The Big Issue

The training and development challenges of globalisation

Extracts from an article by Jeremy Francis which was first published on the HRDirector website, August 2007

Whether voluntarily or driven by market forces, organisations are increasingly globalising. Understandably their focus is on issues of shape, size, structure and location- alongside product and service standardisation, clear branding and a seamless customer service experience, creating a global IT platform, and a common corporate culture. But this huge organisational effort can overlook important training and development (T&D) challenges. Unless these are addressed, the global aspiration is a vision without substance.

Best in Class (BIC) organisations recognise that consistent use of common terminology is crucial, for job titles and descriptions, for internal structures, job roles and corporate culture.  Their T&D plans then must support the improvement and development of individuals, via optimal, common performance management and talent development systems which will operate globally.

Strategy

BIC global operators truly seek to grow a learning organisation, sensitive to different individual and cultural learning styles. They incorporate at least three different measures of future and current success:

• Attainment of personal objectives (linked to corporate objectives)
• Observed behaviour using a job-specific competency framework
• Evidence of commitment to the corporate culture and values.

They mandate core L&D programmes and resources and then use them to:

• embed new protocols, policies and procedures (e.g. for project management)
• achieve culture change via leadership and change management programmes
• equip people with essential knowledge (including products/services)

Cross regional/multi-functional workshops encourage team working and cross-cultural understanding.

BICs use a learning management system to monitor and measure varying levels of knowledge and skill assiduously, as well as individuals’ confidence to use these.

Powerful total capability management systems exist which can be deployed quickly to give both a global and granular view of a range of key data relating to recruitment, L&D, HR planning, appraisal of performance, competency and talent management, and succession/career planning.

The message is clear: BIC global organisations must achieve a complete picture of the people they have, the people they need, where they have them/want them, and how they should be developed and deployed for optimum operational impact. Only customisable software will deliver this.

Such organisations have strong centralised global HRD functions giving training and development policy direction; also acting as internal consultants and facilitators to country/region or line-of-business specific local HRD representatives with local flexibility in delivery. The vital combination - consistency of content plus sensitivity to local culture and languages - is often provided by a global or regional training provider with local representation.

Excellent strategy is vital, but must be allied to intelligent tactics; the day-to-day on-the-spot response to shorter term, ongoing, drivers of change within the business – i.e. what is actually happening.

Tactics

In BICs the HR director stays close to the business, predicting and contributing to the response to economic, political, technological and cultural change drivers.

Working regularly with such organisations, Rhema Group observes that BICs know that it is absolutely essential to use consistent and cost-effective blended solutions embracing instructor-led training, coaching, e-learning, m-learning (via mobile phones), technology (webinars) and online L&D resources. We know that absolute necessities are:

• a ‘clearing house‘ of local, tactical T&D responses, via a central hub/portal communities of best practice on an intranet,
• a common IT platform to monitor/measure effectiveness, using external as well as internal data,
• speed of deployment.

Rhema Group has worked and continues to work with such organisations, giving them the benefit of our experience while in turn gaining more knowledge and experience ourselves.
A final observation: global organisations differ from international or multi-national organisations in three main respects when it comes to L&D. Firstly, they understand the need for a global/local approach within consistent culture, protocols and processes; secondly, they use technology to achieve
transparency across the whole business; and thirdly, they balance standardised with customised solutions for cost effectiveness.

In short, they act like the most sophisticated nationals but in a global environment. Why? Because to succeed, they must.