WHAT'S NewS Issue 9 October 1997
human resources
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nlace in the Netherlands, will bring the
■ivo sides together. It will show how
individual cliënt requirements can be
matched with areas of RI expertise. In the
two-month intervals between sessions,
members of each subgroup will remain in
contact as they evolve a solution to the
research challenge they originally set for
themselves at the start of the course.
Finally, at the end of the programme,
participants will receive an assessment and
a special certification.
FINE-TUNING
Van de Schraaf stresses that this general
outline for the program is far from
finalized. Indeed, the lessons derived from
early courses will be applied to the design
of those that follow, so that the program
can evolve in a dynamic and responsive
|Way. 'We've deliberately avoided
Ppecifying some of the details at this early
stage in the game because we want to
learn from the program as it proceeds. We
will fine-tune our approach from one class
to the next. Although this may seem vague
to some readers, we think it is actually
well-adapted to the realities of the market
at large. After all, our task is not just to
ROLE DEFINITIONS
The rapid structural transformation
triggered by our new Customer Focus
Strategy has prompted the Utrecht-based
human resources departmenttoconsider
a range of fundamental questions about
the way in which we work. Aided by Towers
Perrin - the global management
consultants - human resources is
kdeveloping methods to insure that our
"organizational capabilities, our training
programs and our remuneration policies all
contribute to meeting the bank's newly-
defined priorities.They are also trying to
decide how certain professional roles
should be defined,and what competencies
are needed to perform these roles
effectively.This is a groundbreaking effort
to establish a common framework that will
apply throughout the entire organization.
Flip Goudsmit, head of human resources,
says that policy formulation has been
marked by close cooperation between HR
and the offices. Since early this year, project
staff have conducted numerous interviews
throughout the RI network in an effort to
define the specific responsibilities and
competencies associated with some 20
professional roles.These include (for
kexample) Credit Analyst, Department Head,
Relationship Manager, General Manager
and Trader. Work is underway to define
'training profiles'associated with these
roles.
Flip Goudsmit defining roles.
convey specific kinds of knowledge. We
are trying to configure a training method
that will promote a dynamic approach to
serving the market. In the future, people
won't be directed from the top down;
there won't be detailed road maps to guide
their actions at every step of the way. A
good relationship manager will have to
become an innovator who can identify
opportunities and react to continuously
changing circumstances. The course will
be designed to reinforce this message.'
SELECTION PROCESS
Meantime, the selection of participants for
the pioneer group in January will begin as
early as this month. Potential applicants are
invited to approach the Academy on the
Internet at: A.M.Klardie@RN.Rabobank.nl.
Many will be carefully watching the
innovations at the F&A program as it
proceeds.
KNOW HOW EXCHANGE
Recently, general managers were invited to
appoint delegates to attend a series of
regional conferences in September and
October and discuss the main themes of
our emerging FIR strategy. The
conferences will carefully review concrete
proposals for new functional role models,
staff appraisal policies, and performance
management procedures. Once modified,
these proposals will then be presented at
the general managers conference in
November and (hopefully) finalized at the
same time. In a later phase that will build
on this outcome, a remuneration study
will consider the design of an improved
reward system - one that will enable us to
retain high-quality talent and at the same
time provide incentives for a dynamic
exchange of knowledge and expertise
within the RI group. 'With our new
strategy and our rapid expansion, it has
become essential to have a common
framework within which people in far-
NEW STAFF INTRODUCTION
PACKAGES
As part of the continuing effort to sharpen
our competitive skills, a new training
program in the field ofcorporate risk
analysis has now been unveiled. Invitations
have been dispatched to management
teams throughout the network requesting
that account managers and credit
personnel be nominated to take part in the
courses, aimed at enhancing basic and
advanced risk analysis skills.These courses
will be offered in regional centres
throughout the network and will be
conducted by Financial Projections, a
company owned by the renowned financial
training advisor,Ms.Ann Duffin.The'Level
One'program will provide a structured
introduction to the theoretical
underpinnings of risk analysis, while the
'LevelTwo'course will consider more
complex financial structures. In the Level
One program, participants will consider key
issues in business and financial risk analysis
induding what market factors can impact
on a clients ability to service debt, and what
information can be gleaned from financial
accounts to asses debt service capacity,
operating efficiency and overall financial
stability.Those who take part will be
expected to produce a written risk analysis
on a real-life credit application in which
they have been involved.The Level Two
program is intended for senior account
managers and credit personnel involved in
structuring complex deals for large
corporate clients. It will take the form of a
five-day workshop using case studies and
actual examples from the Bank's files.
INTRODUCTORY VIDEO
Human resources recently released an
introductory video for prospective and new
employees which has now been sent to all
offices. In the 14-minute recording, Arthur
Arnold explains Rabobank Internationals
main strategie objectives. Colleagues from
throughout the network describe our
initiatives in corporate banking, private
banking and investment banking.Those
who have not yet seen the new video
should contact either their general or
human resources managers.
flung areas of competence can understand
and access each others' skills,' says
Goudsmit. 'This framework will
ultimately insure that we can meet our
staffing needs with the highest quality
personnel.'