I really enjoyed co-creating and delivering Toshiba of Europe’s Pan European Management Programme (PEMP) 2-day training course again, this time at a new office location in Staines.
This PEMP 1 Aspire training is aimed at early career managers with high potential and gives them an overview of Toshiba as a company and an understanding of cross-cultural communications alongside important team player and emerging leadership skills. Ian Robinson, EMEA Manager, Corporate HR & Administration, presented a fascinating presentation about the history of innovation within Toshiba with the wonderful story of how one of Toshiba’s founders, Hisashige Tanaka, one of Japan’s most prolific inventors, was famous for many innovative creations including mechanical dolls that served green tea and a wonderful Perpetual Clock in the early 1800’s. I was fortunate to have seen a replica of the clock at an Exhibition at the Embassy of Japan in the UK back in 2014.
Ian also spoke about the huge range of products Toshiba have produced since, including many world and Japanese firsts: the world’s first frosted lightbulb, the world’s first NAND flash memory and the world’s first DVD player. We all learned something new about the Toshiba’s product diversification that has taken place in recent years, and the different business areas they are now involved in.
In my sessions, we covered topics such as Global Communications, Exploring Cultural Values and Beliefs, Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness as a Team Player and Manager, Understanding more about Japanese organisations/Working with the Japanese, Diversity and Inclusion, Creative and Innovative thinking skills finishing off by a team-building activity based on a musical composition, using vital team player skills and allowing delegates to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This also that produced some very impressive and creative performances, one of which used the infamous ‘Hello Tosh Got a Toshiba’ slogan, that those of us that grew up in the ‘80s remember from the adverts featuring the voice of Ian Drury from the Blockheads. Toshiba - Hello Tosh Got A Toshiba - 1985
Given that delegates had diverse nationalities (Indian, British, German, Polish) and experiences (some had lived in Japan, some had lived/travelled all over the world, for some it was their first time in the UK), there was a wide and interesting range of discussions, both in the sessions and at the networking dinners. By the end of the two days, we all felt like we had a much deeper understanding into different cultures, ways of thinking and working and the delegates have taken back some valuable skills to their offices in London, Cambridge, Dusseldorf and Kiel. Looking forward to the next one.
Sarah Parsons, ACIPR, PGCE, BA (Hons), ATCL has delivered Toshiba Europe's PEMP training for several years and also works with other global Japanese companies to bring the understanding of their local and Japanese staff together for optimal results, especially since the business processes and communications differ so widely, sometimes causing loss of trust, poor cross-cultural relationships and sub-optimal business outcomes. See our projects and testimonials for some examples of work we have done.
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