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The Grönholm method and group HR selection
What is the Grönholm Method, what are its benefits, and how to apply it in the company for personnel selection.
Marcos Lopez
HR Consultant
10 of March, 2025
One of the most highly valued soft skills in HR is the ability to work in a team. After all, whenever we add a new member to our teams, we hope that she or he will fit in as best as possible. One way to analyze this is through the well-known Grönholm method, which is increasingly widespread among HR professionals.
Thanks to the Grönholm method, we can analyze how candidates work in teams. We learn about their character and skills in various situations similar to those they would face on the job. A role-play that will help us make an accurate selection.
Interestingly, this method originates from a stage play. The playwright Jordi Galceran wrote this story involving four characters waiting for a job interview at a Swedish company. From this play evolved books, movies, more plays… and its application in HR.
What is the Grönholm method?
In HR, it is a personnel selection technique where we look for the ideal candidate using group tests. The goal is to introduce candidates into a context where they must strive for a common goal. Every participant has his or her particular interest, and must behave in a certain way.
On the one hand, they must fulfill the assigned role, and on the other, they must reach the group goal we have proposed. The role the worker assumes cannot be changed and generally involves extreme situations.
This strategy not only allows us to analyze the ability to work in a team but also to observe how candidates assess situations and react to problems that arise. By being group tests, candidates exhibit traits and characteristics that are difficult to detect by other means.
It’s often said that interviewers do not choose the candidate, but that candidates eliminate themselves. The one who gets the best results will secure the position. To do this, they must demonstrate superior leadership and teamwork skills compared to the other participants.
How to apply the Grönholm method in a company
It’s important to note that the Grönholm method is a late part of the selection process. The HR team will first sift through the initial resumes. From there, individual interviews begin. Finally, a pre-selection of candidates will proceed to the group exercise.
In addition to deciding which candidates will participate, they must establish the tests to be conducted and each candidate’s role. Once we have completed this preliminary phase, we call the candidates to explain the exercise and the methodology to follow.
It is crucial to clearly explain what needs to be done and the goal. Otherwise, we run the risk of a candidate abandoning the test because they feel uncomfortable. How can you be sure that the candidate who decides to leave wasn’t the person you were looking for?
Typically, these tests take place in a closed room. While candidates assume their roles, evaluators watch from the outside how they interact with each other. A hidden camera can even be used to review the test and analyze each candidate later.
In the developed dialogue, candidates should expose their own arguments and ideas. They are obligated to pursue the group objective, as well as their interests. Thus, they will defend their position or foster meetings between candidates to achieve a more critical goal.
The Grönholm method and your HR software
Throughout all this process, the HR team should use HR software such as Sesame HR. In the initial phase, it helps us complete the initial screening of resumes, speeding up the process and reducing hiring time.
As individual interviews proceed, we update each candidate’s profiles, particularly those that have made the best impressions and advance to the next phase of the process. Additionally, we can share the information with other recruiters in the organization so that nothing is missed.
When we conduct this group recruitment session, each observer has all the necessary information about each candidate at his or her disposal. Here we can also assign the different roles of each candidate in the meeting, as well as the mission. It enables us to keep track of the candidate and grade them.
Pros and cons of the Grönholm method
Like any other recruitment strategy, the Grönholm method has its strengths, but also some drawbacks. Here are the advantages of the Grönholm method in personnel selection:
- Analysis of real situations: candidates face situations similar to those they will find in their everyday work.
- Soft skills: it’s not limited to technical knowledge, as we can also analyze the soft skills of the candidate. Leadership, teamwork, emotional management, working under pressure, reaction to stress…
- Knowledge analysis: we can include tests that demand technical knowledge. In this way, we find out if their real experience and knowledge match those reflected in their resumes… or if they have lied.
Despite these advantages, the Grönholm method has its critics. The main criticism focuses on the extreme competitiveness. After all, they are several people fighting for a job. Poorly handled, it can lead to conflicts between the candidates.
The pressure and toll on the candidates are also criticized. Especially among those discarded. If the test is very tough, our image as an employer can be negatively affected. The company must manage conflicts properly.
Did you find it interesting? If you want to learn more about how Sesame HR can help you apply the Grönholm method and other selection processes, don’t miss the rest of the content on our blog.
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I'm Marcos López, HR consultant at Sesame HR. Book a meeting with my team to help you.