Case 7-1
Summary
Nestlé is known as the world leader in terms of food and drink sales, and also in coffee sales. It they are
one of the top bottled water makers, frozen pizza makers, and a leader in pet foods. Their most important
market is located in North America. With over 2,000 brands, 418 factories in 86 countries and 330,000
employees selling products in 191 countries, Nestlé uses their Rive-Reine International Training Centre in
Switzerland to bring together all over the world.
Analysis
The Nestlé case addresses the importance of on- and off-site training and professional development for
employees as a strategic function of human resources across all positions within an organization. The
focus on on-the-job training and professional development is evident, but equally important, the
professional development is both differentiated and role specific.
In addition to the differentiated professional development, it is consistently mentioned that senior leaders
are involved in the training and professional development and the majority of training is not outsourced.
The concepts of trainer of trainers and insourcing versus outsourcing professional development are
relevant discussion topics.
Questions
1. For what purposes does Nestlé train and develop employees?
Training in general is needed when orienting new employees, when job requirements and/or processes
2. What challenges does Nestlé face in conducting their training programs?
Challenges to the training process include an unprepared workforce (ability and willingness),
demonstrating a return on investment, resistance to change/employee insecurity, strategic congruence, and
scheduling. First, training can begin, whether formally or informally, employees must possess the basic
3. Which skill sets does Nestlé focus on in their training programs?
Three types of skills can be developed through training programs: technical, human relations, and
conceptual and design (business skills). Nestlé addresses all three skill sets in their training programs.
They invest in training employees working around specific technologies and processes (i.e., sales and
that drive that model (conceptual and design skills).
4. What on-the-job training methods does Nestlé utilize in their training programs?
On-the-job training refers to training done at the work site with resources the employee uses to perform
the job. The manager/supervisor, or an employee selected by the manager, conducts the training one-on-
5. What forms of off-the-job training are available at Nestlé?
The firm credits their success to their top-down/bottom-up approach to training. Off-the-job training
includes classroom instruction, distance learning, and simulations. Their Rive-Reine International
Training Centre in Switzerland since the late 1980s has served as the focal point for mentoring and
training from senior management. Trainee selection matches local domestic managers’ candidate
nominations, who hail from over 80 countries, with corporate-driven selection criteria usually resulting in
a class of 15–20 nationalities from differing areas of expertise. Who teaches these classes? “Course
6. What are some of the ways that Nestlé’s training programs address career development?
Common methods for career development include formal education, work experience, and employee
assessment. Nestlé uses individualized development programs that meet employees’ individual needs.
Once hired, employees training is predominately “on the job” (OTJ) where an employee’s supervisor
7. What trends in training and development is Nestlé utilizing and what trends could they benefit from?
Current trends in training and development include gamification (using video and other game technology
to teach business concepts), social media (i.e., YouTube for training videos), and outsourcing. Although
Case 7-2
Summary
As an organization, Google made a strategic and deliberate decision to share the demographic makeup of
their workforce, which showed deficiencies with the hiring of Black, Hispanic, and female employees,
especially in technology positions. Google also understood that while this required immediate action—it
was going to be difficult to change. Without a qualified and well-equipped labor pool, diversity
initiatives, especially in technology and computer science, are not entirely feasible.
Analysis
The Google case study discusses the use of research and analytics to obtain a solution for improving
desired demographics in the labor pool. In this case, Google specifically wanted to increase their
diversity—but specifically the number of women pursuing computer science and technology positions.
Google also understood that this problem could not be solved overnight and required a long-term
investment in order to achieved the desired labor pool.
Questions
1. What is a needs assessment and how might Google use this tool to increase the presence of women in
their workforce?
“A needs assessment is the process of analyzing the difference between what is currently occurring within
2. Some might argue that Google’s “Made with Code” program has redefined the concept of employee
development—agree or disagree and provide an explanation supporting your position.
“Employee development is ongoing education to improve knowledge and skills for present and future
jobs” (6). “Google provided accelerated tech-training programs to help them [high school students]
3. Explain how Google’s particular situation demonstrates the relationship between employee
recruitment and employee development, given the above discussion.
The purpose of employee recruitment is to obtain as many qualified applicants as possible for a position
4. Explain how Google’s “Made with Code” has become an integral part of their career planning.
Career planning is charting a course of job placement and progression for an employee and providing the
necessary training and development for that employee to succeed. According to the career stages, “Made
with Code” is influencing the exploration stage of a female’s life. This is when a person understands and
5. How might the concepts of self-efficacy and reinforcement theory help us better understand school
girls’ relative disinterest in computer science?
“Self-efficacy is whether a person believes that they have the capability to do something or attain a
6. Assume that Google is ultimately successful and receives more female applicants who they then hire.
What suggestions do you have for managing this new talent pool?
As an organization, Google is responsible for the needs of the employees once they have been hired. They
have to keep following the career stages. Usually when an employee is hired, she is in the establishment