Roundtable is a standard practice I have used with all hiring. This practice allows for simple management of the hiring process and drives deadlines. To avoid group think, two tactics are important:
- The interview questions become the agenda for the meeting. Each question is reviewed from each candidate and each interviewer. This allows for an objective discussion focused on interview.
- The roundtable meeting must occur within 24 hours of the final interview.
Mark,
It sounds like you have established an effective process which works well for you. Once you have a standardized process as you describe in place, then the interviewers know what is expected of them as well. The role of the manager is key in this process as well. The manager must facilitate the full process from start to finish. Everyone (all interviewers) must participate in the round table and all opinions must be heard and respected. It sounds like your process follows this format.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
We have been very successful to avoid a "group think" situation by submitting brief written appraisals after the roundtable discussion. This alleviates the "heavy" opinion and usually gets great comments on the table. This assumes that the chief administrator is not heavy handed. If this were so there probably would not be this type of forum! The team has many players from all levels which works very well.
Ken
Kenneth,
Roundtable interviews are good as one part of the interview process. Having group members submit brief written appraisals is definitely a positive way to assess each person's input. A "collaborative" approach is good for morale and if the interviewee is hired, it helps assimilate them in the on-boarding process. However, there must only be one individual who makes the hiring decision, the hiring manager. He or she is then accountable for the hire's integration into the organization, their development and success. Group input is a great tool, but expectations need to be clear and the group must understand that they are one part of the information gathering process, before a hiring decision is made.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
