Case Study Evaluating the Returns on Leadership Development at BP

Through managers and acquisitions, BP, a global energy company, has doubled in size in just five years. BP has more than 97,000 employees who work in over 100 countries throughout the world, BP is involved in gas stations and the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas; in refining marketing, supply, and transportation; in the manufacture and marketing of petrochemicals; and in solar power generation. You may be familiar with some of BP’s brands, which include the Wild Bean Café, am/pm, Castrol, ARCO, Amoco and ARAL.

BP developed a First Level Leaders Development Program to provide a common skill set for BP’s business, including retail operations, chemical plants, refineries, and drilling platforms. They also lead different numbers of employees. Some lead teams of more than 10 employees, others work with just a few employees in functional areas such as research and development. Despite these differences, the decisions the first level leaders make influence BP’s turnover, costs quality, safety, innovation, and environmental performance. The program includes a four day leadership course that focuses on how to lead teams, the role of first level leaders, and expectations of leaders at BP. E-learning modules were used for helping first level leaders understand safety, health, security legislation, ethics and financial decisions. A two and one half course focused on performance goals, BP’s company structure, an understanding of the BP brand, and BP’s global and regional strategy.

Question

What outcomes should BP collect to determine the effectiveness of the First level leaders development program?