CASE STUDY:
Targeting the Middle Level at P&G
The Structure of R&D University
The task force chose to call the five programs a Corporate University named Research & Development University (RDU). Each program would be called a College. There would be one College for each hierarchical level, starting with incoming engineers and scientists (Band 1) and going up through the director and “Victor Mills Society” technologists (Band 5).
Each College would focus on the six R&D Core Competencies:
- Holistic Innovation
- Application of Technologies in the Business
- Business Understanding
- Proficient Project Management
- Comprehensive Consumers Understanding
- Driving Change, Leading Transformation & Valuing Diversity for Innovation
What would differentiate the Colleges is the focus on those aspects of the competencies relevant to that level of work. The Colleges would put Technical and Managerial track employees in the same program to provide formal training to grow everyone’s skills so that R&D could continue its marketplace successes. This program would be highly inclusive, unlike programs at P&G and elsewhere, which are aimed at employees on the fast track.
Each College consisted of modules focused on a different core competency. Module Owners created the training while the Dean of each College was responsible for working with the module owners to assure the pieces blended into a consistent whole. Figure 1 shows the R&D University structure as envisioned by the task force. A team of instructional designers from Maritz Learning Inc. was brought in to create the modules with the Dean and Module Owners, assuring that the program was educationally sound.
The first College to be designed would be the middle College for Band 3s. This is the first level at which employees choose either the managerial or technical ladder. Band 3 Managers are called Section Heads; Band 3 Technologists are called Principal Scientists/Engineers.
