Leadership development is high on the agenda for organisations in this post-recession era as they tackle the challenges of globalisation, fast-moving technologies and increased business competition. Their priority is to nurture skilled people who have the potential to drive economic growth and inspire their teams.
"It is important for an organisation to build a strong and agile leadership pipeline for both current and future roles," says Rajiv Govil, European head of HR at the multinational technology company HCL. The organisation which employs 90,000 people in 31 countries, has seen a 26% growth in business in five years. Its response is to increase its number of homegrown managers with leadership potential through its Top Gun programme which is made up of action learning, networking and webinars.
Other HR departments and management developers are implementing fresh approaches to nurturing leaders. The traditional route of interminable training courses held in stuffy conference suites has been replaced by real-life business projects which can be tailored to build on an individual's strengths. Short blocks of learning dotted over a long period of time are the norm, allowing participants to absorb new knowledge and apply it in the workplace.
Retail giant Marks & Spencer made leadership development a priority in 2009 and its head of learning, recruitment and organisation development, Nigel Jeremy, responded with a programme called Lead to Succeed. The initiative is based around a set of four two-day residential modules "to create one common leadership culture", and to foster "logic and empathy [while] creating insight to make difficult decisions".
New business priorities
Lead to Succeed has been bolstered to meet new business priorities. "When Marc Bolland joined as chief executive in 2010, it became clear that we would need to develop our online business and that we would get serious about how to lead an international business," says Jeremy. He added three modules to address these demands as well as to respond to its sustainability initiative, Plan A.
Marks & Spencer's leaders make up 450 directors, executives and department heads out of a global workforce of 85,000 employees in 52 countries.
Its HR director, Tanith Dodge, works with senior directors on the leadership development agenda and to ensure that Lead to Succeed remains aligned to business strategy.
At industrial corporation Saint-Gobain, head of career management Andrea Huckett says that developing leadership capability is critical in order to remain competitive and "an employer of choice". She has created the year-long executive development programme (EDP) to nurture leaders who can "understand what sustains organisational performance over the longer term, considering social, economic and environmental challenges and obligations".
Huckett worked with the Cranfield School of Management to create the EDP and develop a pool of potential senior executives who could work in any Saint-Gobain business. It includes a real-life business project, sponsored by a senior executive, and one-to-one coaching. Its benefits are already clear: "We know that 89% of management or executive positions were filled with internal, succession, candidates in 2013," says Huckett.
Applied training: 'I have noticed the ripple effect of my behaviour across the office'
Greg Rozario, 43, director of software development in the IBI division of Informa. "In my role, I oversee the development of online products for the B2B information provider and lead a team of 20 people. Leadership training by my employer has boosted my skills in time management, coaching my team and communication. I'm seeing the benefits at work and elsewhere.
"Last year, I attended two senior courses comprised of 12 days over a period of five months. I'd previously completed training in core management skills and last year's courses were the next steps in developing leadership behaviours. Informa designed them to incorporate elements including role play, online personality profiling (which helped me to understand my communication style and those of other people), and two days at Ashridge Business School.
"During the courses, I appreciated that IBI was not just investing resources in me but giving me time for introspection and self-mastery. A further revelation was learning about management expert John Adair's three circles of [management] - team, task and individual. I have applied this to achieving better results from coaching my team rather than just focussing on completing the task, and I have noticed the ripple effect of my behaviour across the office.
My manager encourages me to continue learning. I used to be sceptical about management theory but these days I'm receptive to it. I feel empowered."
