Maersk Group Leadership Development Training Program Research Paper

Introduction

This paper is aimed at creating a leadership development training program for such a company as Maersk Group. In particular, one should focus on the needs of the employees who will occupy the top 120 positions in this organization. This group is called “mission critical” by the management (Groysberg & Abbott, 2013, p. 6).

The program will be based on the model that is known as ADDIE. It includes such tasks as assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (Labin, 2012, p. 4). This framework is useful for understanding the HR problems encountered by this organization (Werner & DeSimone, 2011, p. 6). Moreover, this model is helpful for examining the strengths and weaknesses of the training offered to workers (Labin, 2012, p. 4).

Assessment

The purpose of this evaluation is to identify the primary needs of this corporation. Much attention should be paid to those workers who occupy leading positions in various divisions of Maersk Group. At first, it is necessary to use quantitative measurements that can highlight potential inefficiencies in HR practices of this company and its training programs.

For instance, one should estimate the amount of time that a new hire spends to reach the positions of leadership. Managers should also focus on the turnover rates in this company. Furthermore, they may apply in-depth interviews that can cast a light on the opinions of workers.

It should be mentioned that new workers need at least 12 years to become the members of the executive group (Groysberg & Abbott, 2013, p. 9). As a rule, they can do it within 15 years. These data suggest that some of the existing HR practices are not efficient because competent workers can display their leadership qualities at the early stages of their career. Furthermore, only 20 percent of new hires choose to stay in Maersk Group for more than five years (Groysberg & Abbott, 2013, p. 8).

Thus, one can suppose that the strategic development of this business can be impaired because this company cannot attract the generation of young leaders. Furthermore, the senior executives of this enterprise choose to re-hire workers who previously left the company due to some reasons. These workers are more knowledgeable about the operations of Maersk Group.

This trend indicates that the training and leadership development programs do not enable workers to acquire the necessary expertise as soon as possible. Additionally, the results of the interviews show that there are no leadership training programs that can support experienced workers (Groysberg & Abbott, 2013, p. 10). Overall, one can argue that current training approaches do not encourage employees to act as leaders.

This problem can be explained by the failure to develop interpersonal skills of workers and their professional competencies. Apart from that, one should not disregard the role of culture that places too much emphasis on the avoidance of conflicts. To a large degree, this factor prevents people from displaying their leadership qualities because, in many cases, a worker acts as a leader when it is necessary to resolve disputes or disagreements. In turn, these problems manifested themselves at the time when Maersk Group began to operate at the international level.

Overall, several priorities can be identified. In particular, this corporation will require workers who are ready to take initiatives. Furthermore, these employees should understand how cultural factors can affect people’s relations in the workplace. This capability is critical for international companies. They should also know how various information technologies can improve the work of Maersk Group.

For instance, they will apply various software solutions that can improve the productivity of shipping companies. Nevertheless, one should bear in mind that some problems faced by the corporation cannot be resolved only with the help of HR practices. For instance, it is possible to consider the competition of other enterprises. They may decide to entice the employees of Maersk Group by offering them higher wages.

Design

The strategic goal of this program is to make employees more prepared for the role of leaders so that they can cope with various challenges encountered by Maersk Group. In turn, one can distinguish several objectives:

1. To help new hires develop the skills that are critical for becoming leading executives;
2. To improve the leadership skills of experienced employees;
3. To enhance the interpersonal competencies of workers;
4. To assist them in acquiring various professional skills.

This program can be evaluated with the help of several criteria. At first, one should consider the amount of time it takes a new employee to reach the executive positions. Secondly, it is necessary to estimate the number of experienced workers who were able to get promotions.

Moreover, the managers should focus on such indicators as turnover rates and employees’ satisfaction with their jobs. The trainers should have several attributes. For example, they should be skilled in such areas as HR management as well as shipping. Moreover, these people should be versed in problem-solving.

One can also develop a sample lesson plan. It will guide the activities of employees during training. This document will include the following components:

Objectives

1. To help leaders improve their decision-making skills;
2. To show how leaders can address various difficulties arising in the workplace;
3. To encourage workers to assume the role of leaders.

In turn, the case studies will be the primary learning materials. They will be based on the situations or problems that the employees of Maersk Group had to address (Tsui, 2003; Johnston, 2015). The printed materials should be distributed to every employee prior to the start of the lesson. This program should be implemented for three weeks.

There should be at least ten training sessions during which workers can discuss the case studies illustrating the connections between leadership and problem solving. Additionally, after the end of the program, the participants should submit written reports showing how they applied new knowledge and skills to their workplace activities.

Development

The development of this program is premised on the assumption that workers should first examine the case studies. They illustrate the most challenging tasks that the employees of Maersk Group had to carry out.

For instance, one can consider those situations when the company had to enter new markets. Moreover, they need to discuss possible solutions with trainers. They should prove that their approach is the most optimal one. In turn, the educators should encourage learners to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their decisions.

Implementation

At this stage, the principal purpose is to identify the main steps that are required for the execution of this program. It is possible to involve trainers who are not employed by Maersk Group if these professionals have previously worked with leading shipping companies. Admittedly, this policy can result in greater expenses. However, these people can introduce innovations that can make learning activities more productive (Nilson, 1999).

The instructional design is based on the use of case studies describing various difficulties faced by leaders. Additionally, one should consider the role of mentoring as a form of on-the-job training. A single instructor can monitor the groups of many workers. Furthermore, learning materials should be available in the digital form. This opportunity can increase the autonomy of learners. The lessons can take place in various departments of Maersk Group. The educators can rely on various media such as the use of PowerPoint presentations.

Evaluation

The follow-up assessment of this program is supposed to determine if it can bring tangible improvements. This process will involve several steps. At first, one should consider the quantitative indicators such as the retention of new hires. Moreover, one should determine if these people are prepared for the roles of executives. Finally, it is necessary to conduct the surveys of the participants. In this way, the management can determine if this program can help them become more skilled and prepared for various challenges.

The financial benefits of this program can be evaluated in different ways. At first, one should consider the savings that the company can receive if it can improve its retention practices. Additionally, much attention should be paid to the innovations that could be introduced by people who received this training. The results should be presented in the form of a report documenting the costs of the program and the improvements that it has brought to the company. Later, this program can be repeated because it can improve the competitiveness of this corporation.

Reference List

Groysberg, B., & Abbott, S. (2013). A.P. Møller-Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School.

Johnston, R. (2015). Next Level Leadership Training: Volume One. New York, NY: Lulu.

Labin, J. (2012). Real World Training Design: Navigating Common Constraints for Exceptional Results. New York, NY: American Society for Training and Development.

Nilson, C. (1999). How to Start a Training Program: Training is a Strategic Business Tool in Any Organization. New York, NY: American Society for Training and Development.

Tsui, A. (2003). Understanding Expertise in Teaching: Case Studies of Second Language Teachers. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Werner, J., & DeSimone, R. (2011), Human Resource Development. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.