Global custom leadership programme for SKF’s HR executives

GU School of Executive Education delivers the SKF HR Executive Programme, a new customized leadership training programme for executives within the SKF Group's global HR organization. The programme, which is divided into two intensive five-day modules, was run in May/June and in September 2016. The first module focuses on Business Acumen, Strategy, Market Dynamics, Risk and Strategic HRM, while the second and concluding module includes sessions on Management Control, Production, Value Creation and Pricing. Fifteen HR executives from China, India, Germany, Singapore, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden participated.

It is the first time that GU School of Executive Education conducts this program for HR executives within SKF, and plans are already drawn for consecutive delivery cycles. The training was delivered this first time around in the Gothenburg region. Upcoming deliveries will be made in locations anywhere in the world that SKF find appropriate and effective.

As SKF is present in more than 130 countries and as programme participants came from the SKF global organisation, the international dimension designed into the programme was absolutely needed. The SKF HR Executive Programme will build HR capabilities for the future, developing people and talent to underpin SKF business success in a world increasingly characterized by VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity).

To widen the perspectives and to build new skills with HR executives, the programme is designed to cover a range of key domains, ranging from Business Acumen, Strategy, Market Dynamics, Risk and Strategic HRM to Management Control, Production, Value Creation and Pricing.

Participants get to create and reinforce personal networks in the course of two intense weeks together, a fact that will make collaboration between SKF entities throughout the world even more efficient.

A few observations from some of the participants, as we closed the first cycle of the programme at Aspenäs Herrgård outside of Gothenburg:

Anjali Byce, Director HR, SKF India:
“The new SKF strategy has been a driver for the programme. It empowers HR to have a seat at the business table and allows for new approaches to daily HR management. Only preparedness can assure stability in a VUCA world. As seen from 50 000 feet, the programme is a powerful blend of ‘outside-in’ (what do others do?) and ‘inside-out’ perspectives (how is a successful strategy articulated and implemented?). The faculty was outstanding in conveying insights on an array of key areas and also in provoking us to assess reality in new ways. This program will no doubt drive new behaviour. It is imperative today for senior executives to take time to reflect on means and direction and only then accelerate, rather than just do ‘more and faster’ of the same. I am looking forward to implementing my learnings from this programme and cascading this to the next levels of the organization.”

Christoph Wierling, HR CEE-MEA Region & Global Sales Initiatives, Germany:
“From several perspectives an excellent programme! Understanding strategic challenges in-depth, how to create an entrepreneurial environment and how to always maintain an ‘outside-in’ perspective has made us realize how we need to define our HR agenda, in order to support the entire organization in driving change.
The session on Pricing was particularly interesting, as it emphasized how we at SKF can work to effectively capture as much as possible of our actual customer value created.”

Peter Elmfeldt, Director Group HR & HR Director Sweden:
”It has been a combination of learning elements that has been very positive. We have worked a lot with business intelligence and strategy formulation and received a number of tools to use. The fact that so many of these can also be applied to SKF's current situation is truly valuable. Value creation and pricing are vastly important pieces to understand. The idea is not to make us specialists in pricing strategies, but support functions such as HR have limited value if we do not sufficiently understand the business. That's what it’s all about: to understand the business to a sufficient depth, to make the right priorities, to challenge with the right questions. All who participated in this first programme cycle are key players in various strategic management functions within the Group. Without an adequate understanding of the business and of financials, your overall contribution will be reduced. There is really a difference between being HR Director in a Business Area compared to a country. It makes networking as we meet so vital; it builds understanding of each other as individuals.”

For information, please contact:
Håkan Ericson, VD, GU School of Executive Education, hakan.ericson@handels.gu.se; Mobile +46 709 50 63 35
Petter Rönnborg, Manager Competence Development Group Finance, SKF, petter.ronnborg@skf.com ; Mobile +46 725 17 64 64

GU School of Executive Education delivers an Executive MBA programme with a Nordic-Asian focus, and custom programmes for the private and public sectors. Deliveries take place in Sweden and globally. By designing programmes to always combine academic rigour and lasting practical relevance, GU School of Executive Education develops leaders and executives. The School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg is the only business school in Sweden holding the three most prestigious international accreditations: AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. These schools are usually referred to as being “Triple Crown” accredited. Only some 70 business schools in the world are, corresponding to approximately 0.5% of the total number of business schools globally. www.guexed.com

SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2015 were SEK 75 997 million and the number of employees was 46 635. www.skf.com  

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