CASE ANALYSIS: TRAINING IN A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION BP is a global energy company that doubled in size in four years through various mergers and acquisitions. Although BP is a single company, it is actually made up of many nationalities and corporate cultures. In 2019 it had 35 different leadership training programs running around the world. This number of training programs posed a problem: there was no common vision of what it meant to be a leader at BP. How could people work toward shared goals without a common understanding of leadership? BP's senior management decided to address this problem by training a specific group: the first-level leaders (BP's name for the people who held the position of first-line supervisor). This is a large and diverse group of more than 10,000 employees. Although their diversity and geographic dispersion would make training a very difficult endeavor, BP felt that this group was strategic and should have a common frame of reference throughout the organization on how to be an effective manager. To meet its objective, BP developed a leadership training program based on the contributions of top-level leaders to the organization. This program would be developed over the course of a year, during which all top-level leaders would take the 3-month course in one of four editions. The course was well received, with a high 80% satisfaction rate with the program, according to the surveys conducted at the end of the different editions. To analyze the degree to which the training was applied to the job, the organization identified behavioral changes that should be evident in leaders who completed the training program. These behaviors were divided into five categories: ​ Communication skills: ability to listen and to take into account other points of view. ​ Confidence and self-esteem: ability to be objective and remain calm under pressure Management skills: problem solving, prioritization, delegation, and time management skills. Leadership skills: ability to develop and maintain an effective team, to generate commitment and to overcome obstacles ​ Team effectiveness: ability to achieve objectives and obtain results. Using the five behavioral measures as a benchmark, BP surveyed, on the one hand, managers hierarchically placed above first-level leaders and, on the other hand, employees who were part of the first-level leaders and, on the other hand, employees who were part of the first-level leaders. ​ 1 Organization and HR Management. 3rd Degree in Business Administration The perceptions of the teams led by the first-level leaders before the training program began and six months after the end of the training course were significantly better for both groups of respondents. The perception of the two groups of respondents on each of the five measures was significantly better after the training course. Questions about the case: 1. What is the training need that leads to the development of the training program? At what level is the need generated: organization, task or person? Reason the answer 2. Following the 4-level scheme for training evaluation, identify which levels BP is currently evaluating and how it is doing so. Argue appropriately. 3. What evaluation design is the company using? 4. If any of the levels are not being evaluated, suggest how this could be done by suggesting concrete actions

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CASE ANALYSIS: TRAINING IN A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION

BP is a global energy company that doubled in size in four years through various mergers and acquisitions. Although BP is a single company, it is actually made up of many nationalities and corporate cultures. In 2019 it had 35 different leadership training programs running around the world. This number of training programs posed a problem: there was no common vision of what it meant to be a leader at BP. How could people work toward shared goals without a common understanding of leadership?

BP's senior management decided to address this problem by training a specific group: the first-level leaders (BP's name for the people who held the position of first-line supervisor). This is a large and diverse group of more than 10,000 employees. Although their diversity and geographic dispersion would make training a very difficult endeavor, BP felt that this group was strategic and should have a common frame of reference throughout the organization on how to be an effective manager.

To meet its objective, BP developed a leadership training program based on the contributions of top-level leaders to the organization. This program would be developed over the course of a year, during which all top-level leaders would take the 3-month course in one of four editions. The course was well received, with a high 80% satisfaction rate with the program, according to the surveys conducted at the end of the different editions.  

To analyze the degree to which the training was applied to the job, the organization identified behavioral changes that should be evident in leaders who completed the training program. These behaviors were divided into five categories:

​ Communication skills: ability to listen and to take into account other points of view.

​ Confidence and self-esteem: ability to be objective and remain calm under pressure

Management skills: problem solving, prioritization, delegation, and time management skills.

Leadership skills: ability to develop and maintain an effective team, to generate commitment and to overcome obstacles  

​ Team effectiveness: ability to achieve objectives and obtain results.

 

Using the five behavioral measures as a benchmark, BP surveyed, on the one hand, managers hierarchically placed above first-level leaders and, on the other hand, employees who were part of the first-level leaders and, on the other hand, employees who were part of the first-level leaders.

​ 1

Organization and HR Management. 3rd Degree in Business Administration

The perceptions of the teams led by the first-level leaders before the training program began and six months after the end of the training course were significantly better for both groups of respondents. The perception of the two groups of respondents on each of the five measures was significantly better after the training course.

 

Questions about the case:

1. What is the training need that leads to the development of the training program? At what level is the need generated: organization, task or person? Reason the answer
2. Following the 4-level scheme for training evaluation, identify which levels BP is currently evaluating and how it is doing so. Argue appropriately.
3. What evaluation design is the company using?
4. If any of the levels are not being evaluated, suggest how this could be done by suggesting concrete actions.
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