For Delphi, Promoting Personal Creativity Key to Employee Retention
27 March 2000
For Delphi, Promoting Personal Creativity Key to Employee Retention
DEARBORN, Mich., March 27 Automotive companies need to
focus first on the personal and workplace attributes that promote creativity,
excitement and innovation in order to recruit and retain the best talent,
according to a senior Delphi Automotive Systems executive.
Rodney O'Neal, Delphi executive vice president and president of its
Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture sector, made the comment at the
second annual Connecting for Results conference here today. The conference is
presented in partnership by the University of Michigan's Office for the Study
of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) and Towers Perrin, a Human Resources and
management consulting firm based in New York.
Entitled "HR Issues at the Speed of Change," the 2000 conference brings
industry executives and analysts from human resources, benefits, finance and
other disciplines together to explore how human resource issues impact the
global automotive industry. Key executives from General Motors Corp., Toyota
Motor Sales USA, Inc., and other area companies will also participate as
speakers at the conference.
In his address, O'Neal said employers need to focus on the intangibles --
work-life balance, empowerment on-the-job, teamwork and providing a work
environment that facilitates creativity -- to maintain employee retention and
loyalty. "Expectations of today's graduates are completely different than
ours were, and they know how to get what they want," O'Neal said, citing broad
access to information through the Internet and the ability to have direct
contact with key business executives through online technologies.
O'Neal said the convergence of the mechanical and electronic aspects of
the auto business have made engineering graduates give Detroit a closer look
in the era of "dot-com" business popularity. "With the advances in automotive
technology, a person doesn't have to go to Silicon Valley to find incredible
technology development positions," he said.
O'Neal said auto employers must address employees' needs by not only
paying competitive salary and benefits, but also by providing a level playing
ground and recognizing what is important to each individual. O'Neal said
Delphi provides a corporate environment that is developing tomorrow's
technology leaders every day. "My job is to get my new recruit to fall in
love with the journey of discovery and invention. Talented, high-powered
people like the intrigue of being part of creating a legacy and being
personally able to make a difference in the business."
Recognizing that the definition of employer loyalty has changed, with
today's employees expecting to work in several industries and jobs over the
course of their careers, O'Neal addressed the issue of retaining employees by
providing specific Delphi examples. He emphasized the importance of employees
staying involved in the community through participation in FIRST, (For
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and other educational
and philanthropic organizations, and encouraged frequent reward and
recognition -- formal and informal -- at all levels of the organization.
"Delphi's Innovation Hall of Fame is a bi-annual event which recognizes the
company's top intellectual property holders of 10 or more patents, trade
secrets or defensive publications. There is also a wall in the company's Troy
Headquarters lobby which displays photos of these men and women."
He also referred to Delphi's "Boss" Kettering Awards program, which
annually recognizes teams of employees for new product inventions and rewards
them with monetary prizes. "How will our employees know we value innovation
if we don't help them celebrate it?
"People don't really join companies, they join people," O'Neal said. "The
only way to maintain our integrity as individuals and as organizations is to
ensure that the best and the brightest want to join us. By paying attention
to what matters to employees, and then delivering on that promise, we'll keep
our industry at the top of the list for the most talented young workers."
In addition, Paul McCollom, Delphi Energy & Chassis Systems manager of
venture development for Europe, will serve on an executive panel discussion
entitled "Cultural Flux," which will address workforce issues that arise
during major organization shifts including ventures, start-ups and spin-offs.
Delphi Automotive Systems, headquartered in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world
leader in transportation and mobile electronics components and systems
technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety,
Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communication --
provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has
approximately 214,200 employees, and operates 178 wholly owned manufacturing
sites, 41 joint ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices and 27
technical centers in 39 countries. Regional headquarters are located in
Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Delphi can be found on the Internet at
http://www.delphiauto.com .