Fortis in-company programmes: Academic and highly practical
Fortis develops training programmes in-house, and also makes use of external partners for in-company training. Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School has been entrusted with the task of devising and organising the Fortis Business Management Programme and the Fortis HR Fundamentals Programme.
Fortis Business Management Programme
What was the idea behind the Business Management Programme?
Johan Ceuppens, Fortis’ Training Project Manager: “The Business Management Programme (BMP) was first developed four years ago. Fortis wanted its corporate culture to have a clear customer and performance orientation, so the training programme was designed to bring this new strategy to the fore. Fortis staff may be committed to putting the customer first, but not everyone in the organisation was fully aware of the company’s international corporate strategy, or was inspired by it. The aim and challenge of the BMP was to facilitate this culture change.”
Why did Fortis turn to Vlerick?
“We weren’t happy with any of the proposals submitted by the training institutes we approached – not even Vlerick’s, funnily enough. Then Vlerick told us that this was their standard response, but that they could propose another solution. They came up with the Integrated Performance Management Framework, developed by Professor Kurt Verweire. This was a comprehensive structured package that came as a pleasant surprise to us. It was only then we realised that we had formulated our original question far too broadly. What Vlerick was able to deliver for us in five days was just too good to miss.”
Why exactly did you want an in-company training programme?
“When a company organises a standard programme for its employees, it’s often a shot in the dark: there’s a massive learning effect for the individual, but much less so for the company as a whole. This makes it impossible to create a critical mass. We’ve invested time in preparing the BMP and that effort will be repaid eventually. Vlerick professors also wanted to meet up with people from Fortis beforehand to find out more about the strategic messages to be included in the programme. This was a big plus point, especially in a programme that attracts participants from different countries. The BMP creates a common language for strategy, goals and implementation.”
Who takes part in the programme?
“The programme is organised once every six months for a maximum of 25 participants, who cover the full spectrum of business areas in the countries where Fortis operates. They’re all people managers with an average of seven years’ experience and are just starting to get involved in developing strategy. Having people with this background means that the programme yields optimum results. An added bonus of the BMP is that the participants also have the chance to meet Fortis colleagues based abroad.”
What’s the format of the programme?
“The BMP is a five-day programme with one module per day. The modules slot together perfectly to form an integrated whole. There’s a thorough debriefing after each session to ensure that the participants are clear about the link between theory and practice within Fortis. The introductory module focuses on strategy. Using various measurement tools, each of the participants can find out how they deal with strategy: are they customer-oriented, product-oriented or process-oriented? Subsequent modules establish the link between strategy on the one hand, and marketing, a process-oriented approach and organisational behaviour on the other. The modules also feature a variety of measurement tools, case studies and group work. A member of the Fortis Executive Committee helps drive home the message about how the theory works in practice.”
What has been the response of the participants and is Fortis able to measure the results?
“The feedback has been very positive. Financial services professionals are very pragmatic people who won’t let themselves be fobbed off. The programme has a very clear structure and they appreciate the simplicity of the tools used, which have the merit of being both academic and highly practical. The teaching standard is also very high, with professors from Vlerick, IMD Business School Lausanne and from the US. Participants often tell me that they’ve really taken on board the insights and knowledge acquired and try to pass them on to their staff as well. I really appreciate feedback like that and it reassures me that the Business Management Programme provides a valuable learning experience.”
Fortis HR Fundamentals Programme
Why does Fortis need a company-specific management training programme for its HR professionals?
Gina Chan, Manager Corporate Learning and Education: “Fortis is committed to people development. HR, being the key department responsible for this area, also emphasises the development of its own staff. We’re convinced that our HR professionals will be more effective and credible business partners if we keep on learning by staying abreast of the latest academic research. Furthermore, Fortis is an international organisation with a diverse workforce. With a company-specific management training programme, we’re able to share the same HR goals and create a common language, thus facilitating future collaboration.”
Why did Fortis choose an in-house training solution?
“There are several reasons for using this option. First of all, we can customise the programme to meet our specific learning needs. The programme is led by both Vlerick and Fortis trainers, which enables us to combine theory and practice. Secondly, we can manage quality more effectively. Based on feedback from the participants, we can discuss future improvements with the School. We also use this programme as a way of building up an international network, which allows our HR professionals to meet and share their expertise. An in-house training programme allows much more flexible timing and, last but not least, it is more cost-effective.”
Why did you choose Vlerick?
“Vlerick is one of the management schools that Fortis regards as a business partner. The high quality of its research and teaching staff always gives us value for money. Yet it’s not purely an academic institution. The School’s links with other business organisations give its professors a deep understanding of modern-day business issues. As a result, they’re always able to offer pragmatic solutions.”
What is unique about the programme?
“The programme is a combination of theory and practice. On the one hand, we have Vlerick’s professors to inspire our participants with the latest models and approaches to different aspects of HR; on the other hand, our Fortis trainers ensure that the participants are fully aware of Fortis’ HR priorities and challenges. Participants have an immediate opportunity to create a dialogue with the teaching staff to deepen their understanding of the topics discussed.”
What are the tangible benefits for your company?
“Participants are more tuned into HR vision and strategies. This helps them to set their own objectives on how they can contribute to achieving these goals. Participants also build up a network, which enables them to continue sharing their experiences after returning to their teams.”
How satisfied are the participants with the programme?
“Our participants rate this programme highly and word of mouth means we have problems accommodating the growing demand. As programme organiser, we’re happy as long as our customers - meaning HR professionals - are happy, and as long as HR senior management continues to support this programme.”
Orator - September 2007