Business Perspective

Using an understanding of business issues, processes, and outcomes to enhance business performance.

Level 1. Demonstrates a basic understanding of business issues, processes, and outcomes

BEHAVIORS

• Articulates how to own responsibilities, activities, and decisions related to the success of the business.

• Describes products, services, customers, suppliers in own area.

• Identifies the appropriate sources for information on the organization’s work.

QUESTIONS

• Describe a time when you were conscious that your responsibilities and your actions or behavior related to the success of the business.

Probing Questions

• What was the situation?

• Why did you feel your actions or behavior were important?

• How did your responsibilities relate to the success of the business?

• How did do you know?

• Tell us about a time when you identified an opportunity to promote your organization's services/products/capabilities.

Probing Questions

* What was the opportunity?

* How did it present itself?

* What did you do to take advantage of this opportunity?

* What was the outcome?

• Tell me about a time when you were required to explain or describe the products or services of your organization.

Probing Questions

* What was the situation?

* What were you describing?

* Was the explanation understood?

* How you know it was understood?

Level 2 Makes recommendations to improve business operations

BEHAVIORS

• Offers concrete suggestions to reduce costs, improve quality or revenue for aspects of key products or services in its own area.

• Identifies potential new clients for their own area.

• Recognizes the value of all major business areas, avoiding a "single area" bias.

QUESTIONS

• Describe a time when you suggested ways to reduce costs or improve quality or revenues for a key product or service in your area.

Probing Questions

* Describe a specific example.

* How did you identify these cost-saving opportunities?

* Were your suggestions adopted or acted upon?

* What was the result?

• Please describe a time in either your current position or a previous job, when you identified a potential client for the business.

Probing Questions

* Who was the potential client?

* Why did you suggest this prospect?

* What happened?

Level 3. Develops business strategies

BEHAVIORS

• Explains in detail how their own section/department adds value to the organization.

• Makes decisions that clearly support the business strategy (e.g., builds business cases for decisions/actions, takes a market perspective).

• Formulates optimal ways to improve services/products in the section, taking into account a longer-term and broader corporate perspective.

• Customizes the execution of broad business strategies in its own area.

QUESTIONS

• Describe a time when you examined ways to improve the services or products in your area while taking into consideration the longer-term and broader corporate perspective.

Probing Questions

* Describe an example of a time when you did this.

* What improvements did you identify?

* What actions did you take?

* What were the results of your actions?

• Could you give me an example of a time when you made plans for your own team/department in support of the organization's broader strategy?

Probing Questions

* What was the organization's broader strategy?

* What does that strategy mean for your team/department?

* How did you make plans for your team/department?

* How did your plan support the organization's strategy?

Level 4. Develops strategic plans

BEHAVIORS

• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of a wide range of elements of the organization's business and the industries/partners with which the organization is involved.

• Integrates understanding of the organization's business into strategic planning and decision-making across functions or business unit boundaries.

• Involves key stakeholders in developing strategic plans.

QUESTIONS

• Please describe an example of how your understanding of your organization’s business and the industries or partners with which the organization is involved has influenced or guided decisions you have taken.

Probing Questions

* What were the particular circumstances?

* Explain how your decision-making was influenced.

* Were you effective?

* How do you know?

• When identifying opportunities or negotiating business relationships, how have you gone about determining the best return on investment or maximum benefits for both your organization and the partner/client? Please give a specific example.

Probing Questions

* Describe the situation, including your role in identifying the opportunity/negotiating the relationship.

* How did you think this opportunity/relationship would be beneficial?

* How did you explain/convince the business partner/client that this was the best arrangement for both parties?

* What was the eventual outcome?

Level 5. Positions organization for long term success

BEHAVIORS

• Develops ideas for positioning the organization for long-term success.

• Identifies situations where short-term costs/disadvantages should be traded for long-term revenues/gains.

• Recognizes breakthrough opportunities that will dramatically enhance business effectiveness.

QUESTIONS

• Give us an example of a time when market demands caused you to adapt the priorities or direction of your organization.

Probing Questions

* What were the circumstances?

* How did you change the organization’s priorities or direction?

* What impact did this have on the organization?

* How did you know you made the right choices?

• Have you ever identified an opportunity that you thought would dramatically enhance overall business effectiveness?

Probing Questions

* Describe what happened.

* Why did you consider this to be such a significant opportunity?

* What actions did you take?

* What was the outcome?