Training management for leadership success

Babcock was asked to work with BMW to develop and deliver training programmes for their management team.

BMW discovered its dealer networks were shifting from traditional, small independent dealerships to large multisite operations, which led to them requiring a different skillset from their management team, mainly the practical application of business fundamentals and leadership skills. Working with BMW, Babcock was able to address this trend and transfer knowledge and capability to their management team.

Based on Babcock’s successful delivery of technical and brand training to BMW, the company asked us to develop and deliver a UK L&M programme, to include the development of the methodology, programme content and specification of learning outcomes and objectives and taking into consideration established programmes and best practice in the market, internationally and within BMW AG.

Babcock developed a leadership and management training course which is supported by follow up coaching. The course consists of three main modules:

1. Managing Business (Vision and Strategy; Organisation and Processes; Marketing and Public Relations; Finance and Business Economics);
2. Leading People (Leadership; HR Management; Remuneration; Target Management and Monitoring) and;
3. Leading Yourself (Self-Management; Self Awareness).

The training is supported by coaching on demand for selected modules. This coaching is essential for senior managers to ensure that the modules learned are applied for the benefit of BMW in everyday activities. Through being supported by an experienced coach, the participants can seek advice and guidance on the application of knowledge from the L&M course, helping BMW to improve the practical application of business fundamental and leadership skills assimilated. Babcock’s aim is to measure not only the impact of training on increasing the effectiveness of working practices but also to promote staff retention through continuous communications and relationship building.

As an external provider Babcock can ensure impartiality thereby allowing participants to openly voice their true feelings about their working environment and role. This helps ensure participant engagement and the true value of the training. Babcock delivers the key coaching support by:

• Providing coaching as a direct follow-up to participant training
• Liaising with participants before the course to ensure that the training is bespoke to their requirements. During the training, a number of learning outcomes are set
• Coaches following up on the participant once they are back in the workplace to seek evidence of and feedback on whether/how the learning outcomes have been applied
• Working via a number of telephone coaching sessions, a robust action plan is created and the participant is supported to implement the lessons learned