It Takes a Village and a Consultant: PricewaterhouseCoopers Tests Partners by Sending Them to Work in Poor Nations PricewaterhouseCoopers launched the

e Ulysses program in 2001 under which it sends midcareer talent to developing countries to apply their business expertise to complex social and economic challenges. The cross-cultural PwC teams work for eight weeks with NGOs, community-based organizations and intergovernmental agencies in communities struggling with the effects of poverty, conflict, etc.

1.

What competitive challenges motivated PwC to develop the Ulysses Program?

PwCs policy is to depend on leaders from within, so they are forced to develop leaders who are able to overcome barriers and create connection with clients all over the world. The Ulysses Program identifies and trains up-and-coming leaders who can deal with problems in a creative and exceptional manner. It is not easy to identify such leaders which PwC is in need for. The program exposes participants who were only used to dealing with technology, e-mail and Blackberry, to a developing and poor environment in all aspects. The environment pus participants under pressure and so trains them to apply not only their business expertise, but also their cognitive skills. Do you think that Ulysses program contributes to PwCs business strategy and goals?

2.

Explain. Research suggests that there is a link between a companys business strategy and the training program It applies. Companies which have an external growth strategy, and acquire another company through merger for example, need to make sure the merger was successful. This
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will only be achieved if the employees are ready to meet the new challenge. They need to adapt to the new system, procedure,,, etc, but they also need to be capable to cope with the new culture of the company. This is the case of PwC. Ulysses definitely contributes to PwCs strategy. PwC is a global professional services firm headquartered in London. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms. The firm was formed in 1998 by a merger between Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. PwC has offices in 757 cities across 154 countries and employs over 175,000 people. It had total revenues of $29.2 billion in FY 2011, of which $14.14 billion was generated by its Assurance practice, $7.63 billion by its Tax practice and $7.46 billion by its Advisory practice. [Source: Wikipedia] Following the merger that created the global services giant, the companys strategy aimed at creating a new model of leadership training that would build a worldwide network of executives able to benefit from the diversity and transnational nature of the firm's operations. So, Ulysses program, was tailored to meet the challenge of preparing promising young PwC talent that helps the company meet its strategic goals. 3. How would you determine if the Ulysses Program was effective? What metrics or

outcomes would you collect? Why? Second paragraph The effectiveness can be noticed through several points; meeting business related goals, employee turnover, employee development and performance. All two dozen employees who were sent to the training are still working at the company, half of them have been promoted and most of them have more responsibilities. This indicates low turnover and better employee performance. In addition, the employees themselves sound very satisfied with the training and subordinates are noticing differences in their managers leadership style, like becoming more flexible as mentioned on the article. These goals were set from the beginning and have actually been met. PwC has also seen some positive results in global networking. There was a one instance where a company in South Africa wanted to set up a joint venture in Thailand and sought PwC's help. PwC were able to set it up quickly and won that company as a client because one

of PwCs partners in South Africa had participated in the Ulysses project with a partner in Thailand. 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Ulysses Program compared to more

traditional ways of training leaders such are formal courses (e.g., MBA) or giving them more increased responsibility? Companies are discovering that leadership is not easy to achieve. And leadership can't be developed only through reading or study. Hands-on experience has proved crucial for companies, like PwC which has put employees into volunteer programs that test their teamwork and skill and groom them for future leadership roles. Cognitive skill s can be aquires, but the most important thing is to have the opportunity to apply those leadership and teamwork skills in a real-life situation and this is only possible when people are put into those situations. Moreover, the program builds a global network of PwC leadership talent, prepares leaders to guide the firm in a global world of diversity and different interests of stakeholder groups Disadvantages may be financial ones because it is expensive to send employees abroad, pay their accommodation, per diem and expenses, in addition to their salaries. However, if the results are almost guaranteed, these expenses should be seen as an investment.