Summary
10.4 Leadership Development Program at Accenture
deliver state-of-the art reporting to the senior executives and decision-makers at Accenture, the HR data warehouse serves also as a basis for a unique business in- telligence reporting.
Training Services ASG
The responsibility of Training Services ASG is to provide professional develop- ment through the delivery of training and new hire integration.
The department develops strategies to identify capability development needs to meet the market requirements in ASG and ensures that the needs regarding tech- nical, industry and interpersonal development are addressed through comprehen- sive learning opportunities, taking the different backgrounds and career levels into consideration. To achieve this objective Accenture’s global training strategies have to be aligned with the local requirements. Strategies and offerings are con- stantly revised to ensure that skill development meets market requirements in a consistent way.
Furthermore, Training Services ASG ensures the smooth integration of all em- ployees starting with Accenture by offering Orientation seminars, welcome pack- ages, New Joiner WebPages and networking opportunities.
The expertise of Training Services ASG is often used in proposals, and Train- ing Services ASG designs and implements the training strategies of Accenture’s outsourcing deals.
10.4.1 Accenture Leadership Statement
The Leadership Statement represents a formal definition of leadership and the cor- responding behaviors Accenture aspires to achieve as an organization. It describes the three leadership contributions that have been defined for Accenture - Value Creator, People Developer and Business Operator (which relate directly to the company’s strategic imperatives). The statement is used as a basis for evaluating performance and serves as a common framework for career management deci- sions.
The Leadership Statement also includes definitions of Accenture’s six core val- ues: Client Value Creation, Best People, Respect for the Individual, Integrity, One Global Network, and Stewardship.
At Accenture, a leader is defined as an individual who…
x delivers results in each of three Leadership Contributions – Value Creator, People Developer and Business Operator;
x is a role model who people choose to follow and work with;
x conducts business while living the Accenture core values and upholding the Accenture Code of Business Ethics;
x sets direction with vision and is passionate about the business;
x is proactive and moves beyond his/her comfort zone in pursuit of Accen- ture’s vision;
x projects confidence, optimism and energy to people in what they can achieve;
x develops strong and effective working relationships based on mutual respect and trust;
x strives to make others succeed;
x shows an active interest in others and cares about them;
x is a team player who removes barriers to working with others;
x shows character under pressure;
x takes charge and makes tough decisions;
x is an effective communicator;
x demonstrates a ‘can do’ attitude;
x is authentic in his/her leadership style;
x teams with other leaders;
x drives change.
Business results are essential but not sufficient to be a successful Accenture leader. There needs to be a balance across the three areas of leadership (Value Creator, People Developer and Business Operator).
The definition of leadership is intended to encourage leaders to develop their own authentic leadership style. They are expected to develop their own leadership beliefs into their own ‘teachable point of view’ that they articulate for their teams.
10.4.2 Accenture Leadership Competency Matrix
To become a leader in terms of the Accenture Leadership statement, people at dif- ferent career levels require different competencies. These competencies have been clearly outlined in the Competency Matrix, which is, together with the Accenture Leadership Statement, the basis for the Leadership Development Program. The competency matrix determines the way employees are assessed and developed.
Training measures to build the required skills at each level are derived from this comprehensive tool.
10.4.3 Leadership Development Program Elements
The ASG Leadership Development Program is comprised of several modules cov- ering all relevant leadership aspects.
PROGRAM
Fig. 10.3. Accenture Leadership Development Program, by Accenture
Leadership Vision and Strategy
Leader- ship Selection
People Satisfac- tion Program
Management
Training Curricu- lum
Process Compli- ance
Communication
Compliance Monitoring
•
Continuous integra- tion of leadership dimensions in inter- nal processes•
Monitor process compliance:- Performance Man- agement
- Quality processes
•
Participation in leadership trainings Measure Success•
People satis- faction survey•
Advisorygroups
•
360 degree feedback Manage Leadership Identification ofProgram Leaders
•
Steer and synchro- nize global / local program compo- nents•
Career/Successor planning•
Recruiting / Promo- tion criteria•
Plan / Monitor budgets•
Training participant evaluationLeadership Strategy
•
Core values•
Global leader- ship statement•
Global imple- mentationLeadership Training
•
Continuous devel- opment and en- hancement of train- ing curriculumSupporting Communication
•
Living leadership examples•
Target group initia-tives
•
Internal and exter-nal success stories
As already pointed out, Leadership Vision and Strategy are basis and backbone of the program. The other components are essential, intertwining parts of the pro- gram. For the different elements, tools and materials are provided on a global level. A high degree of standardization ensures comparability and consistency.
10.4.4 Integration of Leadership Development into HR Processes The Leadership Development Program is a self-contained concept that provides unique opportunities for Accenture employees in terms of their professional and personal development as leaders.
However, the mere existence of a concept and its related tools is not enough.
The idea needs to be brought to life. The Accenture HR organization has put the Leadership Development Program into action by integrating the leadership devel- opment guidelines and principles firmly in the HR processes. HR is the owner of all processes related to the program, except for the communication part, which is mostly managed by the Internal Communications Department of the Accenture Marketing Organization.
The guidelines and principles of the Leadership Development Program have been embedded in several HR areas, mainly in Performance Management, Re- cruiting, and Training.
Performance Management
A consistent performance management approach has always been part of Accen- ture’s strength. Accenture HR can look back on long and extensive experience in Performance Management. Individuals receive regular and timely feedback on their assignments or fixed roles. Furthermore, each individual is assessed yearly based on the performance feedback received throughout the performance year in comparison to his/her peer group. An annual interview with a senior executive is part of the performance management process as well.
The performance management processes and tools all tie together, and are co- ordinated and executed by HR. All communications regarding performance man- agement are sent out by HR, informing and educating the employees on the proc- esses. HR creates and manages the necessary material, counsels and assists in decision-making.
Figure 10.3. shows the Leadership Development Cycle with its relevant Per- formance Management elements. The dimension regarding time is one year, at Accenture called the Performance year.
Measure Success (Performance Rating and Promotion, 360° feedback, balanced scorecard
measures)
Identify Gaps &
Set Individual Goals (Annual Review)
Leadership Continuous Counseling
(Mid-Review and project feedback follow-up)
Development
Implement Agreed Actions (Project roles, Training)
Learning on the Job (Ongoing project
feedback)
Fig. 10.4. Performance Management Leadership Development Cycle, by Accenture Since the introduction of the leadership development program, performance and appraisal factors are based on the competency matrix and the new guidelines and principles have self-evidently been incorporated in all performance manage- ment related work. HR makes sure that the leadership dimensions are taken into consideration for performance rating and promotion decisions. The leadership de- velopment progress of each employee is discussed during his Annual Interview.
The performance of each individual with regards to the leadership criteria must be documented in feedback forms and annual review documentation. The general quality of performance documentation is regularly surveyed by HR, with special attention to the notation of the leadership criteria.
Recruiting
In the recruiting process, the leadership capabilities of a potential candidate are taken in to consideration when taking the decision whether to hire the candidate or not.
All people involved in the recruiting process (personnel from the recruiting de- partment and executives from the workforce the candidate is recruited for) have a common understanding about leadership at Accenture. The Accenture Leadership Statement with its definitions of the three leadership dimensions builds the basis to evaluate candidates regarding their skills and potential as Value Creators, Busi- ness Operators and People Developers. The candidate’s leadership capabilities are evaluated during the entire recruiting process, from the screening of the applica- tion until the last personal interview.
Training
The Leadership Training Curriculum is rigorously designed to support the devel- opment of leadership competencies and herewith offers a variety of different learning opportunities for each career level. Those opportunities consist of local and global training courses depending which complement each other in a compre- hensive way. The knowledge of internal e.g. HR and external sources have been combined to design state-of-the-art vehicles for leadership development. The Leadership Training Curriculum receives excellent feedback and is permanently adapted to new and changing demands. For compliance monitoring purposes, training participation rates are closely monitored.
On a regular basis, HR gathers feedback on the program, by questioning advi- sory groups and by analyzing feedback on training and the Leadership Develop- ment tools (e.g. the 360º feedback tool). The conduction and analysis of employee satisfaction surveys lies also in the responsibility of HR. Survey results are ana- lyzed by HR professionals and key findings are incorporated in the improvement of the Leadership Development Program.
Local HR teams continuously work with the Global teams to align the global and local components of the Leadership Development Program and to fill identi- fied gaps. HR implements or accompanies flanking measures to the program that is tailored to the different workforces. In HR reports to the senior management, leadership development is incorporated in Training Reports and other reports and presentations.
The fast and smooth integration of the leadership development program in HR work ensures the permanent success of the program. As a strategic business part- ner, HR gives advice on the program and its components to employees on all lev- els. HR keeps the employees informed about the introduction of new tools and processes in the context of the Leadership Development Program.