Case studies
The changing role of the trainer
- Changing the Role of a Training Function at HSBC
- Supporting a training and development culture at TNT
- Matching Training Interventions with Organisational Needs at INFOSYS
Changing the Role of a Training Function at HSBC
Background
Headquartered in London, HSBC Holdings plc is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. The HSBC Group's international network comprises some 223,000 staff across some 10,000 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's local bank'. At its core throughout the world are domestic commercial banking and financial services that fund themselves locally and do business locally.
Reflecting the nature of the business and a commitment to the development of employees, there has been a strong tradition of training within the organisation. HSBC currently has 15 regional training centres in operation worldwide, and a residential Group Management Training College in Hertfordshire.
Toward learning and development
The growing diversity of the financial services business, increasing competition in this sector and the sheer complexity of a global business ensures the Group continually refines its approach to 'learning and development'. A significant reorganisation involving the merger of three corporate training teams took place in 2002 and a major review of training and learning activities was completed in July 2004. This review has led to better alignment with the business, a stronger commercial focus and a move to emphasise and support the learner and his or her manager in managing their learning. The department has also changed its title from 'Training' to 'Learning and Development' highlighting this change in focus.
In a document issued in March 2004 Graham Craddock, the Group Head of Learning and Development, recast the traditional systematic training model (or instructional systems design model) to reflect greater customer orientation and the new skills and approaches required. The learning and development process diagram set out in the document is reproduced below.
In introducing the training review document, Graham Craddock emphasised the need to move from 'volume to value', believing 'It is essential that the learning and training function operates in areas which add greatest value to the business'. A number of senior managers have taken consultancy roles with responsibility for effective learning and development interventions for the main HSBC customer groups - emphasising the need for greater continuity with the business.
Essential to this approach is a need to achieve greater agility and speed to market and this means different approaches to delivery. Generally there is a commitment to move away from the training course as the primary solution to learning and development needs and to make use of alternative delivery channels to support learners - e-learning in particular is being used in many areas of the Group.
Supporting a training and development culture at TNT
Background
TNT UK Ltd, the express and logistics delivery service, employs over 9,500 staff working throughout the UK and Ireland. The majority of these employees work at one of over 60 major depots as drivers or operational loaders, servicing both the UK and international markets. The delivery and logistics industry is heavily monitored to ensure that the flow of parcels can be tracked, but also for security reasons.
TNT believes in 'growing your own timber', promoting staff from within the company; several depot general managers started out as drivers or indoor sales executives. It is therefore important to TNT that staff have a meaningful development path. One of the challenges has been to change the attitude of line managers from 'my job is getting parcels out' to 'my job is to develop my staff to do their jobs better'. Unusually for an organisation employing mainly blue-collar staff, all staff, from drivers and loading bay operators to general managers and directors, have annual appraisals.
Promoting the development culture
TNT is committed to Investors in People (IiP) and has won awards for its training and development. The company firmly believes that individual learning, rather than directive training, is critical to business success. To quote from one of the managers, Dave Spong, Depot General Manager, Barking, 'Training, developing and empowering your people gives you the freedom and the confidence to make changes quickly, affect your business positively and achieve results.' The benefits of this culture can be seen in better delegation, succession planning, and in reducing staff turnover - crucial when there is a national driver shortage.
This view is articulated and promoted through the production of a people development charter. This one page document is displayed prominently throughout all offices and depots and is highlighted as part of the induction process. The charter outlines what is expected from senior managers, line managers and staff in the following terms:
All TNT managers will:
- remain actively committed to the development of TNT people
- work to build a company culture which encourages and supports learning
- lead by example in developing people
- recognise and respect the valuable contribution of our people
Your line manager will:
- actively encourage your personal and professional development
- provide you with regular feedback on your performance
- help you to continuously improve your skills and knowledge
- ensure your learning is linked to the success of your team and the company
You should:
- take responsibility for your own development and learning
- apply new skills and knowledge at your workplace
- know that whatever your job, wherever your location, you have the opportunity to develop
Supporting and auditing training and learning
A team of eight regional training officers, managed by a regional training manager, supports and audits the systems in place for training and learning. They must ensure that 'what is promised' happens. Their responsibilities include: monitoring and supporting line managers at depots; carrying out IiP internal audits; checking personnel files and appraisal forms.
Line managers undertake appraisal training as part of their management training and carry immediate responsibility for ensuring all their staff have meaningful appraisals. The regional training officers support line managers but also check that appraisals take place annually and that any training needs that are identified are met.
One of the key reasons for the success of TNT's training and learning interventions is its evident alignment with the culture and practices of the organisation. Regular performance indicators on the training and learning efforts (for example appraisal forms completed and training requests met) are produced and discussed at management meetings. As Ruth James, Head of People Development, says 'It's imperative that our line managers take their people management responsibilities seriously to enable them to develop their staff for success. The regional training officer's role is to support and encourage line managers in their people management responsibilities as well as to report and assess how they perform against target.'
Matching Training Interventions with Organisational Needs at INFOSYS
Background: The growth of the company
Infosys is one of the fastest growing and most successful IT services companies in the world. Founded by seven professionals in 1981, it relocated to Bangalore the following year. It is a global player in the knowledge economy with headquarters in India.
The original founders, all of whom had a technical, engineering or scientific background, established the company when India was a controlled economy. They were unable to obtain permission to import a computer and began by selling their services to local organisations, often foreign owned, who possessed the necessary hardware. They then entered an arrangement with a US owned software house and moved through a phase of gradual growth. Their reputation, in common with a number of Indian software houses, was established at Y2K. This was the time when the systems and packages throughout the world needed overhaul and India had the ability to deliver reliably and quickly.
Infosys was listed on the US NASDAQ exchange for high-tech stocks in 1999 and is now a $1 billion turnover company. Its growth was assisted by a cautious, conservative attitude at the time of the dot.com bubble. It has traditionally been focused on IT services but is moving towards higher value added services by providing business solutions. Infosys has always been strong on application development and maintenance, particularly of legacy software systems. It is rated at the highest level five of the CMM (Carnegie Mellon standard) for the software industry.
In the words of the Head of Education and Research at Infosys, Dr M.P. Ravindra:
"Our aim is to become a provider of business solutions leveraging technology to compete with any consultancy in the world." This ambition is built on the vast pool of talent available in India, but demands a commitment to maintain, enhance and update skills at all levels.
Investment in knowledge and learning
Infosys' corporate message is "powered by intellect, driven by values" and the company makes a considerable investment in knowledge and learning. The human resource concerns mirror those of any large knowledge intensive company. They have moved from 15 to 6 tiers of staff and they have introduced an Employee Stock Option Plan (the first in India). There is a competency system in place and every individual must have a training plan, based on these competencies, which takes account of individual performance, organisational priorities and, where appropriate, client feedback.
Training interventions are organised in four key areas:
- Technical training (which accounts for 50% of training effort)
- Managerial and skills training (25%)
- Domain training (knowledge of specific industry 12.5%)
- Quality processes (12.5%)
The training department intervenes through just-in-time training courses, mainly delivered off the job and mainly project specific. There is an ambitious knowledge management programme in place with rewards and reorganisation for those staff who submit knowledge assets, which are highly rated by their peers. A new knowledge product, Kspeak, is under development - the idea is that someone telephones in with an enquiry, probably on a technical subject. The answer or solution will be generated through voice recognition and intelligent systems and mailed back to the person concerned.
Despite this technical sophistication, to date Infosys has not committed heavily to e-learning. There is probably more reliance on the classroom than in a US or European firm. Dr Ravindra expresses his perspective in the following terms: "Learning should be supported not automated."
The scope of the challenge
Infosys currently employs over 35,000 staff throughout the world. Three-quarters of them work in India with the headquarters at Bangalore, in India's silicon valley, organised as an impressive and attractive campus. To reach the campus you have to travel on grossly overcrowded and under maintained roads - India's poor infrastructure is recognised a major constraint for its growth.
The major impression that Infosys leaves on the outsider is the scale of its ambitions and problems. Infoys receives nearly a million annual applications for employment and in the last year recruited 10,000 new candidates. In India students who proceed through the University career system are only allowed to accept one job offer. They cannot choose at the last moment or try to play one employer against the other.
The offer to acceptance ratio is therefore critical and Infosys claim that theirs is running at 85%. Across the company all new-entrant foundation students receive 14 weeks training. To cope with an entry cohort of this size a new induction course starts each month. Delivery is 50% classroom and 50% hands-on activity with the support of a mentor. The training facility at Mysore can train 4,500 trainees at any one time and this figure can be increased to 6,000 if electronic enablers are used.
This was produced on behalf of the CIPD by the University of Cambridge,
Programme for industry.