TALENT MANAGEMENT

Learning and Development (UNILEVER)

Unilever uses management development (MD) as a strategic tool to help the organization meet it’s short and long-term goals. In recent years, Unilever has undergone a process of rapid change and MD has been important in communicating that change throughout the organization and equipping staff to deal with it. Key features that have made the MD programme work in this way for Unilever were: joint ownership and responsibility; identification of talent at all levels; explicit incorporation of own wishes; company interests can take precedence over group interests; one system worldwide; performance‐development related pay; and total transparency. In addition, performance development planning is highlighted as a major component of the programme.

Unilever has gone through a process of rapid change and management development has been very useful in communicating it in the organization and also training staff to deal with the change.

They formed a Unilever Learning Academy which offers career skills maps and providing employees with a perfect understanding of their development and also the ability to access tools essential to build a successful career.

It became the basis for developing a career, allowing each individual manager to be in control of their learning and development.They make sure that their people have the right set of skills through the ‘talent and organization readiness’ assessment programme which was launched in2009.

They believe that when employees have the chance to develop themselves, the organization can reach outstanding performance growth, it is not only when they concentrate on the consumer which would not only result in low-performance growth for the organization but also have an undesirable impact on consumers.

Unilever says,

We believe attracting, developing and retaining the right people are crucial to our growth strategy. Our Talent and Organisation Readiness Assessment Programme ensure that our people have the skills they need to manage the business through periods of growth. Here at Unilever, we believe that to create a sustainable future and maintain long-term growth, people are fundamental to our success. From developing great leaders to investing in learning – so that we achieve our vision – we do everything we can to create a skilled, motivated and engaged workforce. Empowering people to become leaders is critical to our core purpose: making sustainable living commonplace and ensuring Unilever’s long-term growth and success.

References

Unilever and the Management Development Programme (2013) (http://wwwt.uniassignment.com/essay-samples/commerce/unilever-and-the-management-development-programme-commerce-essay.php?cref=1) accessed 21 November 2017 at 4.00pm

S.G. Reitsma, (2001) "Management development in Unilever", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 Issue: 2, pp.131-144,

Unilever Global, Learning and Development (https://www.unilever.com/careers/graduates/why-unilever/learning-and-development/) accessed on 21 Nov. 17 at 5.00pm