department for the talent pool by adding them to the event and completing their assessments. This process is designed to focus on critical roles, allowing managers to evaluate only those employees who are potential candidates for succession. Through the HRplus system, managers can easily identify and assess high-potential employees for leadership and key roles.
What are the Steps to Nominate Employees for the Talent Pool?
Log in and Access the Event: When the manager logs in to the Self-Service portal, they navigate to Manager>>Talent>>Assessment and open the Employee Assessment event. They can select a button that opens a list of employees within their department.
Select Employees for Assessment: Click on the button that opens a pop-up list of employees within the manager’s department. From this list, the manager can select the employees to assess, focusing on those in critical positions or with potential.
Generate Assessment Form: Once employees are selected, they will appear under the Assessment event with a button linked to the Assessment form. The manager can click this link to open the pre- configured assessment form.
Complete the Assessment: The manager fills out the Assessment form for each selected employee to evaluate their readiness and potential.
Add Additional Employees as Needed: If more employees need to be assessed, the manager can repeat this process to include them in the talent pool event.
Upon selecting "Submit Assessment Report" an employee record is automatically created and added to the talent pool. The designated Succession Module Administrator (Staff) also receives notifications when a manager submits the final Employee Assessment Report.
This allows HR to proceed with the successorship evaluation process.
The Manager fills out and rates the employee on the assessment form, and upon submission, the
employee is added to the talent pool.
Talent Management>>Succession>>Talent Pool
Talent>>Succession>>Talent Pool
Removing an Employee from the Talent Pool
Once the manager’s assessment is completed, the employee is automatically added to the talent pool. HR can archive records when an employee is no longer considered a suitable candidate for succession planning or when a new evaluation cycle is being initiated, requiring the previous records to be archived. Archiving indicates that the event and assessment process are being reset, allowing for a fresh evaluation of the employee.
Talent>>Succession>>Talent Pool: 9-Box Calculation
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Overview of the 9-Box Calculation Process
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Add Employees to the Talent Pool: Employees are added based on completed assessments submitted by managers. Only those in critical roles or showing high potential will be included. How to Nominate an Employee for the Talent Pool
Run the 9-Box Calculation: The 9-Box calculation in HRplus uses the selected 9-Box criteria—such as 360 feedback, appraisals, and employee assessments—to determine each employee’s placement within the grid. When HR initiates the calculation by clicking the Calculate 9-Box Placement button, the system pulls data from the selected criteria and calculates the employee's performance and potential scores accordingly.
View Calculation Results: Once the calculation is completed, employees are placed in the 9-Box grid. You can drill down to see their detailed performance and potential scores, along with links to view
their most recent assessment reports for further analysis.
How to Run the 9-Box Calculation
The 9-Box calculation is a critical step in talent management, helping HR and managers assess employees' performance and potential. In HRplus, employees are added to the talent pool after managers complete their assessments. Once all assessments are finalized, HR runs the 9-Box calculation for all employees in the talent pool. This process evaluates each employee based on their performance and potential scores, placing them in the appropriate box on the 9-Box grid. The results provide a visual representation of where employees stand, making it easier to identify high performers and future leaders.
Warning: If any records are generated in red text, this indicates that the 9-Box calculation could not be completed correctly because the employee is missing a required record for one of the selected criteria. For example, if an employee is missing a 360 multi-rater record, the 9-Box calculation will
fail, and no placement will be generated for that employee.
To resolve this issue, complete the missing record for the affected employee(s), select them again, and re-run the calculation. Once all required records are in place, the 9-Box calculation will process
correctly.
Calculation Process for 9-Box Grid Placement:
Inputs:
360-Degree Feedback: Contributes to the potential score (X%).
Manager’s Assessment: Contributes to the potential score (Y%).
Appraisal: Contributes to the performance score (Z%).
Formula: (360 Feedback Score × X%) + (Assessment Score × Y%).
Round the weighted score to 1, 2, or 3 (Low, Moderate, High Potential).
Performance Score Calculation:
Formula: Appraisal Score × Z%.
Round the score to 1, 2, or 3 (Low, Moderate, High Performance).
The final scores determine the employee’s placement in the 9-Box grid.
360 Feedback Overall Score: 4 (out of 5)
Mapped to the Potential Score = 3
Assessment Score: 19 (out of 30)
Mapped to the Potential Score = 2
Appraisal Overall Score: 4 (out of 5)
Mapped to the Performance Score = 3
Weighting: 360 Feedback (50%), Assessment (50%), Appraisal (100%)
Formula: (3× 50%) + (2× 50%) = 1.5 + 1= 2.5
Rounded to 3 → High Potential
Formula: 3 × 100% = 3
Rounded to 3 → High Performance
Based on these scores, the employee is placed in Box 9 (High Potential, High Performance).
Once all scores are calculated, the system automatically places employees in the appropriate boxes within the 9-Box grid, providing a clear view of the organization's talent landscape.
Talent>>Succession>>Talent Pool: 9-Box Calculation
Overview of the 9-Box Grid
The 9-box grid is a popular talent management tool that helps organizations assess their employees based on two dimensions: performance and potential. Each box in the grid represents a combination of these two factors, providing a visual way to categorize employees and guide development strategies. By understanding where employees fall within the grid, HR professionals and managers can make informed decisions about career progression, leadership development, and succession planning.
How does it work?
Grid Population: The grid is populated based on employee scores after the 9-box calculation. If a box is empty, it means no employee’s score placed them in that category. Employees are placed in alphabetical order within each box, and those with the most recent calculation date appear at the top, ensuring the latest evaluations are easily accessible.
User-Defined Explanations: Click on the "i" icon for a user-defined explanation of each box, including the interpretation of the employee's placement and the recommended next steps.
Detailed Employee View: Double-click on an employee record in the grid to view more details, such as the employee’s department and job information.
Archiving and Recalculating: Employees will remain in their assigned box until their calculations are archived. If a new calculation is performed without archiving the existing record, the employee’s
9-box placement will be overwritten.
Interpretation and Next Steps: The “i” icon helps users quickly understand what each box signifies and provides guidance on how to manage employees placed within each box.
High Potential / High Performance (Top Talent)
Description: Employees in this box consistently exceed performance expectations and demonstrate strong potential for growth. These individuals are often considered future leaders or key contributors.
Next Steps: Focus on leadership development, stretch assignments, and retention strategies. Fast-track them for promotions or critical roles.
High Potential / Moderate Performance
Description: Employees here show strong growth potential but have not yet fully met performance expectations. They may need more development or experience to realize their potential.
Next Steps: Provide coaching, mentorship, and targeted development opportunities to improve performance and help them reach their potential.
High Potential / Low Performance
Description: These employees have high potential but are currently under-performing. Their poor performance could be due to a lack of experience, engagement, or other external factors.
Next Steps: Investigate the root cause of low performance and provide support such as training, reassignment, or addressing engagement issues.
Moderate Potential / High Performance
Description: These employees are strong performers but may not show significant leadership potential. They excel in their current roles and are valuable contributors to the team.
Next Steps: Focus on retention and further development in their current roles. Provide lateral opportunities or recognition for their achievements.
Moderate Potential / Moderate Performance
Description: Employees in this box meet performance expectations and show some potential for growth, but they may not be standout performers or future leaders.
Next Steps: Continue to monitor their performance and development. Offer development opportunities and assess their readiness for increased responsibilities.
Moderate Potential / Low Performance
Description: These employees may have some potential, but their current performance is below expectations. They may need additional support or clarification of role expectations.
Next Steps: Provide performance improvement plans, coaching, and regular feedback. If performance does not improve, consider reassignment or further evaluation.
Low Potential / High Performance
Description: These employees perform well in their roles but show limited potential for upward mobility. They are reliable and consistent contributors.
Next Steps: Keep them in roles where they excel and provide recognition for their achievements. They may not require significant development beyond their current position.
Low Potential / Moderate Performance
Description: Employees in this box meet some performance standards but have limited potential for growth or leadership. They may not be long-term high-value contributors.
Next Steps: Offer support to improve their performance. Reevaluate their fit within the organization or their current role if performance stagnates.
Low Potential / Low Performance (Underperformers)
Description: Employees here perform below expectations and have limited potential for growth. They are not likely to contribute significantly to future organizational needs.
Next Steps: Consider implementing a performance improvement plan or explore options for transitioning them out of the role or organization.
Using the 9-Box Grid for Employee Development
The 9-box grid is not just about categorizing employees but also about crafting development strategies based on where they fall within the grid. By understanding each box, HR professionals and managers can:
Tailor development plans to employees’ needs.
Identify key talent for leadership and succession planning.
Provide support to under-performing employees.
Focus retention strategies on high performers and high potentials.
Talent>>Succession>>Talent Pool
When recalculating employee 9-box results, there are two possible outcomes: either the existing results will be overwritten, or the record will be archived. Archiving ensures that the employee's prior calculation is saved for historical reference or comparison with future results. Once archived, the entire process must be restarted, with the manager redoing the employee's assessment to generate a new record in the talent pool. HR can then proceed with the standard 9-box calculation using the updated data.
Overwriting: The existing 9-box results are replaced with the new calculation.
Archiving: The employee's previous calculation is stored for future reference.
Restarting Process: After archiving, the manager must redo the employee’s assessment to generate a new record in the talent pool. How to Set Up the Employee Assessment Event
New 9-Box Calculation: HR runs the new 9-box calculation after the updated assessment is completed. How to Run the 9-Box Calculation
The new 9-box calculation replaces the existing results for everyone included in the new
calculation.
If the records are archived, the entire process restarts. This requires managers to re-assess
employees and reinitiate the nomination process into the talent pool before the 9-box calculation can
be conducted again. Archiving the records ensures previous results are preserved while allowing for a fresh evaluation cycle.
After archiving the records, you can proceed with the regular 9-Box calculation.
After archiving the records, you can proceed with the regular 9-Box calculation.