At P&G, The Consumer Is Boss—Global HR Officer Shares Insights on Change and Talent Development
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Richard L. Antoine, global human resources officer at Procter & Gamble, speaks at the second of three Human Resource Lectures.
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A few days after the purchase of The Gillette Company, Richard L. Antoine, global human resources officer, shared his insights how P&G gets 110 thousand employees and over 100 distributors in 84 countries to work together to achieve common goals for the customer.
Antoine’s presentation on “Organizational Change and Talent Development” was the second of three Human Resource Lectures sponsored by Right Management Consultants and the Raj Soin College of Business.
At Procter & Gamble, the consumer is boss. Antoine firmly believes that the 168-year-old company is thriving because it has continually changed—and has the courage to change. He explained how P&G changed from being cast by Wall Street analysts as a “rust belt company” predicted to go out of business in late 1999 to a $50 billion company with an unsurpassed competitive position—including a portfolio of 250 brands with 18 brands worth $1 billion or more.
Antoine also discussed the overriding value P&G places on its people, its unwavering commitment to internal talent development, and hiring from within. Of the 40 top P&G executives, all were developed from within the company except for three who joined the executive team through acquisitions. He also underscored the importance of succession planning for all companies regardless of their size or recruiting philosophy.
With the “consumer as the boss,” all employees, including managers and executives, became totally focused on learning what their customers want, what they can afford, and what they will buy. Making a massive shift in the organization’s structure wasn’t easy, according to Antoine. However, he emphasized that the company’s long-standing values of integrity, trust in one another, ownership for the business, leadership, and innovation provide the foundation for successful change. That change has paid off in the company’s rebound for shareholders and employees alike.
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