Pilkington
Pilkington and Crown Berger managers worked together on an IMCA action learning
management development course. On the surface, this arrangement may seem
somewhat unconventional, yet the very fact that the two organizations were so
different is a bonus. The participants were encouraged to share and compare
ideas and practices. This provided a broader perspective on the challenges
faced, thus facilitating more effective development and making the whole
experience rewarding to all concerned.
The consortium action learning MBA course came about as a direct result of
IMCA’s involvement with both Pilkington and Crown Berger in other individual
courses. Pilkington’s own involvement commenced when the chief executive
invited an IMCA faculty member to work with the company’s senior directors.
After an initial ‘diagnostic’ session, he was able to identify both the
opportunities available as well as the skills needed to exploit them. To
facilitate the necessary changes, he then set up a series of workshops focusing
on a number of essential themes. In this case, they included action learning,
integration and mutual interaction. The next step was the setting out of several
clearly outlined projects. These were based on the resolution of actual,
existing problems. So, Pilkington achieved ‘double value’ returns - long
term management development, plus answers to real everyday questions of
management.
Crown Berger joined the consortium for different reasons. As Crown Paints, the
company operated in the highly competitive decorative paints market - an
environment of high investment cost and high promotional budgets. They already
had a group of managers participating in an in-company MBA action learning
course run by IMCA. It was at this stage that Crown changed its parent company
and merged with Berger. Such were the dynamics of the industry. Shortly
afterwards, a decision was taken to commence another course and Crown Berger
approached IMCA once more. The faculty members of IMCA recognized the potential
value of the two companies learning from each other’s experiences and
suggested that they work on a joint course for their mutual benefit. Pilkington
and Crown Berger both agreed to the plan and the two achieved positive results
from this consortium approach. The issues addressed included: