International Relationship
Management Program update
International Development Program
I
6
training
WHAT'S Nf.wS Issue 1 January 1998
As reported previously in What's NewS, our decision to become a
global player in the world of Food and Agri (F&A) has led to the start
of a much-heralded and highly ambitious International Relationship
Management Training Program.
A pioneering class of 32 Rabobankers has
now been selected and training will begin in
London next month. Their first course -
which will involve an intensive analysis of
case studies under the tutelage of Harvard
Business School's Ray Goldberg - will run
for three days starting on January 20. Since
this class will set the tone for the program
as a whole, it has been selected with an
especially discriminating eye. It will be a
geographically diverse group divided into
teams. Half will be F&A account
managers, another quarter will be product
specialists, and the remaining participants
will be divided equally between finance
account managers and investment bankers.
PROMOTING CROSS-
FERTILIZATION
The clear aim is to promote that special
brand of geographic and functional cross-
fertilization upon which successful
relationship management depends. The
course itself will be the first of three 'action
learning' modules designed in conjunction
with Harvard University, the Kellogg
Graduate School of Management, and
Nijenrode University. The remaining 3-day
modules will take place in Chicago (next
May) and in Utrecht (next September.) 'By
the end of the project, participants will
have a clear picture about all the real issues
facing the industry, the banking products
and services that we can offer a cliënt in
response, and the ways in which we can
best deliver these solutions,' says Frans van
Bijsterveld, head of the F&A research
operation. Van Bijsterveld notes that some
Rabobankers cling to the habit of
considering solutions in purely financial
terms. This is a profound mistake. 'We're
moving into an advisory mode. And the
food and agri business itself is on the verge
of a profound restructuring. We're seeing
an integration in the food chain - with new
companies rising in the vacuum that existed
F&A research's
Frans van
Bijsterveld -
taking the bank
into advisory
mode
between the old links such as food
production, packaging and distribution. We
have to be able to take our understanding
of this market - and our awareness of
possible solutions - and deliver them to our
clients in an exceedingly efficiënt way.'
SPENDING PENNIES
Bijsterveld firmly dismisses a concern about
the high cost of the International
Relationship Management Program. 'Of
course, it is expensive,' he concedes. 'But
we've decided to be a global niche player. In
order to succeed, we have to be much better
focused. This program will explicitly address
the issues that will be decisive to our future.
There are tremendous opportunities waiting
for those who can take advantage of them. If
this program allows us to do so, then the
cost will be money very well spent.'
Next month will see the launch of the
International Development Program (IDP)
aimed at giving ambitious and talented young
people in the Rabobank International network a
wider exposure to the culture and working
practices of our organization.ln addition, it will
welcome MBA graduates newly-hired from a
number of top-tier business schools.
TOP SELECTION
A small number of participants of different
nationalities and backgrounds have been
selected from throughout the network to take
part in the nine-month program, an important
part of which will introducé them to an
international office (other than their own) for
three months.They will also spend six months at
head office in Utrecht for theoretical and
practical training in the fundamentais of our
core activities as well as our focus sectors. Close
attention will be paid to administration and
back office procedures and issues as well.The
basic starting point.according to Pieter van
Gent of management development, is that
'careers within Rabobank International will
increasingly require a more international
orientation.Whether a career proceeds within a
given office,a region.or a specialized global
function.the key criteria for success will bean
enhanced international perspective and the
ability to effectively network with people in
teams that span national bounds.'
BONDING NEWCOMERS
The first IDP course will combine fresh MBA
graduates with international branch office
candidates who have been nominated by
general managers throughout the network.The
mix between new hires and employees of
Rabobank International will provide an
opportunity to bond the newcomers to our
network and culture worldwide.Training costs
will be borne by the head office, salary, travel,
and accommodation costs will be borne by the
originating offices - which raises
understandable concerns.Van Gent, together
with program coördinator Cecile den Ouden,
are responsive to these views and stress that the
IDP program will be designed and adapted
flexibly in order to provide value added not only
for each participant but also the office that
covers the cost. There's no point forcing a fresh
employee with specialized knowledge in
corporate finance to take yet another course in
the same field,'says den Ouden. 'Likewise, in the
future, we may break the program into 3-month
modules.These can be taken individually or
together, depending on what the office feels it
needs. Our shared objective, however, is to
accelerate the potential contribution a j
participant can make to our organization.'
Cecile den Ouden
and Pieter van Gent.
