Adapting Total's values to today's society

Aligning the company’s traditional values with contemporary aspirations.

The client, director of HR policy and forward planning, wants to carry out a thorough review of the values embodied by the "Total Attitude" and of how well they fit society today.

This project sits within a wider effort to think through the position of Total in contemporary French and international society. The initiative covers a range of issues, from organisation to HR strategy, and it takes in management and marketing challenges along the way. A change of brand is even being considered.

The main objective is to understand and support the way the expectations of candidates and consumers are changing. Particular attention goes to the younger generations, who are especially sensitive to environmental issues.

Working groups have already brought three key and urgent topics to light: acquiring new skills, redesigning HR policy, and transforming management. The core task is to bring these topics together with the particular characteristics and aspirations of new talent and to produce a useful synthesis. That synthesis will highlight the changes needed in management, in organisation and, potentially, in brand identity.

The aim of the assignment is to give leaders the impetus to start the changes required.

As environmental awareness grows, Total faces several major challenges.

Assessment of current values. Faced with this change, the client wants to know how the "Total Attitude" is perceived internally and externally, and whether it is still in step with current realities. The conclusions and recommendations will be based on concrete data rather than on assumptions.

Understanding what the younger generations expect. They have different aspirations, often centred on sustainability, ethics and transparency. These expectations need to be clearly defined so they can be built into the overall HR, management and marketing strategy.

Integrating the feedback from the working groups. The three topics identified, which are new skills, HR policy and the transformation of management, need to be addressed as a whole to make the transformation work.

Potential change of brand identity. If a change of brand is considered, it must be handled carefully so that the new identity reflects the values and aspirations of the company faithfully.

Adapting to social change. Total needs to stay in step with social change, both nationally and internationally, to remain relevant and competitive. According to McKinsey, 70% of corporate transformation initiatives fail because of employee resistance and a lack of support from leadership.

Aligning company values with what employees expect is essential to long term success.

Understanding across generations. The task is to break down the stereotypes attached to generations in order to grasp their real motivations, aspirations and concerns. That understanding will make it possible to put in place HR policies and management practices that fit. According to an internal study, 76% of the people who joined this year believe their company should have a positive impact on society.

Alignment of values. The organisation needs to question how relevant its values are against contemporary expectations. That calls for some introspection, to be sure they still resonate with current employees and attract the talent of tomorrow. This thinking is urgent, with the arrival of engineers who see their time in the company as a project rather than a career.

Management adaptation. The company needs to recognise the changes under way and think about how its management practices can adapt. That could mean creating an internal management school, adopting new ways of organising work, and reviewing the values.

Mobilising the leadership team. It is important that leaders are not only informed of the conclusions but also ready to act on them. Communicating the value and the benefits of these changes will be essential.

Diagnosis

Assessment of how employees currently perceive the company values and of their own individual expectations in terms of values.

Training

Awareness sessions on intergenerational expectations and on the social changes under way, based on recent studies.

Strategy

Definition of a road map for building these behaviours into HR processes, with several cross functional and international working groups.

Implementation

Presentation of the recommendations to the leadership team and sequencing of the actions to roll out the selected initiatives and track their effects.

For confidentiality reasons I cannot go into the detail of the assignment or share the results obtained. That said, a better understanding of the aspirations of the different generations was established, which allowed for more effective communication and stronger engagement. Significant improvements were made to the HR processes, which now reflect the reference behaviours of the management behaviour framework more closely.

The values of the company were redefined and aligned with contemporary expectations, which strengthened its appeal as an employer of choice. This was reinforced by a change of name.

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