Case Study: Proving the Value of Leadership Development

A world-renowned research university, founded in 1876, serves more than 24,000 students across ten academic divisions and employs nearly 30,000 staff members. With a long-standing commitment to learning and development, the university recognizes that leadership capability is critical to navigating the rapidly evolving higher education landscape.

To strengthen leadership effectiveness and prepare leaders for future challenges, the university partnered with Assessments International to implement a scalable, feedback-driven leadership development strategy centered around The PROFILOR® 360.

The Challenge: Balancing Customization, Resources, and Measurable Impact

As higher education continues to face unprecedented change, the university sought to ensure its leaders were equipped with the skills and insights needed to address current demands while preparing for future opportunities. The university faced three key challenges::

  • Customized Leadership Feedback: The university needed a 360-degree feedback solution tailored to its unique leadership needs.

  • Managing Budget Constraints: Fluctuating budgets required a leadership development approach that was both sustainable and cost-effective.

  • Proving ROI and Program Impact: The university needed measurable evidence of leadership growth and return on investment.

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The Solution

The university began working with Assessments International in 2019, implementing The PROFILOR® 360 as a cornerstone of its leadership development efforts. Since then, the use of The PROFILOR® 360 has expanded significantly and is now integrated into several leadership programs across the institution, including:

Expanding Leadership Development Across the University
The PROFILOR® 360 has become a core component of leadership development across the university, supporting leaders in the flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP), the School of Medicine, and the School of Public Health.
A Customized Approach to Leadership Feedback
Assessments International partnered closely with university stakeholders to tailor both the assessment content and delivery process, ensuring alignment with the institution's leadership competencies, culture, and development goals.
Implementing the Progress Check: A Follow-Up 360
Under the leadership of the university’s Inaugural Director of Leadership Learning, the university also implemented the Progress Check, a follow-up 360-degree assessment, to reinforce development and accountability.
Measuring Behavioral Change
Approximately six months after the initial PROFILOR® 360, participants receive feedback from the same raters on selected development goals. This process provides measurable insight into leadership improvement, effort, and behavioral change over time.
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Leadership Development Outcomes

The partnership has delivered measurable results and transformed how the university evaluates leadership development effectiveness:

  • Demonstrated Leadership Growth: The 2026 cohort of 38 senior leaders achieved aggregated Improvement and Effort scores of 3.4 and 3.7 (4-point scale) across 65 leadership behaviors, from 360-degree feedback by 346 mostly anonymous respondents. 

  • Evidence of ROI: For the first time in the 29-year history of the university's Leadership Development Program, leaders were able to demonstrate empirical evidence of program impact through measurable feedback data.

  • Better Development Prioritization: Insights generated through The PROFILOR® 360 and Progress Check processes helped the university clarify learning needs priorities over time and reflect these in their LDPs.

  • Sustainable Partnership: Assessments International's ability to customize solutions, adapt to budget realities, and provide ongoing administrative support has enabled the university to scale leadership development across a highly matrixed and geographically dispersed organization.

“Trusted partners in proving the impact of executive leadership development.” 

[The university] has used The PROFILOR® 360 for several years, and partnering with Terri and her team has been genuinely rewarding. As a behavioral scientist, I especially value the methodological rigor of the instrument and the competencies it measures. What I appreciate most about the team is their openness to adapt to our realities and objectives. Equally valuable is their ongoing administrative support as we run assessments across a highly matrixed, widely dispersed organization. Terri and Assessments International are among the most trusted partners I have had the pleasure of working with, and I recommend them without hesitation.

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