Alex Wilson Group HR Director

Alex WilsonGroup HR Director

BT as a learning organisation

© British Telecommunications plc

• One of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services

• Principal activities include networked IT services; local, national and international telecommunications services; higher-value broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services

• Annual turnover of about £20.2 billion • A FTSE 20 company• Over 100,000 employees• Operating in 170 countries.

Principal Lines of Business

- BT Retail

- BT Wholesale

- BT Global Services

- BT Operate

- BT Design

- Openreach


CustomersShareholders

BT people

Learning at the heart of BT

BT People Strategy

• NetworkedIT services

• Broadband• Mobility

21st Century Network

Long term Partnership with our customers

... and consistent delivery

Defend Traditional

Grow new wave

• Improved service• Price innovation• Reduce costs /

improve margin• Aggressive & creative marketing

Learning at the heart of

BT


Learning strategy annual life cycle

2007/8 spend£120 million

Business Agenda• Define required

skills/capabilities

Learning Plan• Closing skills gap• Agreed with CEOs

Deliver the Plan• Learning Council

Delivery Model• Strategic partner• PSL• In-house

Learning Management

System

Tracking• ROI and business

value reported to Operating Committee


Delivering world class skills in BT- the ‘skills escalator’

Potential (currently untapped) funded learning programmes.

Current apprenticeship programmes are limited to ‘advanced’ and ‘higher’, delivering Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications respectively. Potential to develop this model to other areas of learning e.g. finance, and other parts of BT.

Progression from foundation degree to honours degree is not subject to additional funding. Higher apprentices may provide a compelling alternative to graduates.


Talent feed

Graduates

MBAs

Direct hiresInternal promotions

Apprentices


Entry to the BT talent pool

Ability• Exceptional results• Broad range of

exceptional capabilities.

Engagement• Commitment to BT

and its goals• Demonstrates

allegiance to the BT Values

• True ‘One BT’ behaviour

• Self-less support to others.

Thought Agility• Learns rapidly

from new experiences

• Sound judgement in unfamiliar situations

• Comfort with ambiguity.

Ambition• Tenacity and drive• Drives own career

forward• Seizes

opportunitiesto develop

• Influences others.

Current performance Future potential


BT’s talent pool structure

Potential Leadership Team Successors (PLTS)Regarded as having the capability to undertake a LoB or functional leadership team role within five years.

Emerging Talent (ET)Our ones to watch. Individuals showing exceptional potential who may reach very senior positions given cross-functional exposure, support and coaching.

Rapid Higher Potential (RHP)Individuals showing such outstanding capabilities and potential that we confidently expect them to be performing an executive level role (if not already doing so) and to be ready for PLTS within 2 years.


BT’s talent deal

• A formal annual career development review

• Events and access to senior executives to build individual knowledge, visibility and networks

• Developmental career moves• Creating and delivering a development

plan which could include:- Access to executive leadership

development programmes- Job-specific development- Mentoring from a senior manager- Executive coaching.

We openly communicate talent pool membership and what it means:

• Continued exceptional performance, achievement of objectives, evidence of commitment to One BT and BT values

• Provision of information - CV, Development and Performance Review, profile

• Event/programme attendance• Talent networking - develop

relationships

• Contribute to acquisition and development of other talent

• Accountability for development - action planning.

We openly communicate talent pool membership and what it means:

BT’scommitment

Individual’scommitment


Brand proposition

Leadership capabilities aligned to BT’s values

Leadership capabilities

Trustworthy• We do what we

say we will

Helpful• We work as

one team

Inspiring• We create new

possibilities

Straightforward• We make things

clear

Heart• We believe in

what we do


Example - linking company goals and behaviours

Goal: Simplify and speed up the way we work

Key capability: Helpful- We work as one team for customer success.

What this means…- Working across boundaries to achieve the best outcome for BT and its customers - Working with a shared sense of purpose and understanding about what needs to be done- Being willing to sacrifice one’s own interests for the good of BT’s customers.

Essential behaviours…- Fosters collaboration and tackles poor cross-business team working- Creates a culture of constructive challenge- Builds alignment across the organisation to a common purpose.


Pan-BT global leadership pathway

In-role - consistent set of programmes for all leaders to build a common language

Transition - development to

support leaders at key moments of career change

Professional paths - will develop leaders on different paths, ‘thought leadership’, ‘technical leadership’, as well as ‘business leadership’


Questions?Ideas?

Challenge?Validation?


Documents

Alex Wilson Group HR Director