Background
The State Grid in China is responsible for the electricity transmission and distribution throughout the People’s Republic of China. Its role is central to the progress of economic and social development. It is a state-owned enterprise with 1.5 million employees, and is one of the largest organizations in the world. The China National Grid Advance Training Centre occupies a large site in the north of the city of Beijing. It has bedroom accommodation for 600 students at any one time and offers higher level management and technical training for the industry.
The challenges faced by the electricity industry are considerable. Much of the electricity production in China is located in the west of the country while demand from the consumers is concentrated in the coastal regions and the east.
The State Grid is committed to the establishment of a ‘hyper-grid’ across the country to meet the future demands. Management capability must be improved at all levels and the industry must become more competitive in the way it delivers its service to customers. Expansion of the activities of the National Grid Advance Training Centre is an essential part of this transition.
The Centre’s Activities
The Centre delivers a program of residential courses for Chinese managers from the national and provincial organizations which are constituents of the State Grid organisations. The dominant approach is classroom instruction and courses can run from two to three months in duration to less than a week. The syllabus mainly concentrates on management training, though some technical subjects are included; class groups can comprise up to 100 participants, with 20-30 being the normal size. Classroom instructors are drawn from the industry, government, research departments and subject experts. Multimedia is used in the classroom. There is an increasing need for compliance and financial training, and a growing interest in overseas practices. For some years the most Senior Managers in the sector have received training overseas
Although some of the participants may have a degree which includes management science, for many it will be the first experience of management training. Attendance at the College can be linked with promotion on the return, so there is generally a high level of motivation on the part of learners.
Classroom training to learning
One of the challenges facing the College is the need to develop a range of approaches to learning. The Training Centre together with a local consultancy firm, Alphasta Learning Solutions, has embarked on some research pilots to introduce different methods of learning through “Leadership Transformation” learning projects. The methods included:-
Leadership Competency Modelling and Assessment by First Line Managers
The leadership competency modelling and assessment has allowed each Manager to understand and establish clear job expectations, both for themselves as well as for their direct reports. This learning has become essential to support their role shift from “planned” to “market” economy. Once the gaps are discovered and agreed, the Managers are frequently encouraged to learn what is required through self-study.
Structured and Guided Business Improvement Projects by Leadership Coaching
Coaching and managing continuous improvements capability of the Managers are developed through the introduction of the Six Sigma methodology to improve their project performance. This coupled with a “coaching skills” certification for the project team leaders has allowed the managers to learn and acquire essential competencies to support their new role as a leaders practicing “democratic management”.
Managerial Competency Certification through a Learning Log process
The Learning Log acts as a structured reflective learning tool-kit that allows the managers to codify their tacit knowledge, allowing them to confirm and share their learning. This practice has not only allowed the managers to align their learning to the organization but also to their personal needs.
Future Challenges
The College has now produced its 11th five-year plan. This mainly focuses on the expansion of the facilities; from 600 residential places to 800. The volume requirements for trained managers dominate most of the other considerations but must take place alongside a transition agenda. The size and scale of the management challenge cannot be understated and must dominate thinking on future plans.