Setting New Precedents in People Development
The Challenge
A Fortune 500 chemical company's leadership needed a competency model for their managers that embraced the initiatives on which the organization had embarked. A critical component in the strategy, this competency model would define the key skills and characteristics needed for leaders to be successful in the future, given the direction in which the company was headed.
Although there was an existing global competency model in place, organizational leaders found it to be old and cumbersome, complex in its variations, and superficial in skill level. Organizational leaders were concerned that the model lacked robustness, which they felt was critical in maintaining competitive advantage in the future. Furthermore, the complementary 360-degree feedback tool was equally antiquated and difficult to use.
PDI was engaged to work with the organization to reinvent the model, taking into consideration its vision of future leaders and the need for simple, yet targeted competencies at each developmental level within the organization. PDI was also asked to build a complementary 360-degree feedback tool to provide managers with feedback about how others perceived their skills in relation to the organization's vision of future leadership.
The Solution
PDI proposed a multi-stage process, which included:
- Conducting interviews with employees to better understand the essence of the business initiatives.
- Designing new competency matrixes.
- Collaborating with preexisting organizational task forces developed for the endeavor.
PDI designed a Global Leadership Model that embraced the leadership competencies needed for employees to be successful in their current roles, as well as to move the organization into new areas of leadership, which would aid its competitive advantage for the future.
The model was well received by the organization and rolled out to all managers and executives. As PDI continued its work in building the complementary 360-degree feedback tool, the organization looked to set the bar even higher by working with PDI to design a process that made it simple and enticing for all managers to use.
The deliverable was a 360-degree feedback tool housed directly on the organization's intranet, available for every manager and executive in the company to access at any time. Participants were able to register on-line with a company credit card and gain insight into others' perceptions of their leadership skills. The 360-degree feedback tool was translated into eight different languages, to be used globally across the company.
In addition, PDI provided support tools for development through e-AdvisorTM. Again, this tool was housed on the corporate intranet and available for access at any time.
The Results
Three years after implementing the new global leadership competency model and the supporting 360-degree feedback tool, the process is still running smoothly and is exceeding the goals set by the organization. The competency model is widely recognized throughout the organization and embraced by leadership.
More than 5,000 participants use the 360-degree feedback tool each year—a strong testimonial to the ease and user-friendliness of the registration and feedback process. To date, this tool is strictly used for development. There is no mandate for using the 360-degree feedback tool, although development is strongly encouraged by the leaders in the organization.
The company continues to be a leader in the chemical industry and believes that its people will make the difference in strengthening its competitive advantage in the market for years to come.