eneral Electric's 50-year-old Human Resources Leadership Program is perhaps the
seminal program for developing future HR executives. As manager of HR
development programs, Andrea Nunes says the program has produced at least half
of the HR executives in the company’s six business divisions. Most of the candidates entering the HRLP are straight out of graduate school in
business or human resources. A minority are early-career transfers from another
business function, such as the legal department or customer service. About half
of HRLP candidates come from outside the U.S., reflecting the increasingly
global nature of GE’s business.
"In interviews for the program, we’re looking for a certain profile in terms of
leadership," Nunes says. That profile includes "the ability to implement and
drive a project, innovative abilities, problem solving [and] the ability to
energize teams."
The HRLP’s core is a series of three eight-month rotations, including one in a
job outside the HR field, such as working on the corporate audit staff or
managing a shop floor. But the HRLP’s most distinctive feature is the emphasis
on networking. Twice annually, all the participants from around the world gather
in one location for a week of training, workshops, presentations, and lunches
and dinners with GE senior executives.
"There’s a strong correlation between your experience with the program and your
success in the company," says Nunes, a graduate of the program. "Five years
later, most of my networking is still with people I met through the HRLP."
Workforce Management, June 25, 2007, p. 35
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