A. Background and objective
Based on the vision of the Chairman and Managing Director, a leadership and management development programme was developed to help build a pool of resources available for the board positions. Broad deliverables identified were:
a) Necessary competencies and mindsets to operate in a deregulated, competitive business environment.
b) Necessary competencies and mindsets to operate in upstream and downstream energy businesses.
c) Necessary competencies and mindsets to operate in a growing multinational enterprise.
B. Target group
Senior executives (GMs and above) with more than 20 years experience in the organisation and consistently good career performance. High performers who had sufficient service tenure for growth.
C. Need Analysis
A detailed Needs Analysis was done in two stages.
The first stage involved a detailed analysis of strategic challenges, competency requirements and training needs requirement based on in-depth interviews with the Chairman and Managing Director, Directors on Board and HR Team. This was followed by focus group discussions with a representative sample of participants. Learning needs and expectation of all the selected participants were also gathered through a questionnaire survey. Findings were collated to evolve the organisation perspective on leadership and management competencies and training requirements.
The second stage involved research with global business schools and faculty having extensive experience and exposure to leadership and management development programmes in oil and gas industry. Research was also done on global oil and gas corporations through in-depth interviews with past and present employees. Results of the two stages were mapped to evolve the Leadership and Management competencies required in oil and gas corporations.
D. Design
- An Academic Director from a leading global business school and with experience in research, executive education, and consulting in oil and gas industry was appointed.
- The programme was designed to impart competencies at three levels :
- Frameworks and concepts in the management areas, relevant to the industry
- Exposure to global industry practices
Advanced concepts in management and leadership, that would address the future organizational needs.
The entire programme was conducted by faculty selected from leading business schools with relevant experience in research, Executive Education and consulting in oil and gas industry.
E. Delivery
The 47 day programme was delivered in three phases of 2 to 2½ weeks each, addressing the three levels of competencies, over one year.
The first phase focused on providing general management competencies to create a common and shared language and understanding.
The second phase was built on strategic and leadership skills. Based on 360 feedbacks, participants were also provided extensive one on one coaching from senior HR professionals. The 3600 feedback was repeated after 6 months to monitor changes and execution of individual action plans drawn by the participants.
The third phase focused on advanced concepts in management and leadership for oil and gas sector, with issues like Corporate Governance, Restructuring, and Geopolitics etc.
Three unique pedagogies utilized in the programme were as follows:
a) While academic framework and tools were provided by faculty, practical insights were provided through a 5 day specialized industry module, directed and delivered by a team of global industry experts, analysts and practitioners.
b) A nine day global industry visit was organized covering Malaysia and United States. Necessary critical and relevant processes were identified and best practice organizations selected for exposure. Details on the organisation and presentations were shared in advance for in-depth discussions and co-creation of knowledge during visits. This also included 2-day learning at a global institution specializing in oil and gas education.
c) Action Projects
The design also incorporated “Action projects” at three levels:
- Individual, workplace – based excellence model building
- Cross-functional, organizational priority – based projects identified by the Chairman and Managing Director.
- Team projects to strategize for future scenarios and uncertainties eg. Energy scenario in 2020 and the corporation’s strategic response.
F. Facilitation and follow-up
While the class-room learning’s, visits to global organizations and institutions and interactions with the industry experts and analysts generated enormous learning, the same had to be translated into implementation at workplace. Such an effort requires support and guidance. ISB has facilitated transfer of learning through web communities which provide access to the vast ISB’s digital resources as well as faculty resources. Project progress was monitored and facilitated through milestone – based mid-term reviews through mail, telephone and planned mid-term presentations.
G. Evaluation
The individuals and groups were assessed through their project preparation and presentations, peer reviews and personal interview with a panel of experts from and outside the organization. High performers in the programme were identified. Further learning paths and career opportunities were derived from the exercise. The projects were assessed for implementation. The entire report was submitted to CMD/HR.
H. Way forward
To continue the learning process beyond the programme, suggestion has been made to provide groups of participants – cross functional strategic projects over a period of time. This serves three purposes :
a) Solve organisation problems through internal consultants with internal perspective solutions.
b) Provide a platform for continuous strategic learning.
c) Identify and groom high performing leaders and teams in this process.
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