How to “Cope” in a changing world

“If an organisation were a large building, its employees would be the pillars that support the structure,” is one of the statements passed down from Mr. Samrit Chirathivat, the founder of Central Group, through generations.

As a result, Central Group remains committed to encouraging and developing its people, who are at the core of the organisation and drive business growth. The Human Resources Department plays a role in polishing and retaining talents, so they are ready to face future challenges.

Mr. Pascal Billaud, Chief People Officer at Central Group, stated, “Central Group places great importance on the care and development of its people, both domestically and internationally, who number over 100,000. I believe that everyone is valuable, and we can develop their skills.”

The company pays close attention to the people selection process to ensure that everyone receives experiences, career opportunities, and a good working environment under the organisational culture of “I·CARE,” which consists of Innovation, Customer, Alliance, Relationship, and Ethic. These values result in effective operations in line with the company’s goals, allowing the company to progress gradually in the world of disruption.

One of the most critical people development strategies is organising development programs for employees at all levels, from staff to executives, through various courses that cover a wide range of topics and are continually updated to meet the needs of individuals, responsibilities, and current events. This is the commitment of all management within the Central Group, including Central Retail, Central Pattana, and Centara Hotels and Resorts, to collaborate in fostering and advancing talent to adapt to the latest trends. This will enable the organisation to evolve alongside a changing world, achieving steady and robust expansion.

Examples of Central Group’s highlighted development programs are as follows:

1. The People Manager Development Program: This program helps supervisors improve their “people management potential” to achieve greater team success. The learning method includes e-learning, workshops, and People Manager Talk, allowing participants to discuss and exchange team management experiences with professionals from outside the organisation and Central Group executives.

2. Management Development Program: This program assists management levels in becoming effective team leaders, capable of leading their teams to their maximum potential. Participants in this program

collaborate on project-based action learning to generate new business ideas and put them into action in real-world scenarios.

3. Executive Development Program: This program is designed for executive-level staff, such as the latest EDP-Executive Development Program, for executives from all business units of Central Group from Thailand, Vietnam, and Europe, to gather under the learning theme of “Becoming Future-Ready Organisation” to prepare for stepping into the organisation of the future. Central Group has collaborated with IMD (International Institute for Management Development), a world-renowned business learning institute with extensive expertise in offering learning programs for top executives in companies worldwide. The program is divided into three tracks:

3.1. Business Transformation: To prepare for upcoming business transformation by learning new business modeling methods and finding opportunities for sustainable business growth, such as the topics Using AI and Data Analytics for Driving Digital Transformation, Using AI and Data Analytics to Lead to Helpful Innovation, and Transforming Business Processes and Creating a Better Customer Experience.

3.2. Ambidextrous Leadership: To master a leadership ability that focuses on two components at the same time, both proactive and reactive, including exploration, which is thinking outside the box and creating new innovations, and exploitation, which creates changes and boosts operational efficiency.

3.3. Talent Nurturing: To prepare people to find, create, develop, and retain talents of the organisation and important successors, such as the topic of Becoming an Architect of Change, being a creator of change, etc.

When it comes to talent acquisition, Central Group follows an approach of providing growth opportunities to current employees based on their performance and potential for self-development. This helps them climb higher positions within the organisation in the future. The organisation identifies and develops ideal talents through a system called ICDP (Individual Career and Development Plan). This system enables employees to analyse their strengths and identify professional growth targets, including desired skills to acquire. The Talent Development team, along with all other parties involved, then analyse and design learning and development programs for the employees. The organisation provides possibilities for employees to advance in their careers as the company grows sustainably.

Central Group’s Human Resources Department is committed to developing and promoting talents to keep up with the latest trends. This transformation is aimed at ensuring stable and strong growth in the new world.