HR Corner Business expansion built on staff development by Ella Lee Market research leader finds training essential for dealing with clients and engineering growth If a market research company is to help its clients remain one step ahead of the competition, it must be attuned to changes in the business world and equipped to analyse information in a way that provides insights and leads to possible commercial advantage. "Our people are the organisation's most important asset," says Lao Tracy Choi-I, human resources director for TNS Hong Kong. "We're not just selling data, but market intelligence. Our researchers provide this, so that clients can understand customer behaviour more clearly, anticipate changes, and have better insights into what people want." Ms Lao adds that the basis for this is a special emphasis on staff training and development. Globally, the group invests a substantial portion of annual revenue in training, seeing it as essential for operating a research network that now spans 70 countries. The underlying philosophy is to develop the individual talents of each member of staff, so they can reach their full potential. "Since people have different interests and abilities, it is important to identify individual training needs accordingly," Ms Lao says. The first step is to select new recruits carefully through a series of one-to-one interviews and meetings with the HR department and senior managers. Candidates are also profiled with aptitude tests and work style assessments to get an indication of how well they will handle the work and fit in with prospective colleagues. Since people have different interests and abilities, it is important to identify individual training needs accordingly Workplace cooperation Later on, the performance appraisal system identifies ongoing training and development needs. It also helps to improve communication within the organisation and enhance cooperation in the workplace. Newcomers have their first formal appraisal, conducted by a direct supervisor and followed up by HR, after three to six months. "During the discussion, we review performance, set targets and identify interests, abilities and the opportunities available for learning and career development," says Ms Lao. The aim for TNS is to develop outstanding people and achieve service excellence. Different training courses therefore cover the company's branded solutions, market research skills, management techniques and self-development. No matter which department someone works for, the emphasis is on providing all-round learning and broad industry expertise. This depends on having a truly global perspective, and the TNS "university", held twice a year in different cities across the region, offers selected staff exactly that. It teaches key research and business skills and gives employees from different offices the chance to network and share experiences. Cultural sensitivity As the process of globalisation has gathered pace, multi-country research projects have come to represent significant business in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, staff must have an international outlook and be culturally sensitive. They are encouraged to move between teams and departments within the organisation, and between offices across the region. Senior managers are actively encouraged to pass on their knowledge to junior colleagues, while external trainers are regularly brought in to provide new ideas and alternative perspectives. A "buddy" system has been implemented to help new recruits find their feet more quickly. According to Ms Lao, junior staff should regard learning as a day-to-day requirement and may spend as much as one-third of their work hours in the first six months on training activities of one kind or another. She adds that more senior executives should also view training and development as an integral part of the job. Salient points - Recognise employees' individual interests, talents and styles of work - Identify training needs and offer the necessary development programmes - Conduct regular reviews to assess the effectiveness of training - Provide all-round courses to develop industry expertise - Organise ways to give staff wider international exposure Taken from Career Times 26 May 2006, p. B16 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]