L’Oréal
Enabling managers to make the translation into Heads of Functions
and Members of Management Committees
The organisation
L’Oréal, the world leader in the beauty business, has enjoyed 20 years of unbroken double
digit profit growth. Increasing internationalisation requires managers transitioning for the
first time into heads of function, and thus member of management committees, to grow
their capability to deal with increasingly complex people management issues.
The business issues
The approach
L’Oréal recruits the best from the best academic
institutions, very occasionally cross recruiting proven
expertise from similarly profiled organisations. From a
tradition that grows its own world-class leaders, MDC
Europe (L’Oréal’s in-house leadership development
division) recognised that its rich provision for business
education needed to be supplemented with
management development to address the peoplemanagement needs of a crucial population of managers
who would be managing other managers for the first
time.
The programme needed to:
A second challenge for this population was how, as a
member of a Management Committee, to represent
one’s function yet collaboratively contribute to the
strategy of the business unit.
In partnership with Cranfield, MDC Europe has realised
a programme that equips high-powered high-achievers
to evaluate their behaviours in order to be global
‘leaders of leaders’ in dynamic, fast moving, driven
team environments.
+44 (0)1234 754426 | jane.wharmby@cranfield.ac.uk | www.cranfieldCCED.info
•
Capture the imagination of proven young
professionals on the cusp of significant transition
to a new level of responsibility
•
Be experiential to increase self-awareness for
them to take ownership of their own behavioural
development
•
Reflect the uniqueness of the L’Oréal culture
•
Embrace and leverage the national, functional
and BU diversity represented by groups of up to
30 at a time.
The co-created leadership journey takes off from four
perspectives:
•
Competencies required of a member of a
Management Committee
Customised Executive Development
•
Individual motivations of individual participants:
work values and communication behaviours
mapped against global dilemmas
•
Team management and individual (authentic)
leadership journey
•
Effective contribution to BU strategy - enabling
behaviours.
Making a difference
The programme has:
•
Given permission for discussions around
different cultural work values – the need to match
individual motivation to roles for sustainable
performance
•
Raised awareness of the importance of one’s
own behaviours – the need to take responsibility
for the impact of such on others
•
Given birth to new strategic networks
•
Addressed the people management challenges
of Management Committee membership and
responsibility
•
Created moments of deep reflection for
increased maturity through greater selfawareness
The programme
The five-and-half day programme blends French and
Anglo Saxon Business School subject specialists with
one-to-one coaches and L’Oréal witnesses to work at
the level of the:
•
•
•
Individual – what each one naturally brings to the
role and the personal challenges within that to
encourage development of self and others
The group – that each participant experiences
what it takes to represent their function yet
contribute to strategy in cross-national BU
committees
The organisation – that each participant may
better understand L’Oréal’s expectations of them
at the new and crucial level of business
leadership.
This innovative programme revolves around three
‘tools’:
•
The Spony Profiling Model
•
The myth of Percival and
•
An IT enabled FMCG business simulation
Facts and figures
Over 550 managers from L’Oréal’s business unit
management committee population have attended the
5½ day programme, with up to 16 nationalities
represented at any one event, drawn from across all
five continents.
The programme is delivered in English and French at
Cranfield’s Management Development Centre.
Why Cranfield?
“We chose to work with Cranfield for multiple reasons.
Not only has the school provided us with an excellent
team of diverse and strong profiles of various expertise,
but it also has a unique approach to management
development that has proven to have a very good fit
with the L’Oréal culture. Thanks to Cranfield’s
wonderful capacity to listen and react to out needs we
have been able to create an outstanding program that
marks a step in the history of management
development in the Group.”
David Arnera, Directeur Developpement du
Management, L’Oréal
“Working with Cranfield is a very special experience for
L’Oréal and I think there are two things that really
characterise the way we work together. The first is a
real co-development partnership where the L’Oréal
management culture is truly respected. The second
thing that makes the programme special is the unique
mix in terms of a large training team that spans all kinds
of profiles and nationalities and makes the programme
a truly international and eye opening experience for the
managers who come to the UK.”
Celica Thellier, Project Manager - Management,
L’Oréal
+44 (0)1234 754426 | jane.wharmby@cranfield.ac.uk | www.cranfieldCCED.info