The document proposes applying concepts from the talent competition show "The Voice" to make HR processes like hiring, interviewing, and promotions more impartial and eliminate bias. It suggests conducting initial phone screens, resume reviews, and interviews "blind" without names or identities to prevent unconscious bias. An AI system could additionally assess skills, leadership potential, and work style fit. For promotions, the document recommends using blind skills tests and panel presentations evaluated against clear, public criteria, along with incorporating public opinion votes. An algorithm would determine promotions based on assessment scores, manager reviews, and public input.

1. The Voice Process What HR can Learn from The Voice for a Reimagined Process
Pre-Blind Auditions:
Screening behind the screens before
someone can even land in front of judges.
Despite how much we are aware of it, unconscious bias in the recruiting process often
finds its way in. If we did phone screens blind, we could eliminate some of this bias.
Pre Screen Process:
Talent Acquisition: Blind Initial Phone Screen
 Blind Resume review: No names or identifiable information.
 Blind Interviews: Just the voice.
+ Additional Vetting capability by AI: Assessment for skills, potential, leadership to
pass them on to the next round.
Slate of finalists go forward to the Manager Level Blind Auditions.
Blind Auditions:
The contestants all have 90 seconds to
perform a song of their choice. Coaches
have their chairs turned initially. If the
Coach likes the voice they heard, they
press their button and turn around.
Competing judges who have turned
around pitch themselves on why they
would be the best choice as a coach for
the contestant.
Blocks: (Given only 1 round)
Coaches are able to block others
anonymously from matching with
contestants and are only revealed if the
coach chooses the contestant
Studies have shown hiring managers often consciously and unconsciously select people
who look like or have similar backgrounds than they do. If we continue the blind
interviewing, we could eliminate some additional bias. In addition, the results of the
AI assessment will drive for an additional impartial data point during the interviewing
process.
Interviewing & Selection Process:
Talent Acquisition: Blind Interviews with Hiring Managers
 Blind panel interview with presentation on the same case study to demonstrate
critical thinking, solution building, and communications skills.
 Just the voice is revealed in the presentation.
If multiple managers want to make an offer, all the managers make a pitch about why
the candidate should pick them displaying information about their
coaching/leadership style, where they have shined in their careers that may be areas
of interest of development of the candidates.
+ Additional Blocking capability by AI: Assessment on candidate preferred
developmental, communications, and working style results are matched against hiring
manager’s style and blocked by the system if there is a mismatch. This will enable a
stronger fit between the applicant and manager and could potentially avoid possible
retention issues.

2. The Voice Process What HR can Learn from The Voice for a Reimagined Process
Battle and Live Rounds:
During the Battle Rounds, the Coaches pit
two of their own team members against
each other to sing the same song
together. The Artists are vying for their
Coach's confidence and decision to take
them to the next round.
Live rounds: This includes a performance,
a coach’s evaluation and then a public’s
vote.
In the meantime, there are Advisors who
are brought in to serve as mentors to the
contestants.
Steals: If an artist is not selected in the
Battleround, a coach can steal that
contestant.
Promotions are typically awarded through an ongoing assessment of performance and
potential by individual managers. Depending on the organization, there are in theory
limited seats for promotions and roles opened for one to elevate into. Often bias can
creep into the process and subjective qualitative input as part of a manager’s decision-
making process. Often promotion criteria is not clear and people who are not
promoted feel unjustly passed over.
Promotion Process: Tests/ Panel Presentation/Public Voting
+ AI assessment capability for promotion criteria: What if AI could provide a test on
leadership criteria, potential, knowledge and skills / capability at the next level?
Criteria can be laid out clearly in terms of pass/no pass as a step in the promotion
process. People who pass the assessment, move on to the next step of panel
managers and public opinion.
Candidates who are up for promotion to a similar level against a set number of known
open roles in an organization, are tested and present on the same topic to a panel of
managers. Managers judge their performance and a collective average assessment
is used as a data point in the promotion algorithm. The collective assessment of
managers against the consistent criteria would help control for some levels of bias
and subjective decision making.
How much should public opinion matter? When we have talent assessment
discussions, often it’s the responsibility of senior leaders to collate the feedback from
other stakeholders on the individual and represent that. What if we allowed public
voting to weigh in on the outcome? We do it for government elections…why
shouldn’t employees have a voice in who the would like their leadership pipeline to
look like? It could result in popular personalities surfacing but part of this teaches
junior employees how to relations build.
An algorithm can consider the inputs from the assessment, manager panel score, and
public opinion scores to determine who should be promoted.