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№ 5-6 (039-040), 2006
Summary
Theme of this issue: Corporate universities: vital necessity or a tribute to fashion?
Management institute, corporate education and training, school of management, education and training center, school of business, corporate university — whatever you call them, they’re the venue for imparting corporate values and ethics, teaching technical skills, or helping executives become leaders. They can be bricks-and-mortar or virtual classrooms. They touch everyone in the organization, or they might focus solely on strategic priorities. There are many different ways to approach organizational training and learning, and corporate universities provide a way to disseminate coordinated, comprehensive learning throughout an organization.
Wagner S. Putting the “U” in Europe //
Training & Development. May 2000. P. 93
Igor Morozov, rector of Academy IT (Moscow)
BUILDING A CORPORATE UNIVERSITY
A corporate university is more than just a system for training personnel. A corporate university is designed to help resolve a company’s business tasks, form and support the organizational culture, create and develop a skilled team and secure higher returns from personnel training. Launching a corporate university should be like building a house; there should be a detailed discussion of the project, with the use of effective technologies and teamwork. While a corporate university can assume all sorts of different forms, from a major study center with auditoriums and a large staff of trainers to a virtual structure, the algorithm of its creation always includes the same stages. The first is to formulate the concept of personnel training. The second stage is to develop the training strategy. The third is planning the actual training and creating the university infrastructure. The fourth stage is developing and implementing the training programs. The final stage is evaluating the effectiveness of the training. The correct choice of partners is particularly important when building a corporate university.
Answers to the following questions:
1. What are the main advantages of corporate universities?
2. What are the hidden dangers when creating a corporate university?
3. How to evaluate the effectiveness of personnel training at corporate universities?
Are provided by the following experts:
1. Ekaterina Chumakova, head of training, Àrs Vitae (St Petersburg)
2. Natalia Borovikova (St Petersburg)
3. Sergei Balashov, commercial director of Spetsvideoproekt, Bosch Security Systems (Moscow)
4. Olga Boltovich, psychologist, leading trainer of the Art of Business Life Personnel Management Center
5. Valeria Golub, psychologist, head of the training department of the Art of Business Life Personnel Management Center.
Valeriya Ievleva, Deputy Personnel Director for Assessment and Development for the “Volga-Dnepr” Group of Companies (Moscow)
CORPORATE UNIVERSITIES: THE GERMAN EXPERIENCE
Germany has long since realized the importance of training and raising the qualifications of its citizens. This is reflected in the intense growth of corporate universities throughout the country. Although the first such university was only opened in 1997, there are now several dozen, forming an inalienable part of the personnel training and development systems of many leading German companies. What are the main aims of corporate universities in Germany? In what spheres of business are they encountered? What groups of personnel study there? What is the system for evaluating the effectiveness of training? What are the main sources of finance? Answers to these questions — based on a study of forty-three German corporate universities — and a detailed portrait of the Lufthansa School of Business can help Russian companies to create their own corporate universities more effectively.
Interview with Mikhail Petrikov, Rector of the Corporate Energy University
“THE CORPORATE ENERGY UNIVERSITY NOT ONLY WORKS IN ENERGY; IT IS ALSO OBLIGED TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM OF EDUCATION.”
The University is now being created by RAO United Energy Systems. Its goals are the development and improvement of the quality of the power industry’s professional education system. The Corporate Energy University is neither a corporation nor a university in the classical sense; it includes educational centers of RAO United Energy Systems and other educational institutions training personnel for the industry. The University is designed to adjust the educational system to power companies’ requirements and interact with educational institutions making them aware of the industry’ objectives. Roman A. Sacharov, executive chief editor of Literra Scripta Publishing House, discussed the University’s first steps with its Rector.
ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION “PROFESSIONAL OUTLAYS AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY”
The following experts:
1. Tatyana Yakovleva, commercial director, Euro Motors
2. Marina Shumskaya, marketing director, Grand Motors
3. Nadezhda Bobrova, deputy personnel director, Atlant-M Baltica
4. Maria Alexeyeva, personnel manager, Pulkovo Auto Center
5. Yana Smirnova, head of the personnel department, Zvezda Nevy
6. Elena Stetsurina, sales and marketing director, Axel Car
7. Ashot Gasparian, deputy general director, Eurosib-Auto
8. Yulia Andrianova, advertising manager, Axel-Car Pulkovo
9. Anna Sukhoterina, head of the personnel department, Eurosib Service
10. Lyubov Lebedeva, deputy personnel director, Eurosib Service
11. Yulia Merkurieva, director of the business training studio, Higher School of Economics, St Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance
12. Irina Pavlenkova, trainer and psychologist, business training studio, Higher School of Economics, St Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance
13. Tatyana Klemina, deputy editor-in-chief of Personnel Mix
14. Vera Minina, editor-in-chief of Personnel Mix
Discuss the following questions:
1. What is a professional in the auto industry?
2. Car servicing and client expectations
3. Shaping a professional in the auto industry.
Expert Opinion
Dr David Barkan, doctor of economics, professor of the Faculty of Management, St Petersburg State University
PROFESSIONALISM IN THE CAR SHOWROOM
Question: What factors influence clients when buying a car and what are the demands made of car showroom employees in this connection?
Valery Usov, Ph. D. in Architecture, Assistant Professor, Training Adviser, Director, Nota Bene Center (Penza)
KNOWLEDGE CAN NOT BE MANAGED!
The concept of knowledge management has found its way into the vocabulary of corporate managers, organizational advisers and information technology professionals. However, according to the author, a famous adviser, one can not manage knowledge, while one can and should manage the process of knowledge acquisition. What is essentially the management of the knowledge acquisition process? What conditions are to be met to make it efficient? The author explains how he understands these problems.
Dr Alexander Prokhorov, doctor of economics, associate professor of management, Pavel Demidov University (Yaroslavl)
MOBILIZING AND REDISTRIBUTING RESOURCES AS TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN MANAGEMENT MODEL
What is the most typical feature of the Russian management model?
Dr Alexander Prokhorov believes that it is the ability to mobilize resources in an emergency situation, backing this argument up with several historical examples. This, however, leads to a whole series of other specific features of management in Russia. For example, the presence of an enormous state apparatus, one of the main tasks of which is constant control over the implementation of “mobilization” instructions. There is also an intrinsic failure to take proper care of resources, including human resources, to rationally organize labor and create the necessary infrastructure. Author of a number of publications evoking heated debate in Russia, Dr Prokhorov addresses the specific nature of the Russian management model and its influence on the life of Russian society.
Aleksandr Gromov, Adviser for Management and Organizational Development, Managing Director, NP TOR (St. Petersburg)
WHY ONE NEEDS A PSYCHOLOGIST
Ever more companies have psychologists on their staff. Why? To organize a better system of communications? To prevent and resolve conflicts between individuals and groups? To make psychological portraits of applicants? Do psychologists have to perform other people’s work? A famous organizational adviser examines the possible place and role of a psychologist in a company and qualities he/she should posses.
Svetlana Poslavskaya, trainer and consultant
WEARING THE RIGHT OR THE WRONG COLOR OF TROUSERS TO WORK
Twenty years ago, there was a popular Soviet film called Kin-Dza-Dza, about a planet where each citizen’s status was defined by the color of his trousers. The inhabitants were convinced that an orderly society was unattainable without color differentiation of people’s trousers. This fictitious and seemingly fantastic subject is actually much closer to life than one might first think. There are concrete examples of organizations overlooking a qualified candidate or a successful employee for reasons completely unrelated to their professionalism or the quality of their work. An unusually colored shirt, a strange way of walking or behaving can be seen to make that person incompatible with the organization, when all the culprit has done is to wear the “wrong color” of trousers. An analysis of the background and reasons for such situations can help management to more objectively evaluate existing and potential team members.
Dr Alexander Denisov, PhD in psychology, associate professor of the Faculty of Management, St Petersburg State University
INSURING AGAINST EVALUATIVE ILLUSIONS
Research carried out by Pierre Mornell, one of the world’s leading experts on personnel management, has shown that the average cost of hiring the wrong employee is $1,087,860. At least eighteen months is required to correct this mistake. The main reasons for these mistakes are our inability to spot the behavioral nuances of others and differences between our concepts of behavior and the opinions of others. As a result, when evaluating a candidate or employee, we constantly fall into one of a number of traps, which have been clearly identified and described, but which we have still not learnt to avoid. What are these traps? What lies at their heart? Can they be avoided? How can this be done? What is the potential role of outside experts? What forms of training can help recruitment experts to be more objective in the evaluation process? Alexander Denisov, a leading expert on recruitment, suggests his own answers to these extremely important questions.
Yury Mikhailov, Russia/CIS representative of the International Executive Search Federation and managing director of Consort Petersburg
THE RELOCATION OF TOP MANAGERS: RUSSIAN AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
A company’s ability to attract highly qualified top managers is an important factor in gaining a competitive edge. In our age of globalization, the geography of personnel search now extends beyond the bounds of individual regions, countries and even continents. Russia is now increasingly regarded as a source of highly qualified managers with vast experience of work in either Western or leading Russian structures. A representative of one of Russia’s top executive search agencies discusses how to find and attract such managers.
Sergei Rudenko, director of Senat Consulting Services (Samara)
REGIONAL RECRUITMENT: A DIRECT PARTNER IN THE REGION OR A GAME OF CHINESE WHISPERS?
The expansion of Moscow and Petersburg companies into other Russian regions means a need for regional recruitment. Each company is faced with a dilemma — whether to use a well-known Moscow agency with its own partners in the region or to employ the services of a local recruiting agency. The head of one of the most famous agencies in the Volga region analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Aleksey Komarov, General Director, Avenue Group (Moscow)
THE PROFESSION RECRUITER
The job of recruiter is no longer exotic in Russia, however, there is so far no predominant opinion on the qualities a successful recruiter should have. The author, who manages a famous recruiting agency, explains his vision of an efficient recruiter, discusses priorities of his/her work and shares his ideas about the methods of preparing for such an occupation.
Maria Shurova, corporate culture consultant, Samolov and Samolova Business School (Novosibirsk)
COMPANY DEVELOPMENT: BARRIER REEFS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
The logical development and growth of any organization inevitably forces it to cross over from the birth stage — informal relations between employees, open exchange of information and close involvement in organizational questions — to an increasingly complex structure, accompanied by an influx of new employees and new forms of organization. In the course of this transition, many employees experience a crisis linked to their perception of their own place in the organization. This process is particularly painful for the pioneers, those who joined the company at the start of its development. Adapting to the new conditions, such employees can, consciously or unconsciously, adopt different strategies. What is the essence of these strategies? How do they reflect on the life of the organization and the positions of the employees themselves? How can these employees find their place in this new organization? A leading corporate consultant shows how to develop a program accompanying organizational changes.
Galina Sartan, PhD in Psychology, director of the Catharsis Training Center (Moscow)
PERFECTING LEADERSHIP STYLE: SOME RECOMMENDATIONS
Modern top managers can be divided into three main groups. The first consists of managers who rely upon their own personalities and rich intuition. The second group is leaders who are well informed about modern management technologies, which they implement at the workplace. The third is comprised of top managers who consciously use intuitive techniques to influence subordinates, i. e. they combine the merits of the other two groups. Can leadership style be perfected? Yes, but in order to do so, it is necessary first to understand to which group you belong, before employing several recommendations.
Pavel Nikolaev, EQ leader and trainer consultant (Moscow)
HOW TO HELP A SON OF A BITCH, OR THE BOSS CHANGES HIS SPOTS (Conclusion)
The “son-of-a-bitch” boss is frequently encountered in Russian companies. His distinguishing features are a tough style of leadership and a lack of respect for subordinates. Vital changes in the modern business environment — growing competition and a rising deficit of qualified personnel — puts him a difficult situation. Should he abandon the boss’s chair or radically transform his attitude towards employees and style of leadership? This is only possible when the “son of a bitch” himself understands the need to change. So how do you help this boss see all the shortcomings of his style of leadership? A famous expert on emotional competence offers his own solutions to these problems.
Yuliya Merkurieva, PhD in Sociology, Director of the Business Training Studio in the Higher Economic School at the St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance
WHO ROBBED WHOM? THE FINAL SENTENCE (Continuation)
Our hearing between Management (the plaintiff) and Training (the defendant) continues. What is the sixth charge? Controlling the results of training by asking participants to fill out questionnaires in the final minutes has been found to mostly evaluate the emotional state of the group. As a result, positive emotional responses often go to a trainer who has more charisma than professional qualifications. What plea can Training give? By claiming that all existing methods of evaluating the effectiveness of training are far from perfect? By reiterating the importance of evaluating the emotional states of the participants of a training program, either in the course of its realization or immediately after its completion? Or perhaps Training can offer other counter-arguments? A leading Russian trainer continues to represent Training in our legal proceedings.
Maria Kolosova, PhD in Psychology, head of the Stimula Center for Personnel Training, Development and Evaluation (Moscow)
OBJECTIVELY EVALUATING THE NEED FOR PERSONNEL TRAINING
Evaluating the need for training is one of the most important conditions of its effectiveness. Everyone agrees with this. The problem is how to objectively evaluate the need for training and how to balance a company’s need to train its personnel with the employees’ own needs to acquire new skills and knowledge. A top expert on personnel training and development offers her own model for diagnosing a need for training.
Roman Zolotovitsky, Moreno-Institute (Moscow, Heidelberg)
POSITIONAL CONFLICTS AT THE WORKPLACE: THE CORPORATE SOCIODRAMA
In one corner, employees of the Moscow office of a company; in the other, the workers of its regional branches. In one corner, Moscow sales managers ready to sell one and all; in the other, experienced production workers valuing their qualifications. Each group has its own vision of its role and place in the organization. Each evaluates the role and place of the other groups in its own way. Each group has its own vision of the ultimate aims of the organization. Each has its own business and professional culture, each group is prejudiced towards the others.. The interests of the company itself are often lost in this maze of relationships. This dangerous situation is, unfortunately, typical of many organizations. What can be done when every option has been tried, including shuffling and training personnel? One possible solution is to stage and perform a sociodrama, directed by an experienced trainer.
Valery Romanov, expert on personnel testing and evaluation, ANCOR-SPb
THAT OLD NEW TESTING
Psychological tests as a means of recruiting and evaluating personnel have passed through several stages in the minds and attitudes of Russian employees. The initial stage of mass interest, when such tests were used to evaluate candidates for virtually every position in an organization, soon gave way to a period of mass, if not universal, disappointment. A representative of one of the leading Russian recruiting agencies believes that there are two reasons for this. The first is the widespread knowledge of the most popular tests, leading to a sharp decrease in the reliability of their results. The second reason is the low qualifications of those employing the tests. Psychological testing can, however, be a vital tool when recruiting personnel or seeking the most effective ways of employee management. The most important thing is the correct choice of test and their proper use. When is it expedient to employ psychological testing? In what cases can this have negative side-effects? What are the advantages and disadvantages of psychological tests? How reliable are they in general? The opinion of an expert on psychological tests may change your attitude towards them as a way of evaluating candidates and employees.
Edgar Linchevsky, PhD in medicine, associate professor of the Baltic Technical University (St Petersburg)
COMPETENTLY ABOUT COMPETENCE
The development and practical use of competency models in personnel management is an attribute of many successful Russian companies. There is a growing demand for assessment centers, helping to evaluate the competence of applications for a position or candidates for a team. Yet we continue to speak about the competence (or incompetence) of an employee and how to raise his or her competence. So is there a difference between “competence” and “incompetence”? If the answer is no, then why employ these two terms, making it difficult to understand one another? If the answer is yes, what is the difference? A leading expert shares his views on these particular questions.
In the Information Section of the Journal
CONFERENCES AND EXHIBITIONS.
A BUSINESS PRESS REVIEW, COMPILED BY HR-CONSULTERS.
AN EDITORIAL REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.
THE AUTHORS AND EXPERTS IN THIS ISSUE.
INDEX OF ORGANISATIONS.
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