麻豆精选

A. Schulman and 麻豆精选 Partner on Frontline Leadership Training

BACKGROUND 

A. Schulman Program ParticipantsAs a leading employer in today鈥檚 ever-changing global economy, A. Schulman has committed to the investment and the development of their associates. Nearly four years ago, A. Schulman successfully implemented a training initiative in Europe, and more recently in the APAC region, to further develop their frontline leaders. According to Andreas Guenther, Vice President of Global Human Resources Operations, the goal for the European program was to 鈥渄evelop candidates inside the company to strengthen the talent pipeline.鈥 This successful initiative inspired the team in North America to emulate similar training for the organization鈥檚 high-potential leaders. For this program to be successful in North America, it was essential to incorporate topics similar to the competencies covered in the European training. 

These topics included: 

  • Empowerment and Delegation 
  • Coaching and Developing Others 
  • Building Accountability 
  • Facilitating Change 
  • Financial Acumen
  • Building a Successful Team 
  • Decision-making

A. Schulman Program ParticipantsTHE CHALLENGE 

When searching for a partner to develop a similar program for the North American team, Aimee Trusso, Human Resource Director for the United States and Canada (USCAN), was looking for a well-established and experienced partner who would be able to quickly understand A. Schulman鈥檚 objectives and provide flexible, tailored content that was adaptable to the culture at A. Schulman. The region has grown organically, as well as through acquisition over the last several years. It was important for this program to be based on A. Schulman鈥檚 values of 鈥淥pen, Honest, Listen and Accountable鈥 so that associates, who have worked at various companies prior to being acquired, could accelerate their understanding of the culture. 

鈥淚t was imperative to ensure that recently promoted associates were set up for success. It is important for A. Schulman to provide this training because our leaders are extremely important in ensuring our associates truly feel a part of the organization and are fully engaged so they can drive our business every single day,鈥 says Trusso. 

THE SOLUTION 

A. Schulman professionals sought out talent development partners whom they had worked with in the past. The Center for Corporate and Professional Development at 麻豆精选 was top of mind because of the positive relationship the company experienced with Kent State鈥檚 project management training. A. Schulman leaders found that 麻豆精选鈥渨as a true fit in all aspects of leadership topics that A. Schulman was looking for.鈥 They believed that 麻豆精选would deliver comparable frontline leadership training, tailored to the strategic objectives, and cultural and operational settings of A. Schulman. According to Kim Whiteman, Chief Human Resource Officer and Executive Vice President, for this initiative to be successful, three objectives needed to be met, which included 鈥渢he opportunity to build skills, invest in A. Schulman鈥檚 people and to drive the culture forward.鈥 

THE RESULTS 

The Center for Corporate and Professional Development developed a customized Certificate in Frontline Leadership that met all of A. Schulman鈥檚 objectives. To achieve this goal, Kent State鈥檚 Certificate in Frontline Leadership provides participants with knowledge in the following critical areas: 

  • Effective Organizational Leadership 
  • Managing Transition and Embracing Change 
  • Motivating and Engaging Associates 
  • Effective Decision-making 
  • Financial Acumen 
  • Turning Conflict Into Collaboration 
  • Coaching 
  • Building a Successful Team 

鈥淜ent State鈥檚 professional development programs cover all facets of leadership, which allowed A. Schulman to choose one partner rather than work with multiple organizations who were strong in only one specific topic area,鈥 stated Trusso. 

In order to ensure a successful nomination process for associates to attend, national senior leaders and HR partners in various business units are asked to nominate associates that are relatively new to a leadership role and would benefit from this type of talent development. Ms. Trusso stated, 鈥淭he individuals [in this first certificate program] showed strong technical aptitude and needed additional exposure to the leadership side of their new roles.鈥 

Since launching the North American program in September 2015, the program has received positive feedback from participants of the program, as well as their direct managers. 

鈥淔or example, our managers are seeing a difference in these individuals being motivated, engaged and passionate about the tools they learned from the training, which in turn is infectious and spreads throughout the teams,鈥 states Trusso. 

In addition, Guenther states, 鈥淭he participants seem to be very energized. We have received a good amount of positive feedback from the participants鈥 supervisors and peers who have observed changed behaviors and positive impact.鈥 

The Certificate in Frontline Leadership has provided a foundation for the A. Schulman team to enhance their skills and continues to provide positive impact throughout the organization. 

ABOUT A. SCHULMAN 

A. Schulman, Inc. is a leading international supplier of high- performance plastic compounds and resins. Since 1928, the Company has been providing innovative solutions to meet its customers鈥 demanding requirements. The Company鈥檚 customers span a wide range of markets such as packaging, mobility, building & construction, electronics & electrical, agriculture, personal care & hygiene, sports, leisure & home, custom services and others. The Company employs approximately 5,000 people and has 58 manufacturing facilities globally. 

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