HR Corner Focused staff development benefits all stakeholders by Charles Mak Century-old enterprise promotes knowledge sharing to facilitate corporate success In order to stay ahead of ever keener competition and meet customer expectations in the global business arena, multinationals step up measures to consolidate their international expertise and local strengths by building competent and expanding workforces. Brother International (HK) Limited, a key player in industrial and home sewing machines, as well as fax and printer manufacturing, is no exception. The company is a regional arm of the Brother Group, a Japanese manufacturing giant which operates 19 manufacturing plants and 41 offices in 38 countries across the globe. Celebrating a hundred years of business success, the group recently produced a Brother Group Global Charter, which is a foundation for all its activities in the global marketplace. Among the provisions are guidelines ensuring that staff training and development meet the group's objectives in corporate social responsibility. The bulk of the company's training centres on a hands-on approach, to get staff up to speed with fast-changing market trends and technological developments. "On-the-job training provides staff with first-hand experience, which is by far the most effective learning tool," says Tatsuya Kitamura, managing director, Brother International (HK) Limited. "Training periods and intensity are tailored by division heads to correspond with employees' skills levels and industry exposure." Some staff travel to the Japan headquarters for technical training programmes, Mr Kitamura points out. "Mid- to top-level staff may need to be present at headquarters to acquaint themselves with the latest technology, in order to pass on this knowledge to their staff through presentations and briefings upon their return," he says. As part of the drive to groom the next generation of leaders, regular management training programmes, such as the Brother business leader course, blend global best practice and local market intelligence. "On-the-job training provides staff with first-hand experience, which is by far the most effective learning tool" Key focus Since regional offices comprise mainly of a sales force with supporting staff, training is fundamentally sales-oriented, with sessions focusing on enhancing a range of skills, such as negotiation, sales strategies for corporate and retail segments, and the increasingly important customer relationship management (CRM), says Mr Kitamura. "To make this part of training more effective, we leverage resources from experienced external consultants," explains Vanessa Fung, senior financial & administration manager, Brother International (HK) Limited. "Our staff has already participated in a range of focused training programmes, including customer handling and problem solving." Sales staff members keep themselves up to date with the latest market news and discuss customer feedback during weekly sales meetings. "Timely information sharing is essential in the sales profession, particularly since IT applications play such an important role in the manufacturing industry today," Ms Fung notes. Vanessa Fung, senior financial & administration manager Brother International (HK) Limited Softer learning tools such as "b-learning" allow staff to obtain information via email or via the company's intranet. Experts from the Japan headquarters also update and inform staff through seminars and presentations from time to time. It is also the company's practice to arrange new recruits to shadow senior colleagues or supervisors to familiarise themselves with the daily operation of their divisions as well as the functioning of specific jobs. Mr Kitamura believes that staff development initiatives paired with the prospect of overseas training provide incentives and serve as staff retention tools, which work to the benefit of the entire workforce. "These aspects also help to cultivate a learning culture," he says. Staff participation A Hong Kong-based CSR committee, which adheres to the Brother Group Global Charter, has been founded to involve staff representatives from all divisions and levels in fortnightly sharing sessions helping to implement items listed in an annual action plan. One such item aims to encourage staff to fully develop their talents in a nurturing working environment. To facilitate this, the company invites vendors and business partners to monthly knowledge sharing events. "These two-hour knowledge-sharing programmes, which include lunch, allow staff to discuss set topics in our conference room," Ms Fung explains. Participants have discussed a range of topics over the past few months, and the company welcomes suggestions for items to be added to the upcoming schedule. "The programme is conducted in an informal manner, because we don't want staff to feel they are forced to attend," Ms Fung adds. However, employee participation has been enthusiastic and post-programme surveys have yielded positive staff feedback. Salient points * First-hand experience facilitates effective learning * Information sharing essential for growth * Overseas training an incentive * Informal gatherings enhance industry knowledge Taken from Career Times 5 September 2008, p. A20 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]