Developing influential leaders to drive transformation in Saudi Arabia

• The Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (MiSK)
• Government sector
• Headquartered in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Founded in 2011

Solution

In previous years, MiSK found the selection process to have a fragmented approach, with inconsistent use of competencies throughout the selection process and a lack of clarity around the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines. By partnering with Talogy, MiSK aimed to create a more consistent and robust selection process to Identify 90 successful participants from 5,000+ applicants.

The solution from Talogy can be looked at in three phases:

1. Select: through psychometric assessments, video interviews and competency-based interviews, Talogy helped the MiSK Foundation effectively process a large volume of applications to identify high potential Saudi leaders who can contribute to the realisation of Vision 2030
2. Develop: Talogy co-led the design of a transformative, highly experiential, 9-month long leadership programme to set the leaders up for the kingdom’s transformational journey
3. Enable: through the creation of MiSK’s Leadership Society where the selected high potential senior leaders collaborate towards society’s greater good

Talogy accomplished this by considering the below aspects:

• Analyse the current selection process, including the identification of any gaps or areas for improvement.
• Enhance and develop leadership selection process that aligns with the Vision 2030 and MiSK Foundation goals.
• Design and develop selection materials, including application form, assessment criteria, and assessment tools.
• Identify and select potential leaders for the programme.
• Develop SOPs for each selection stage.
• Ensure that the selection process is fair, transparent, and inclusive by introducing Quality Assurance at each stage.

Results

• Talogy and the MiSK Foundation created a streamlined assessment process that successfully managed a high application volume – a process that was subsequently established for multiple cohorts in the following years.
  • Over 1,800 applicants completed psychometric assessments.
  • 750 + video Interviews took place
  • 250 + Competency Based Interviews took place
  • 100 Interviews were co-conducted as Lead Assessors
  • 50 feedback sessions completed
• Through collaboration, we established consistent, fair and outstanding quality control criteria to select the best leaders for the programme.
  • Quality control was conducted for the participants at the key steps of the selection process, including:
  • 30% of total applications
  • 50% of total interviews
  • 100% of competency-based interviews