Skills and Competencies from the Unilever Perspective
Skills and Competencies from the Unilever Perspective
Skills and Competencies from the Unilever Perspective
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Working in Industry:<br />
<strong>Skills</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Competencies</strong> <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Unilever</strong> <strong>Perspective</strong><br />
Hans-Gerd Janssen 1,2<br />
1.<br />
<strong>Unilever</strong> Research <strong>and</strong> Development Vlaardingen,<br />
Advanced Measurement <strong>and</strong> Data Modelling<br />
P.O. Box 114, 3130 AC Vlaardingen,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
2.<br />
University of Amsterdam, Analytical-Chemistry Group,<br />
P.O. Box 94157, 1090 GD Amsterdam, <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s.
<strong>Unilever</strong> R&D organisation<br />
• 6000 employees<br />
• 900 million Euros (2.3% turnover; 2006)<br />
• 6 Global Research centres<br />
• 15 Global Product Development centres<br />
• Regional & country centres
<strong>Skills</strong><br />
<strong>Skills</strong> is <strong>the</strong> ability to perform difficult TECHNICAL activities.<br />
Indicators of great skills:<br />
- A successful PhD <strong>the</strong>sis,<br />
- Many high quality publications,<br />
- A great depth of work (width usually is not a real substitute !),<br />
- Being known in <strong>the</strong> field,<br />
- Being invited as a referee,<br />
- Having given lots of well received (invited) presentations,<br />
- Poster awards, etc. etc.
<strong>Competencies</strong><br />
<strong>Competencies</strong> are about your personal style of working, about<br />
<strong>the</strong> softer side of being successful:<br />
Important <strong>Competencies</strong>:<br />
- Break-through thinking<br />
- Practical creativity<br />
- Passion for growth<br />
- External orientation<br />
- Change catalyst<br />
- Organizational awareness<br />
- Strategic influencing<br />
- Empowering o<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
- Holding people accountable<br />
- Team commitment <strong>and</strong> alignment<br />
- Action not debate
Differences Academia vs. Industry<br />
1. Project oriented work with clear deliverables <strong>and</strong> timings (‘<strong>the</strong> 5 Ws’):<br />
What are you going to deliver, When, Why, for Whom <strong>and</strong> What will it<br />
cost ?<br />
2. Usually <strong>the</strong>re is a question behind a question !<br />
3. Money <strong>and</strong> instruments might be easier to get than people.<br />
4. Analytical chemistry is an enabler. A means, not a goal !<br />
5. Very interesting side tracks are distractions !<br />
6. Fit for purpose (or ‘good is good enough’). Better is <strong>the</strong> enemy of good !<br />
7. Borrow <strong>and</strong> adapt ra<strong>the</strong>r than invent. So try NOT to be original !<br />
8. If you don’t do your work for today well you will be dead tomorrow. If you<br />
don’t do your work for tomorrow well you will be dead <strong>the</strong> day after !<br />
9. Improved methods make old data useless.<br />
10. Urgent questions can ruin your plans. Think in priorities <strong>and</strong> …. money.
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