Background
The Jardine Matheson Group is an Asian-based conglomerate with companies involved in engineering and construction, transport services, motor trading, property, retailing, restaurants, hotels, transport services, financial services and insurance broking. Many of the companies in the group have their headquarters in Hong Kong. Just over 230000 people are employed across the group.
There is a strong commitment to organisational and individual development. Even in adverse business circumstances there has been no concerted effort to cut training. Jill Dodwell-Groves, the Hong Kong based Head of Executive Development, has responsibility for creating and managing learning opportunities for the most Senior Executives (some 400 in total). A key driver in the process is the staff planning system. Once a year every company in the group must submit a succession plan based on their organisation chart. This plan is colour-coded and identifies potential successors for each position and the potential of the individual in the existing job. The classifications include: capable of advancing a number of levels; capable of advancing to the next level; need to develop within the level – through to ‘at risk’. Those Executives who are capable of moving readily across different businesses are also identified. This central reporting only embraces the most senior levels. In addition, however, central staff planning applies to the finance and HR functions and to a number of high fliers across the group.
A key element of the group-wide development process is an agreed set of competencies. You see these by clicking on the link below. These permit a common development approach and vocabulary to be put in place at senior levels across the group, via the appraisal and development centre processes. According to Jill Dodwell-Groves the competency list inevitably reflects an international/ British originated organisational culture but there has been no difficulty in gaining acceptance for them across a wide range of nationalities and different business situations. Many companies within the group have their own industry specific competencies.
These competencies underpin the Group Development Centres which are held for Executives across the region and held at Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and mainland China. Centres are organised as intensive workshops in which participants undertake a series of simulated management tasks and receive feedback from observers. These are followed by two day training workshops designed to improve skills and enhance individual development needs in the areas identified.
At the most senior level there is an emphasis on bringing managers away from their jobs into shared learning experiences. However there has been a move away from the more traditional taught course. Many of the most senior managers have received extensive business school education and there is little point in repeating these activities. Indeed there is a danger of engendering a negative reaction. Instead Groups of Directors have been taken on corporate visits – known as the Directors Development Initiative to gain an appreciation of the business challenges outside the Jardine Group and the Asian region. There is also a Business Enhancement Initiative, for those with potential to become Directors, which addresses a recognised need in the group to develop their wider business awareness. The participants will, as part of a group of 10-12, spend 12 days over a four month period visiting other companies within the group and see how they operate in different countries across the region. They also meet connected companies, and competitors to understand the whole market and supply chain.
Increasingly Jardines has sought to build up their own capability in management and skills training and transfer programme design from external consultants. In this way it is possible to build a stronger link with business objectives. As Jill Dodwell-Groves puts it:
“We are fortunate in the level of support we get form the top. For example, our Chief Executive recognises that leadership development is not something that can easily be measured in financial terms and therefore he sees the ‘proof’ of the value of learning in terms of improved performance and the increased self confidence and motivation of the executives, rather than in specific $ terms. However, we will only maintain this position if we focus on the business requirements and not on learning for its own sake”.