Development audit at an international energy utility company

Starting point – development of 150 managers

The project involves a large European energy supply company. The focus was on the 150 managers at both levels below the board of directors. After a reorganization, Obermann Consulting was challenged to match the existing management team against the changed requirements and to identify the need for change.  Many of the participants were skeptical about this approach on the part of the Executive Board – should it be about cutting management positions, for example? Therefore, building trust and gaining acceptance were key issues.

4-step approach:  Preliminary talks, audit, development talks, monitoring

We use a tried-and-tested procedure for development audits, the key to gaining acceptance being the involvement of the respective supervisor – at the first management level, the respective board member. Before the actual audits, which took place both in person and completely virtually, a preliminary discussion was held with the respective supervisor: What are the key challenges to the position, what are the challenges to the task?  In addition to the greater precision of the content of the subsequent audit, the supervisor was thus part of the process.

The development audit itself lasted half a day for each participant and consisted of a presentation, an appraisal interview, an industry-specific case study and an interview along the company’s competency criteria.