Talent factory development

Growing our people is the way to grow our business for the long term. Therefore we created our Talent Factory, which aims at mapping and developing the skills and competencies of all AkzoNobel employees in line with the new AkzoNobel Values .

At the heart of the Talent Factory is the Performance and Development Dialog (P&D Dialog), available to all AkzoNobel Employees. It includes basic competencies for all levels of management and non-management. In 2008 we introduced new competencies  – the AkzoNobel Success Factors , which are directly linked to the 5 AkzoNobel Values. These were integrated into the P&D Dialog, where performance is measured not just on results but also on behaviors, stretch and developing others on your team or of your subordinates. In addition to the core Success Factors, businesses and functions can include development against their own competencies in the annual appraisal process. All our competencies are made available online and in paper so all employees have access and we can analyze our competencies overall, by BU, function, etc.

A core element of the P&D Dialog is the Individual Development Plan, which is updated annually. The Plan is focused on the acquisition of knowledge, skills, behaviors and experiences that can improve current as well as future performance. The manager and employee identify opportunities to strengthen development area’s through project-based work, team participation, special short and longer-term assignments, reading and other self-initiated study, courses, e-learning etc. Employees are asked to develop at least one Success Factor that is most relevant to their role or objectives and will be rated at year end on their development progress. They will also be ranked on their level of competency.

We have implemented additional programs to develop our Managers and Leadership/Executive Potential.