'Pulling in the same direction, more so than ever!'
Bostik steps up company-specific programmes
“I
budget for two company-specific programmes a year, but this year I’m organising
three. Now’s the time that we all need to be pulling in the same direction.”
Marc Hendrikx, HR manager at Bostik, the
international adhesive specialist, recognises the need for training and the
value of a company-specific programme in times of crisis.
“I insisted that training budgets in our offices worldwide should be preserved and that they should be increased at corporate level.” Marc Hendrikx is sure of his ground: to get through the crisis and prepare for what comes afterwards, you have to continue to invest in your employees. “Only by doing that will you end up in a stronger position than when you started and get a headstart on your competitors.”
Number two
Like many other companies, Bostik has not been able to avoid redundancies, but that does not stop its HR manager investing extra in training. This strategy fits in with the general HR programme BStronger, which Hendrikx launched for Bostik when he joined the company in 2007. “Bostik’s objective was to become number two in the world in the adhesives sector and a benchmark for innovation, safety and operational excellence. We wanted to become the employer of choice for people within and outside our industry.”
Two-track policy
With those aims in mind, Marc Hendrikx set out a two-track policy for training and development. “To reach our objective, we had to acquire the relevant skills in-house, by recruiting new personnel but also by changing and further developing the skills of our own people. We now organise far more specially designed training than we used to.”
The purpose of the second track was to get everyone at Bostik pulling in the same direction. With 5,000 employees worldwide and 20 people working at corporate headquarters, Bostik is a global decentralised organisation in Marc Hendrikx’s view. The local entities enjoy a great deal of autonomy, with the advantage that operations really are lean and mean. The concept also has its limitations, however. “The problem with our global decentralised organisation was that while we were certainly decentralised, we were rather less global. Most entities operated alongside one another and some even saw the others as competitors. Contact and cooperation between the entities was regarded as unnecessary.”
Bostik-ising
With its ambition to become the second biggest player on the world stage, Bostik was in dire need of greater unity between the different entities and one common approach to the market. “We wanted to get our employees, and especially our managers, on the same wavelength, ensure they were of one mind and show them the importance of a Bostik network, without ignoring the reality outside the company. Let’s say we wanted to ‘Bostik-ise’ them.” Marc Hendrikx took that question to Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School and it was agreed that the School would develop a company-specific programme for present and future managers of Bostik.
Success story
Three years on Marc Hendrikx is a satisfied HR manager. Three groups of current or prospective managers have meanwhile attended the Bostik University, as the company-specific programme is known in-house. And it has been a great success. Internal competition has made way for cooperation and everyone has gradually started working towards the same goals. Marc Hendrikx: “A company needs to be streamlined. That’s true always, but even more so in times of crisis.”
The impact of the company-specific programme summed up by Marc Hendrikx in four points:
- Bostik-ising. We’ve organised the programme three years running. Staff who learn they can attend are overjoyed; they feel proud and they come out as real ambassadors for Bostik. They convey their enthusiasm and vision to the whole organisation.
- Developing talent. While senior managers were initially quite sceptical about the programme, now they see it as a lever for developing the talent of their people in order to be strong in the future. Everyone wants to get their staff on the programme now and I even have to turn down applications.
- Metamorphosis. Managers who used to virtually isolate themselves and their business unit now see the benefits of being part of a global company. They are applying what they have learned on the programme in practice and investing in their networks. That metamorphosis is having an impact at both individual and company level.
- Optimising business. The programme will deliver massive gains for us, both in turnover and in optimising our operations. Our local entities have stopped competing with one another and are working together worldwide.
Two tips from Marc Hendrikx for a successful company-specific programme:
- Only team up with a partner who understands you. The training partner must understand your business and be able to develop a programme that incorporates your company’s objectives. It should also be flexible enough to adapt the programme if necessary. When the crisis hit Bostik head-on, I wanted to see the economic context incorporated into all the programme modules. And that was no problem for the School.
- Start the programme only with well-motivated participants who are willing to make time for it. Like most companies, we’re not exactly overstaffed. Staff were released from their normal duties to take part for three separate full working weeks. Even one week out of the office while the business carries on as usual is not something you do lightly, but that level of commitment was necessary to get the most out of the programme.
Company-specific programme: identity kit
What is it?
A managers’ course tailored to an individual company.
Who is it for?
For any company that wants to train a group of managers together.
What are the benefits?
- The company can specify the content to suit its own budget and what is feasible for the organisation.
- Timing, objectives and setting are determined by the company itself.
- The tailor-made specifications mean that the programme meets the specific needs of the organisation better than an “off-the-shelf” alternative.
- The company-specific focus usually has a bigger impact on the organisation’s identity.
Trends
- More and more businesses are choosing tailor-made training programmes. They use the company-specific programme not only to develop their managers but also to work on their corporate culture. By bringing people together on a course where they meet one another in a different context, you can work on a shared culture and identity. The precise details of the process vary from company to company.
- Eighty per cent of in-house training is a combination of strategy and leadership.
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