Observations from China
The 42nd International Congress on Assessment Center Methods and Development Leadership Talent took place from 13 – 15 November 2019 in Shanghai, China. Our founder and head of the OMT Group (consisting of OMT, Evalex and Odyssey), Dr Pieter Bronkhorst, presented at the conference proudly flying the Evalex flag! Here is his feedback:
The 42nd International Congress on Assessment Centres and Leadership Development was an overwhelming experience on many different levels.
China is an impressive country. We travelled to Beijing and Shanghai, where the congress was held. Each of these cities houses a population of 20-25 million, or 40-50 million combined.
The roads, freeways, airports, hotels, housing projects are at a scale and quality that few can even imagine.
The conference venue, technology used and organisation reflected true Chinese work ethic and dedication that sets an example for us as South Africans. The congress was attended by 570 delegates.
The international range and scope of delegates and speakers provided an amphitheatre view of where the world is in terms of the assessment of talent and leadership development.
There was ample confirmation that the dire shortage of high impact corporate leadership is a burning issue on most continents and in most countries, as economic growth is limited to the rate at which we can identify and develop future leaders.
In my presentation I likened the assessment of human talent to a similar process where the stock exchange reflects the value of a share in its price at the point of exchange, where decisions are made to appoint, promote or re-assign leaders and managers.
The I/O psychologist operates at the centre of this human capital exchange where value is determined and utilisation and growth maximised. It was therefore interesting that the speaker who closed the congress on the final day likened the I/O psychologist to the investment banker and asset manager of today. This conclusion was based on the fact that in today’s world, a company’s market value is made up of 20% financial capital and 80% intellectual capital, as opposed to 30 years ago when about 60% was financial capital and about 40% intellectual capital.
On another level, it confirmed to me that Evalex is on the right track strategically in our product development cycle and, in many cases, more advanced in the utilisation of artificial intelligence, having already developed five AI solutions, with numbers six and seven in the pipeline.