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we develop and execute customized leadership and training programs focusing on branding, marketing, product design, innovation, strategy, customer and user experience design, blended with general management topics relevant to any leader such as digitization, leadership, and team building.
exemplary programs for Midea group
Midea Group is an electrical appliance manufacturer that produces home electronics, ventilation and air conditioning devices, as well as robotics. it is headquartered in the Shunde district, China and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. it employs 135'000 people and generates approx. 40 billion USD revenues annually. the group is listed on the Fortune Global 500 since 2016. part of Midea Group is German KUKA, Japanese Toshiba Home Appliances, US Carrier and other companies and brands.
its Europe HQ is situated in Eschborn, Germany - where many products are sold under the comfee brand.
our task
we were asked to develop a customized learning expedition and training program for Midea College, which is the international hr training academy of Midea Group. participants were middle and senior managers that are part of the Midea Voyager program and come from various global locations and subsidiaries of the group (e.g. China, India, Japan, Thailand, etc.)
the program mission was to bring a group of 50 selected future leaders to Germany and Switzerland, and provide knowledge transfer, practical workshops, and industry insights on customer and user experience design, branding, marketing, product design, leadership and digitization; as well as several company visits, presentations, discussions, and Q&A with senior executives for exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary experience. also team building and cultural learning was part of the training objectives.
our challenge
besides dozens of lecturers, executives, and trainers that participants met throughout the program, a core project team of around 10 people was involved in the planning and execution. requirements such as a dense and challenging schedule to test participants capabilities, simultaneous translation of all presentations and discussions into mandarin, or 24h availability of a private bus challenged the whole team to excel.
assignments
the program was not meant to be an incentive excursion. selection for participation had to be earned during sessions at Midea College. hence, we were asked to provide assignments to challenge participants, provide them with opportunities to show what they are capable of, and facilitate hr to evaluate their performance. we provided pre-readings, pre-assignments, final assignments, and grading - just like in an MBA/EMBA program. as an example please see below the pre-assignment to prepare for a company visit to Mercedes-Benz.
team Midea
the high-potentials of the company were sent to be trained in this program, where they were provided the opportunity to learn and show their capability as future leaders. due to the significance of this training and large budgets, top executives of Midea Group were personally involved and present throughout the program, such as Vivi Yin, Dean at Midea College, as well as Francoise Liu, Chief Human Resource Officer at Midea Group.
results
the program was a great success. participants gained valuable insights that help them develop as a leader and as a professional. furthermore, Midea hr appreciated the opportunity for talent selection and intercultural learning. find below the overall evaluation of the program by participants, as well as an appraisal by Midea hr executives.
Christian's passion and effort to design a great program module for our Voyager participants, as well as the insights he delivered throughout the program, were simply beyond my expectations.
Vivi Yin, Dean of Midea College at Midea Group
next
due to the terrific success of this program, the overwhelming feedback of participants and satisfaction of Midea College, we were assigned to develop and execute further trainings, workshops and learning expeditions for Midea Group. So far we have developed and executed four programs for around 200 participants for Midea Group, taking place in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, China, and Thailand. among other clients.
paramount partners
such complex and highly customized programs cannot be developed and executed without a star-studded team. besides the faculty and speakers, a sincere thank you goes to terrific partners that made these programs a big success. in particular:
a big thank you to Jonathan and his team for providing excellent program management and logistics
special thanks to Roy and his team for taking great care of corporate clients and keeping a cool head in turbulent situations
a big thank you to the Institute for Industrial Design at Technical University Munich for providing exceptional workshops and lectures
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