EDF Energy harnesses the power of leadership development

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to examine two management‐development programs at EDF Energy – the 4Is program for directors and senior and middle managers, and Turning up the Volts, for team managers in the customers' branch retention and acquisition department.Design/methodology/approachInvestigates what gave rise to the training programs, how they were delivered and the results they have achieved.FindingsReveals that the 4Is program has improved leadership behaviors across the company, measured through “before and after” 360‐degree assessments on impact, involvement, inspiration and integrity. Turning up the Volts, meanwhile, has led to more internal candidates applying for team‐management internal vacancies, an increase in staff satisfaction from 33 percent to 72 percent in six months, a decrease in staff turnover to 11 percent from 17 percent, and a fall in team‐manager turnover to 3 percent from 16 percent.Practical implicationsDemonstrates that both programs brought about real culture change and performance improvement.Originality/valueHighlights two leadership‐development programs that have had concrete results. The 4Is program, for example, cost less than £1,000 per person and achieved average savings of more than £3,300 per person, per year. A skills audit revealed that Turning up the Volts helped to bring about a 27.4 percent increase of competence for 12 competencies, after only six months.