Nestlé’s success in growing local companies
in each country has been highly influenced
by the functioning of its International Training
Centre, located near our company’s corporate
headquarters in Switzerland. For over 30 years,
the Rive-Reine International Training Centre
has brought together managers from around
the world to learn from senior Nestlé managers
and from each other.
This has also created a functioning network
of managers around the world based on shared
experiences and a common corporate culture that
is strong among people from over 100 countries.
Country managers decide who attends which
course, although there is central screening for
qualifications, and classes are carefully composed
to include people with a range of geographic and
functional backgrounds. Typically a class contains
15–20 nationalities, 95% from outside of Switzerland.
The Centre delivers some 70 courses, attended
by about 1700 managers each year from over
80 countries. All course leaders are Nestlé managers
with many years of experience in a range of countries.
Only 25% of the teaching is done by outside
professionals, as the primary faculty is the Nestlé
senior management.
The programmes can be broadly divided into
two groups:
— Management courses: these account for about
66% of all courses at Rive-Reine. The participants
have typically been with the company for four
to five years. The intention is to develop a real
appreciation of Nestlé values and business
approaches. These courses focus on internal
activities.
— Executive courses: these classes often contain
people who have attended a management course
five to ten years earlier. The focus is on developing
the ability to represent Nestlé externally and to work
with outsiders. It emphasises industry analysis,
often asking: “What would you do if you were
a competitor?”
Each year the Centre organises and delivers a number
of management courses in local markets. This not only
reduces costs but also contributes to network building
at the regional level.
Theory and practice
In broad terms, the teaching at Rive-Reine comprises
one third theory, one third Nestlé best practices,
and one third external best practices. To support
this mix, it draws on a number of internationally
recognised business schools, including IMD, the
International Institute for Management Development
in nearby Lausanne. But Rive-Reine is essentially
about absorbing corporate values and understanding
corporate priorities. And that’s why one of the striking
characteristics of its programme is the amount
of time the company’s top managers, including
the CEO, spend there addressing classes and talking
to participants.
Their approach is unique in many ways:
- It reflects the company's decentralized nature. Whichever country you are working in, you will be given the knowledge and tools you need to respond to local needs
- It encourages you to broaden your horizons, by working with people from many different countries and cultures in the course of your career
- It gives you the chance to develop skills that will enable you to move to different areas of the business
- It promotes a common set of values that engender a Nestle culture and spirit you will experience wherever you work for us
- It is based on 'on the job' training given by Nestle people, not solely professional trainers. That means our managers must be both mentors and teachers, communicating knowledge as part of their daily routine
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