Background
Regional Policy directorate general (DG REGIO) is one of about 40 directorate generals of the European Commission. It employs some 650 staff who originate from all 25 member countries. Although in terms of headcount it is a medium-sized directorate general (DG), it is currently responsible for the second largest spending budget. To quote from an official publication:
“It allocates a major part of the funds granted to the Cohesion policy, which represents more than one third of the budget of the European Union to the reduction of the gaps in development among regions and disparities among the citizens in terms of well-being.”
This is a high profile activity for the Community and the DG places much emphasis on the integrity of systems to ensure that the spend is appropriately directed and monitored.
DG REGIO staff have a range of technical specialisms, including policy expertise and finance. Many of them travel widely or spend extended periods of time in the Member States. Building good relationships with the governments of Member States and the Regions is recognised as critical to success.
The move from the classroom
In this environment the training teams within the DG face a particular set of challenges. They have to deliver what is required to the individual against tight time pressures; many staff have limited time available for the office, let alone the training room. Any training must be of a high quality and trainers must be aware of the sensitive political environment in which DG REGIO operates. The training function must always look ahead to future demands: in 2007 for example a new set of Member States will join the European Union. At the same time, new procedures and regulations for the structural funds together with a new budget of about 300 billion euro for the next programming period 2007-2013 are entering into force.
A key part of the response has been to take a range of initiatives designed to assist one-to-one training and learning and to create a coaching capacity. The initiatives in place will achieve both and promote more effective individual learning and develop a better culture to support learning.
However, there is still a place for the classroom. In the view of Marc Wauquier, the Head of Training, the classroom will remain the most effective method of delivering what is required or compulsory, for example in accountancy or policy and procedures. Importantly the Deputy Head, Lena ter Woort, observes:
“The classroom will need to become a different vehicle. It will become much more interactive building on the joint knowledge in the training room. We will need to be much better at supporting the transmission of the knowledge and skills acquired back to the workplace.”
Whatever may happen to the classroom, the DG REGIO training teams agree that the development of one-to-one training and learning is critical. The individual learner’s needs are very specific, the initial levels of knowledge can vary, and much of the expertise is only available within the DG and must be delivered at the optimum time.
Some current initiatives
As has been noted, many of the initiatives are designed not simply to achieve an immediate objective, but also to build the coaching capacity within the DG. Much emphasis is therefore placed on providing one-to-one support at an early stage. In this way the learner appreciates the benefit of the approach and his or her commitment increases.
Peer coaching – Peer coaching was formally introduced in January 2005. Its purpose is to offer each newcomer to the Directorate a coach drawn from within the existing staff. Ideally the coach is appointed by the line manager before the new joiner starts his or her employment. The criterion for selecting a coach includes a good working knowledge of procedures and tools as well as good interpersonal communication skills. The time commitment is estimated as an hour a day for two months. A recent review of the initiative indicates that it has been very well received. Recognised areas for improvement have been identified: coaches were not always appointed before arrival of the new colleague, which led to some coaches not being adequately aware of what was expected of them; some found it difficult to find the time to discharge responsibilities.
The three-way meeting – As part of a nine step process, one of the induction steps is a formal meeting held between the new entrant, his or her line manager and a member of the training team. This normally takes place some three weeks after arrival. The purpose is to identify the most urgent training needs (across a wide range of competencies) and to determine how they may be met in the short and medium term. The training teams are seeking to develop a more formal individual training and learning plan to assist this process. Three-way meetings provide important input into the future training programmes and a possibility for continuous exchange with the managers of the DG.
Mentoring
The mentoring scheme was introduced at the same time as the peer coaching initiative. The purpose here is to provide long term support beyond the initial induction stage. Participation is voluntary and so far some 25 staff members have agreed to undertake mentoring training and to act as a mentor. They are committed to meeting the mentee at least once a week over a six week period and thereafter twice a month for at least six months. Many of the mentees come from the new Member States which entered the European Union in 2004. It is a valuable learning experience for both mentee and mentors, which facilitates diversity and indirectly benefits the organisation.
Executive coaching
This initiative was introduced in 2004 and is aimed at senior and middle managers, who must, in advance, have participated in the Commission's Internal eight-day Management Training Programme. Some thirty out of forty eligible managers have taken up the opportunity. The executive coaches are external consultants who are accredited by the Commission's central training unit and work as subcontractors for the Commission. The manager would expect to receive 12 sessions of 1½ hours. The early feedback from the scheme has been very positive. All the coaches meet with the training team and provide valuable input for the design of future training initiatives.
Network of key users
These are the technical specialists who support the major system changes. Their role is particularly important since, in 2002, a major shift in procedures took place away from paper-based towards electronic processes. The system changes were designed and implemented by external contractors but 20 members of staff were identified as key users. They played an important role in providing input at the design stage. Subsequently their most important tasks are to support users on a one-to-one basis and to provide feedback on problems. In retrospect, Anne Verbist, a member of the Guidance and Informatic Training Team, recognises that the initial training of the key users over-emphasised the technical features. Little attention was given to the need for key users to acquire the critical training or coaching skills. Equally the need to acquire and deploy such skills were insufficiently taken into account in the choice of advisers by line mangers in some business units.
Network of trainers
While the key user initiative concentrates on information and system change, the network of trainers relates to the technical and policy issues which fall outside IT. The network now consists of some 41 members of staff – all of whom have relevant and important subject matter expertise (for example in financial management, the European Structural Funds or audit). Most of their training is delivered to small groups, although they can be called on to give one-to-one support. The time commitment could range from as much as 15 days a year to as little as one and a half days.
None of these initiatives in themselves are out of the ordinary. What is unusual is the wide and ambitious range of activities, all of which are designed to place more emphasis on the individual learner through the provision of one-to-one support. Clearly senior management commitment and understanding is essential as is their recognition that much effective learning takes place outside the training room. Considerable pressure is involved in terms of staff time. Some of the initiatives, for example those focused on the effective use of IT systems, produce a very evident, immediate and often quantifiable business benefit. Others are directed to the longer term and to building capacity within the DG or the institution.
The training teams spend much of their effort reviewing and refining the initiatives. Continuous improvement is essential. A major issue is the need to ensure that there is a more consistent level of commitment and support across the unit. The least committed unit must be brought up to an acceptable level. There are also communication issues. As Marc Wauquier puts it:
“People are aware of the initiatives that affect them immediately, but they do not necessarily appreciate the underlying strategy. It is difficult to communicate the whole piece.”
Lena ter Woort also identifies recognition and reward of those people who are acting as peer coaches and mentors as an issue. They can spend considerable time in these activities. Cash rewards would run counter to the remuneration strategies. Currently efforts are in hand to ensure that contributors are recognised in the annual performance review.
Such problems are challenging. However the training teams are confident that the emphasis on one-to-one training, learning and the development of a coaching capacity is the right strategy for the DG. As more people experience the benefits, support is growing and new approaches, for example the introduction of action learning sets as well as job shadowing in a unit-to-unit exchange approach, become feasible.
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