Talent Selection for UniCredit Bank
Type
Gamification in HR
Industry
Finance
Client
UniCredit Bank Zrt.
Date of Commission
June 9-11, 2021
Experts
Schőberl Frigyes, Kalmár Péter, Drávai Gabriella
Benchmark Results
32 candidates | 5 group gamified assessment centers | 20 talents selected
Introduction
What do adventurous knights and UniCredit Talents have in common? They both display virtues and values that transform the workplace from merely a gathering place for employees to an inspiring, knowledge-sharing, collaborative community that achieves success together and is a pleasure to belong to. This was proven by the UniCredit Talent candidates in a selection game, adventuring in the Kingdom of Hommofis.
Story
In 2021, UniCredit Bank launched an internal Talent Program to give outstandingly skilled and motivated employees the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the organization, explore career paths, and leverage their abilities to enhance workplace processes. Committed employees who had already contributed to their workplace community’s success through their efficiency and human-centered, collaborative approach were admitted to the Talent Program following a selection process. Over the next eighteen months, the Talents were supported by personalized training opportunities and diverse events to broaden their horizons and build a shared knowledge-based workplace culture.
Why Did the Client Approach Us?
UniCredit Bank’s HR department sought a solution to traditionally and tediously screen volunteer Talent candidates for 20 open spots in the program. They were looking for an entertaining, playful solution capable of effectively and professionally assessing the program’s focus criteria. The ideal Talent candidate needed to exhibit six areas: curiosity, self-motivation, outstanding collaborative skills, resilience, dealing with change, and a desire to learn. Among 32 pre-screened candidates, these competencies needed to be assessed, for which they sought an external partner skilled in gamification and organizational development.
The Challenge
The client’s wish was for the selection process to be not a traditional Assessment Center (AC) but an event infused with experience. As the Talent Program aimed to provide its participants with exclusive opportunities and participation in tailor-made events, the selection had to be designed to both extract relevant results and data and create a common experience. The main obstacle during the selection process was stress. The pressure associated with the stakes could motivate some but disadvantage others, thus it was crucial to remove stress from the system to create equal opportunities for all candidates. Additional challenges in 2021 included pandemic measures, primarily limiting community gatherings and maintaining social distancing. Although several divisions of UniCredit Bank were open, a safe and comfortable common space had to be created for Talent candidates from various job functions. The online space offered a perfect solution. Thus, an online cooperative game, “The Unusual Knight’s Tale,” was born from the joint need for experiential and stress-free selection.
The Solution
“The Unusual Knight’s Tale” is an existing [eureka] development: an online team building game where players step into the shoes of adventurous knights. During the online team building game, players freely explore the richly adventurous and humorous Kingdom of Hommofis, encountering exciting challenges, interesting decisions, and quirky characters along the way, and ultimately confronting the evil King Kwaran Teen to restore peace to the realm and secure their eternal place in the Hall of Fame.
Framework of the Adventure
As an online team building game, more than 50 workplace teams have already experienced the light-hearted adventure, and the program’s framework provided a suitable basis for the selection process. The program components only needed to be tailored to the client’s specific needs.
The game was conducted via the Webex online platform, involving the candidates, a technician, a game leader-trainer, a selection expert from our team, and an HR observer from the client’s side.
The gamified assessment program guided the candidates’ team through 8 points. At these points, various challenges awaited the players, which they had to solve either as a team or individually while fulfilling the assessment conditions. During the game, the candidates solved cunning puzzles, collected clues, debated and made decisions, and chose their own paths to the goal.
Measuring Target Competencies Playfully
The tasks were modified so that each station assessed a target competency. The candidates navigated these stations cooperatively, and were given free rein in finding the way or method leading to the solution. The puzzles were easily solvable on their own, ensuring a shared sense of success while allowing for the evaluation of communication skills, leadership attitude, cooperation, agility, and team player elements individually and based on an expert scoring system. Thanks to the role-playing elements and the humorous narrative, participants quickly relaxed and were able to surface the competencies inherent in their personalities.
Journey Path of the Online Team Building Game
- Station: Inn at the Stinky Cat – icebreaker mission
The icebreaker mission aimed to have participants share personal successes to support each other and make internal motivators and basic communication traits measurable. - Station: Maddening Maze / Alchemist La’ Bar – collaboration and resilience
At these locations, participants had to come to a consensus on a theoretical question under time pressure, organize information, all while the purpose of the task was kept unclear to them. Leadership and team player competencies, as well as resilience levels, became measurable. - Station: Bridge of Secrets – curiosity, learning agility, and resilience
During the mission, participants had to answer unexpected and complex questions. The questions were not exact but mapped attitudes and thought processes, allowing the degree of curiosity and thinking patterns to be assessed based on reactions and answers. - Station: Giant Forest / Quirky Fair – logical task, learning agility, cooperation
At the logical assessment locations, the primarily assessable competencies were attention, learning ability, and group cooperation. - Station: Dlagon Cave / Stinkfoot Swamp – creative problem solving
At these locations, participants faced challenges that were very easy to solve, allowing for a variety of possible solutions. Reactions to unexpected situations, decision-making ability, and personality-based traits became observable. - Station: Hommofis City – debate forum
Participants had to be able to decide a theoretical dilemma by listing arguments, colliding them, and then coming to a decision. During this, team work, empathy, information organization, leadership personalities, and communication style were observed. - Station: The Castle Entrance – cooperative information sharing
At the location, players organized information they had collected separately in their teams, shared it with each other, and then selected and reorganized these based on arguments. - Station: Duel with the King – cooperation
In the final mission, players had to organize clues collected during the game and then translate them based on a self-found symbol system.
Follow-up – Report to the Client
The ideal number of participants for the online team building game is 6-8 per session. Thus, after 5 sessions of 90-minute online adventures, our team handed over a detailed report to the client. The report included a description of the program elements, the candidates’ objective-professional scoring, a brief, subjective characterization of each candidate, and finally a recommendation on suitability for the Talent program. The client accepted the report and its findings and decided on participation in the program according to our recommendations.

Results
32 – individual and team assessment and complete evaluation of candidates
5 – gamified AC sessions, which were feasible within
2 working days 100% – client approval of our suggestions and findings
Feedback
I really enjoyed today’s game, I’m glad I could spy on it. I will be very curious about your final proposal, some players have already grown close to my heart.
Sz. J. – UniCredit Bank HR staff (client)