Capturing rich business data through HR technology

Citation

Webber, J. (2010), "Capturing rich business data through HR technology", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 9 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2010.37209aab.002

Capturing rich business data through HR technology

Article Type: e-HR From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 9, Issue 1

How technology is changing the way HR works

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation and rail transport. In May 2009 the company reorganized by merging all the activities related to power generation into a single entity, Alstom Power. This brings together Power Systems (plants, equipment and retrofit) and Power Service (after-sales, from service to renovation and spare parts).

This case study refers to work conducted for Alstom Power Service. This part of the organization had previously been defined by a typical heavy manufacturing approach. Over the last eight years, the business has been shifting to a service-driven organization to become more dynamic and enable further commercial development.

As a key underpinning to this work, we needed to define a consistent set of values and culture. This had not existed previously as Alstom Power Service had grown both organically and through acquisitions, operating with a disparate workforce in many locations.

Understanding the dynamics of the organization

We initiated the process for defining our values through focus groups across our locations as each area and service had to be represented. It was critical that buy-in was achieved at the start of the process so that it was not seen as senior management simply imposing a culture and a set of values. To fully support these values and to demonstrate our commitment to people development and performance management we first had to understand the levels of engagement of our 20,000 people. A global survey entitled “Our identity: your voice” was developed and HR talent and performance management technology company Qikker Solutions developed the tool to deploy the survey globally.

Because of the highly distributed, international, nature of Alstom’s business and the overhead of collecting a very significant volume of data, in multiple languages, it was determined that an online solution was a mandatory requirement. The system from Qikker allowed for the creation and management of questionnaires in multiple languages, including the ability to distribute paper versions for staff without PC access, the inclusion of certain additional local questions and the generation of a rich range of reports.

Steve Jones, managing director of Alstom PS NWE, understood the importance of establishing a benchmark and getting employees’ buy-in to the vision of the organization. He says: “We are continually improving the way we measure our performance, and we wanted to find ways to measure our culture. As a business, we will only be successful if everyone shares in our vision and feels able to contribute towards making that vision a reality. This survey is an important part of that process, because it measures how people look, feel and act towards the business in a quantifiable way. In doing so, it gives us valuable data upon which we can make meaningful decisions about improving the way we do things and investing for the future.”

These data now form an important element of management decisions and are a metric in all directors’ balanced scorecards. As well as management information about performance levels and fiscal growth we can overlay data on engagement levels giving us a rich line of sight through the business. This opens up discussions and provides different data to inform decisions – potentially providing us with options that would previously not have been visible.

Putting the processes in place

As well as understanding engagement levels of people in Alstom Power, the other aspect to our values is our investment in our employees’ personal development. As part of this process, we worked with Qikker to implement an online 360-degree appraisal system for senior managers. This reinforces the change to a service culture and encourages behaviors commensurate with valuing and developing our people. The appraisal system looked at the expectations the business had for each tier of management. We could now assess each manager’s learning and development needs against these objectives. It is important that the appraisal is also seen as an opportunity for the individual’s own career development. For instance, we might find someone who has all the skills to be a great change manager and who would be more fully stretched in a different role or location. We can match up this talent with a business need.

It was quite a change in culture to implement the 360-degree appraisal process. Initially there was some skepticism from a small proportion of managers. Now people can see the personal benefits of a thorough appraisal system as well as the value this measurement provides back to the business. The initial “push” approach from HR is now witnessing a “pull” from the business, with individuals actively initiating a 360-feedback process. This supports the original aim of creating it as a tool for managers, not a tool for HR.

Alstom Power’s global 360-degree appraisal system is now available to all employees. Without HR technology this process would not have been possible. Now everyone is in control of their own performance and progression supported by HR. Meanwhile, the business can use these data and those of the “Our identity: your voice” survey to inform the strategy of the business and align people to deliver the organization’s growth objectives.

Julian WebberHead of Organizational Development at Alstom Power.

About the author

With early experience gained in the hotel and the steel industries, Julian Webber has held various domestic and international HR positions within a 14-year career at Alstom and is currently head of Organizational Development for Alstom Power in the UK. He has an MA in HRM and BPS Level A&B certification. Julian Webber can be contacted at: julian.webber@power.alstom.com