Alstom – Powered by the people
'You can't value what you can't measure' it's been said, and 'if you can't measure it how can you act on it?' should be the rejoinder.
Alstom Power Service has undergone considerable change and growth recently and HR technology has provided a valuable tool for measuring people performance and engagement.
Alstom PS is an engineering organisation previously defined by a heavy manufacturing approach. To become more dynamic and commercial the company's strategy shifted to a service driven organisation focused on Project Management. This combined with major acquisitions meant Alstom PS needed a consistent set of values and culture that would work with a disparate, workforce and provide a sound basis for further growth and commercial development.
Julian Webber, Head of Organisational Development at Alstom Power Services North West Europe, says, "We had to start from scratch as nothing coherent had existed before. We initiated the process through focus groups across our many locations. We needed to get buy-in from every aspect of the company at the very start of the process rather than impose a culture and set of values defined by the senior management team."
The top value was Valuing People and the importance of people development. "We needed to support this by processes that demonstrated our commitment to people development and performance management. It was also important for us to track the key values and understand the engagement levels of the 20,000 people across our locations," says Webber.
Working with HR technology firm Qikker, Alstom PS designed a global questionnaire 'Our Identity: Your Voice'. Steve Jones, Managing Director, Alstom PSNWE, says, "As a business, we will only be successful if everyone shares in our vision and feels able to contribute towards making that vision a reality. This survey is an important part of that process, because it measures how people Look, Feel and Act towards the business in a quantifiable way. In doing so, it gives us valuable data upon which we can make meaningful decisions about improving the way we do things and investing for the future."
The annual global survey shows immediate results with rich ‘line of sight’ reporting through the business for instant management analysis. "This data is an important base for management decisions," comments Webber. "We have the management information about performance levels and fiscal growth and now we have the people information. Overlaying these opens up discussion and can provide options for us that would previously not have been visible."
Qikker also helped Alstom PS implement a complementary online 360° appraisal system for senior-level managers. This reinforces the service culture and encourages behaviours commensurate with valuing and developing people.
"We looked at the expectations for each tier of management and built these into 360° appraisals," says Webber. "We can now assess each manager's learning and development needs against agreed objectives. However, this is not just about training, it's about improving the opportunities and the career of every individual. For instance, we might find a great change manager who could be more fully stretched in a different role or location. We can match up this talent with a business need."
360° appraisals have had a mixed reception due to candidates’ own previous experiences. Webber admits that in Alstom PS there is still some scepticism, "Some of our managers have really taken to 360° but we do need to persuade others. This is part of our culture change as gradually our people are seeing the personal benefits of a thorough appraisal system as well as the value measurement provides to the business."
Alstom PS's global 360° appraisal system is available to all employees. Webber concludes, "Without HR technology this process would not be possible. Now, everyone is in control of their own performance and progression supported by HR. We can meanwhile use this data and that of the survey to inform the strategy of the business and align people to deliver the organisation's growth objectives."
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