Training & Education

Employee development is vital to maintaining and improving the skills of our workforce and the quality of our offering.

Why it matters

Today’s dynamic and globalized world and rising trends towards digitization require new competencies. At the same time, many industries face serious skills shortages, especially in the areas of information technology and digitization. Employee development is vital to maintaining and improving the skills of our workforce and the quality of our products. We want to offer careers instead of jobs and to prepare our employees for the fast-changing world. This improves their engagement, performance on the job and increases their long-term employability. We will continue to invest in the development of our employees and business leaders.

Key activities

We offer various training and development programs for our employees. While we apply some of these programs on a consistent global basis – particularly leadership development, others are developed at the segment or country level to serve local needs.

Local training includes a range of vocational training and dual study programs, language and project management courses, as well as opportunities for job rotation. With our Learning Management System (LMS), we provide employees with worldwide access to a variety of eLearning modules, on topics ranging from product, sales, leadership. Within the LMS, we have continued to offer LinkedIn Learning, which has a library of more than 10,000 eLearning courses. Our LMS also allows us to roll out global learning initiatives such as information security training, compliance training, and antitrust training.

To provide staff with the competencies they require to safely and efficiently perform their tasks and to support their career advancement, dormakaba focuses on three areas:

1. Leadership development
2. Individual development and career management
3. Vocational and technical training

Leadership development

We view leadership as the ability to move oneself and others toward a common goal. Specifically, we want our leaders and managers to act according to our company values and to apply constructive leadership styles (e.g., working toward self-set goals, developing others, resolving conflicts constructively, cooperating) while acting as strong role models for our employees to follow. In line with our strategy and ambition, we aim to have the best leaders in key positions. We are aware that this requires clarity and support for potential leadership candidates in their development.

We have therefore compiled a Leadership Toolbox, which is a unique set of methods and tools we want our leaders to understand and apply, e.g. constructive leadership behavior, best practice facilitation skills, and further core leadership skills and tools. This toolbox also serves as the basis for a globally consistent rollout of leadership trainings, e.g., our standard manager training Leading for Success and the senior manager training Leading Leaders. We have also established two management development programs – the Advanced Management Program (AMP) and the Talent Development Program (TDP) – to develop future leaders of the company. The AMP focuses on further strengthening the leadership and business expertise of already successful managers, while the TDP focuses on high-potential employees. Both programs are co-facilitated by our Executive Committee members and supported by faculty from external business schools.

Examples of our leadership programs in the financial year 2020/21 included:

• The full range of leadership development trainings was virtualized. One example is the original five-day classroom training Leading for Success. We developed three modules which contain central leadership topics such as effective methods of leadership, performance management, and employee development, paired with a lot of interaction. We also implemented the concept of a “learning buddy” where two participants team up and share their learning progress in between the modules. A series of Leading for Success training sessions were conducted with around 147 managers from various segments.
• AS DACH held virtual trainings on remote leadership in Austria and Switzerland, and published a Leadership Handbook.
• The first module of AMP and TDP 2021 took place in April and May 2021, which was conducted for the first time virtually. Overall, 33 participants from all segments and Group Functions from all over the world participated in various interactive sessions on topics such as strategy, leadership, and innovation. The topic of finance was conveyed through a computer-based simulation. Highlights included the sessions that were co-created and co-facilitated by our CEO, Sabrina Soussan. The second module will take place in November and it is currently planned to meet in person.

Individual development and career management

Our combined performance and succession management process known as Perform & Grow provides a common framework to measure and manage performance and potential. The objective setting is based on the principle of Objectives and Key Results, a goal-setting methodology that organizations use to facilitate growth, improvement, and innovation. Employees and their managers are asked to formulate 2 to 5 key results for each objective to ensure an appropriate measurement. The Perform & Grow process also includes the documentation of individual development activities and related measures and trainings. Furthermore, it provides criteria to identify high talent potentials and creates the foundation for systematic succession management to ensure that each leadership position has viable successors.

Examples of our career management initiatives in the financial year 2020/21 included:

• We extended the number of users for Perform & Grow to 3,900 employees (more than twice as many compared to the previous financial year) and will continue with further rollouts in the coming years. To achieve this, we will continue to work together to align Perform & Grow with local works councils wherever this is required. As an important tool extension, we included a new Continuous Performance Management module, which helps employees to document their achievements throughout the year.
• In AS APAC, we have developed and implemented our technical support competency framework to enable talents in different locations to work easier on inter-segmental projects and build the technical support capability required to meet current and future business needs.
• In Switzerland, Austria, and Spain, AS EMEA has successfully rolled out a career management programs for product development specialists and managers. After a good start to the project, we are now restructuring job families and adding at least 2 new ones which have become relevant in the context of the Scaled Agile Framework. This shows that we can evolve the system in line with the changing needs of the organization. So far, we have created over 50 job descriptions and created a full grading system within the global framework, successfully allocating over 120 employees via the career management program.
• Key & Walls Solutions re-evaluates development plans for high talents twice a year. Initiatives include special project assignment, experiences abroad, support for Master’s programs and dedicated in-class or individual training plans. A succession plan is deployed for all senior roles up to two levels below the Executive Committee.

Vocational and technical training

In today’s rapidly changing world of work, the importance of lifelong learning is steadily increasing. For our business success, it is essential that our employees have the relevant skills for their work. The training we provide covers topics such as lean management, health and safety, and product offerings. Additionally, the increasing digitalization of our products and services also requires new competencies – for example, on big data analytics and artificial intelligence. To ensure that our employees have the relevant long-term skills, we continue to invest in their vocational development and in promoting their talents.

Examples of our vocational and technical training in the financial year 2020/21 included:

• In AS APAC, we have launched a cross-selling academy in China to enable our sales colleagues to provide more tailored solutions to our customers in different vertical markets. We are also in the process of piloting cross-team vertical sales projects.
• AS EMEA in the Netherlands has become the first Smart Building-accredited training company in the region Rivierenland. Through this initiative, we are cooperating with a local vocational school and several other parties and companies to set up a four-year course called Smart Building. The content focuses on building more efficiently and sustainably through optimal cooperation and integration of construction and installation processes. In addition to innovative technical solutions, this also involves innovative means of communication such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). As part of the program, we will additionally host internships and apprentices.
• Key & Wall Solutions launched a digital transformation blended-learning program with 45 participants from all regions, functions, and organization levels supported by external digital transformation experts. The program was aimed at equipping participants with know-how and practical insights on how to design, lead, and accelerate digital transformation in the segment. The result was the design of the segment’s digital road map, embedding various projects in their Core-Growth-Explore business development map. Lean training and coaching for manufacturing employees was also conducted, as was sales enablement training.

Our performance

There were five drivers that influenced how we set up our learning and development portfolio in the financial year 2020/21: the Covid-19 pandemic, customer needs, digitalization, employee development needs, and cybersecurity.

We continue to expand the scope of Group-wide reporting on training hours per employee toward our goal of full reporting scope in the mid-term. For the financial year 2020/21, the sites already reporting this figure covered 95% of our workforce based on full-time equivalent employees (versus 87% coverage in the financial year 2019/20). For these, the average number of training hours per employee was 13 hours per year, which was lower than the previously reported figure (17 hours). We expected this result, as most classroom trainings were not feasible under pandemic constraints. We relied on shorter, virtual trainings instead where possible. In addition, we have increased scope coverage to include smaller locations.

We have made good progress on developing the skills of our workforce. For example, over 12,000 employees now have access to our Learning Management System (LMS). To enable hassle-free access, the LMS is now available through single sign-on, so employees can more easily access learning content from direct links in newsletters or on the intranet. In total, 83% (10,183 employees) of the users who have access to the system completed at least one eLearning module in the past fiscal year, compared to 80% in the previous year.

The LMS is used for both global and local trainings, and the offering has been expanded. In the financial year 2020/21, 281 new eLearning modules have been added, and 185 classroom courses and 348 webinars have been offered on the platform. Of the new training courses provided, 41% are product-related, usually with a focus on sales or technical aspects.

In general, compliance-related training modules continue to have the highest participation in absolute terms, including those on the Code of Conduct, antitrust, and information security. While many of these topics have been introduced in the past and continue to be assigned to new employees, we have added a new module to the compliance training portfolio. Starting in November 2020, we assigned an anti-corruption eLearning module to more than 3,300 employees. The target group comprises mainly sales, service, procurement, HR, and other functions who face a higher risk of exposure to bribery attempts. Combined, the compliance-related training activities had 12,452 participants in the financial year 2020/21. 

Our segments and Group HR regularly gather and evaluate participant feedback after training sessions in order to maintain and continually adapt the quality of our training and education programs. In addition, our training programs are regularly evaluated as part of external audits for ISO 9001 certification. If a negative trend is identified through this audit process, management meets to review the root cause and determine any potentially required remediation, which may include increased communication and/or modifying the training program.

Outlook

Besides a general training program for all employees to help them understand the potential changes implicated by a new corporate strategy, which is currently under development, the topics of compliance, digitalization, sales excellence, and growth initiatives in particular will be of great importance on a Group-wide level. Examples of planned initiatives include:

• We will develop additional modules related to information security for specific target audiences and their training needs.
• We will implement a pilot for a global training approach for IT-related topics, with a strong focus on processes rather than pure application training. The new portfolio will cover both off-the-shelf applications and customized solutions.
• More than 500 employees will participate in a global training program to support our organization on improving credit management and receivables collection across the end-to-end “Order to Cash” process. Individual learning paths for finance team members as well as sales & service managers will help us to tailor the training to the specific needs of each group.

To ensure full coverage and management attention, we have agreed on a new standardized approach for global training initiatives including a more centralized roll out, reporting, and follow-up.

Examples of additional activities planned for the financial year 2021/22 on a business segment level include:

• AS AMER sales enablement initiatives are underway and will focus heavily on Sales Excellence, Sales Operations, Sales Marketing, and Field Sales in the financial year 2020/21. The segment will also launch an Early Talent Development Program, which is a 24-month hands-on learning program providing new college graduates with a unique opportunity to rotate through different departments/disciplines within a function (or through multiple functions) to gain a deeper, more holistic view of the function/organization while solving complex business challenges. We will also partner with local vocational schools in select areas to create a pipeline of entry-level skilled tradespersons for manufacturing operations. Key areas of focus will be machining, tool and die making, and welding.
• AS APAC will continue their journey of embracing Agile work methods and will certify internal Scrum Masters, form an agile community, and leverage expertise from external experts through project collaboration.
• Key & Wall Solutions will focus on building negotiation skills for procurement and sales teams as well as offering training courses on remote selling.

Investing in technology and knowledge base to improve sales performance 

The Sales Enablement Initiative of our segment AS EMEA aims, across the sales organization, to improve the processes, information, skills, and tools that are needed to better serve customers and sell more effectively.

The development of the Sales Enablement Initiative started in March 2020, and soon the sales operating model was defined. It is built on three pillars: Great people, Efficient process, Common metrics.

Great people. Sales managers have a major impact on sales performance, therefore improving their skills and competences is key. The Sales Leader Training program includes ten modules on relevant sales topics (i.e., indirect and direct sales, international key accounts, services sales), management skills, and coaching. The training content was developed in collaboration with the AS AMER Sales Enablement team, which had already launched a similar initiative. The program is compulsory for all our sales directors and managers across the AS EMEA segment. Besides this, the Remote Selling Training program provides sales representatives with the skills and the confidence to effectively conduct sales meetings in a virtual environment, which has been more common since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Efficient process. To support the work of our sales representatives, we aim to implement a harmonized Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool in each country across AS EMEA by the end of 2022. The first launch took place in France in June 2021. Furthermore, a sales enablement platform, first piloted by AS AMER, is also being deployed to provide relevant, easily accessible sales information to the salespeople and foster best practice sharing across the countries.

Common metrics. We are implementing standardized sales processes, targets, and metrics, which are discussed in weekly progress calls with the COO of EMEA, the five Region Leads, the Segment Finance Lead, the Sales Enablement Lead, and the Segment HR & Sales Enablement Lead to create a cadence, “Rhythm and Rigour”, as we call it. This brings more transparency and makes it possible to continuously monitor activities.

One of the major outcomes of the program so far, is that we could create an international community of sales professionals across the AS EMEA segment. The participants feel more engaged and are proud to be part of the sales community.

“The Sales Enablement Initiative is already a successful program, as it brings the sales teams into greater focus, changes the mindset of the segment to more customer centricity, supports decision-making, helps to achieve better forecasting accuracy, and to react more quickly to changing customer and business needs.”

Paul-Olivier Raynaud-Lacroze, Senior Vice President HR & Sales Enablement, AS EMEA