HR Organization
After the financial crisis in 2008, which also affected the automotive industry, Visscher Caravelle adjusted its business model. The focus shifted to the most efficient implementation of new projects. From the headquarters in Genemuiden, with about 70 employees, projects are prepared until the production phase. The actual manufacturing takes place in one of the four production plants worldwide (Poland, Mexico, China, and Malaysia). The introduction of a so-called cell structure, in which customers, account managers, project leaders, and product engineers are linked per country, has led to improved work methods, particularly in knowledge transfer.
Merkus explains how HR is organized. "Laws and regulations differ in various countries, of course. We give a lot of autonomy to the plants because we assume they know best how to manage their people in their respective countries. However, we do have fixed policies in some HR areas. For example, when it comes to the recruitment process for administrative-level employees, we are involved from the headquarters. We also use our standardized methods and tools for recruitment and selection.
Development-Focused Performance Management
When it comes to our office here in Genemuiden, I actually find strategic workforce planning too big of a term. We have 70 people here, with an average age of 38 and an average tenure of 11 years. It's all quite manageable. Since we have a relatively young group of people, we don't encounter issues related to retirement yet. We talk a lot with team leaders about their staffing needs, but planning is too strong of a word. When there is a need for additional manpower, temporary or permanent, HR is involved. In principle, we handle the entire recruitment and selection process ourselves, without using external agencies. We know our organization and its culture best.
Since 2009, we have implemented our performance management policy: everyone creates a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at the beginning of the year. It includes personal objectives related to departmental goals. Coaching sessions take place throughout the year, and there's an evaluation at the end of the year. The whole cycle is designed to help people develop effectively so that we can achieve our goals together.
TMA Talent Analysis
We want our employees to work from their strengths. That's why the TMA talent analysis is an important tool in the performance management process, an instrument for personal leadership development. Employees answer a series of questions, resulting in an overview of their talents and motivators. In the past, people within the company have changed positions based on their talent analysis. For example, we discovered that someone is very systematic, or that creativity should play a larger role for another person. And then you see people thrive when they work from those talents. It's a great development when you start working more from your strengths. The talent analysis isn't just a report that gets shelved; it's part of the development plan. When people start working on their development plan, their TMA report is referenced again.
TMA also provides a good overview of behavioral examples at the competency level. By now, almost everyone in every position and at every level has their own personal development plan, with areas of responsibility and associated competencies with behavioral characteristics. And especially at the behavioral level, as a team leader, you can have a meaningful conversation with your employees: 'I see this, or I hear that, or how do you handle this?' And then it's essentially a mutual conversation. We do say, 'It's going well or it can be better,' or 'It's not going well,' but we also ask, 'How can we help you?' The TMA tool approaches employees in a positive way, and that's what we want to do too.
Motivation Analysis
Additionally, we use Belbin for our performance management, for team roles, and Graves' theory, My Motivations Inside, a so-called motivation analysis. Locally, we call it the color test. With these three tools together, you can start a conversation, and then we delve deeper into tasks, responsibilities, competencies, and behaviors. From there, there's often a need for further training or education.
But what do you do if you have an employee who is only operating at ten percent of their capacity? How do you encourage someone positively? That's difficult. We're a company where relationships are good, but performance is also important. That's what our market demands; you need to be able to keep up. And if that's not happening, we need to have a conversation. We absolutely don't just drop someone, but it may be necessary to have a discussion. 'How can we help you be successful outside our organization?'
Coaching Leadership
I'm increasingly seeing the benefits of good, coaching-style conversations between team leaders and employees. These can be scheduled meetings or just during the day, while you're working. We're now seeing more of these conversations happening within the team itself. Up to a certain level, I believe in self-managing teams, and with the cell structure we've built in our company, we're moving more towards that. The role of the leader is becoming more that of a coach, a mentor. That's not easy for every team leader. Some are more focused on hard results, on what needs to be done daily, while others appreciate the human aspect more but may need assistance.
When I look at how we've shaped our performance management policy, we can say that the TMA method has made a positive contribution to shaping this process. We understand better what we need to do and what each other's talents are. That's related to professionalization, mastering your profession better. You notice it here as you walk through the corridors. We're working more calmly."
Optimal Collaboration
Evelien Mulder is a product engineer at Visscher Caravelle. She talks about the effect of the TMA talent analysis on herself and her team.
"I joined here five and a half years ago. After a reorganization, I was one of the first to be hired again. Production moved to Poland, and there were still people who needed to leave, which caused unrest. But then it became clear that Visscher Caravelle uses people's strengths in the broadest sense: What are you good at? Are you in the right place?
Initially, I was responsible for by-products, everything except carpets. After a year and a half, I became responsible for certain customer groups. That means you have to develop the entire package when there's something new. Of course, as an engineer, I have to work on many things, but the nice thing about my job is that I'm closely involved with the customer and the supplier. You might think: what needs to be developed for a car mat? But it's a lot. For example, if a customer has a complex technical question, Sales can't always advise in detail. It happens that I go along, especially since there are often engineers at the customer's site.
Two Times TMA
After six months at Visscher Caravelle, I filled out the TMA talent analysis for the first time. It provided various insights and also confirmed much of what I already suspected. Particularly, the outcome regarding perseverance was recognizable to me. I already knew that I avoided confrontations, but it became even clearer to me when I received my talent analysis.
They explained to me that I find it difficult to confront situations, but once I have knowledge about the matter, it provides enough basis to engage in a discussion. When I was younger, I didn't always feel confident in the company, but now that I have more experience, I approach conversations differently."
Mulder has since filled out the TMA twice because she wanted to see the personal development steps she had taken. "It's nice to see that some talents have remained consistent, but it's also interesting to see which ones have grown.
Strengthening Each Other
Visscher Caravelle has an open atmosphere. Together with a few project leaders, we compared our different TMAs. Our manager always encourages this. He says, 'Try to strengthen each other based on your talents within the team.' For example, if a project leader is less proficient in a certain area, I, as a product engineer, might be able to handle that conversation better. It's about everyone in the team working together optimally based on their talents."