Unilever Companies' Management Development Scheme (UCMDS)

Date:
1951-1977
Reference:
SA/TIH/B/2/9
Part of:
Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
  • Archives and manuscripts

About this work

Description

The Unilever Companies' Management Development Scheme (UCMDS) was in introduced in 1952, replacing the Management Training Scheme which had been in operation since 1927. The UEMTS was added in 1971. The scheme still exists (as of 2017), and Unilever is one of the largest employers of graduates.

The aim was to identify and appraise the performance and potential of managers, and to recruit strong management potential into the organisation. Successful candidates to UCMDS were expected to be capable of reaching upper middle management by their mid-thirties, and senior management thereafter.

The majority of candidates who joined Unilever through UCMDS were university graduates, and tended to be no older than 26.

The selection board consisted of a President and selectors from across the business, accompanied by two advisors from the Tavistock Institute. The role of TIHR on the board was to assist the selectors in their appraisal of candidates, and help the candidates informally in their career development.

The selection programme included a combination of group discussions and tasks and individual interviews. Tests included matrices test, Mill Hill vocabulary test, Quantitative Information test (QIT), Myers-Briggs test, personal preferences exercise. The aim of the tests was to gain an understanding of individual aptitudes, which might not necessarily be indicated by educational records alone.

On the continent, investigations into potential appraisal were conducted under the guidance of Professor van Lennep of Urecht University (Holland), in close contact with social scientists in the UK. On the basis of these experiences, appraisal experiments were conducted on a larger scale in Belgium, Holland and Germany.

As part of the process, management reviews were also conducted. The purpose of conducting regular and systematic management reviews was to provide a detailed note of the action to be taken in respect of individual managers as part of career planning; to indicate the size and scope of functional or general management courses to be provided for UK managers; and to provide a forecast of future management requirements, by potential and type of manager.

The review procedure included a first review, whereby the Head of the Unit first reviewed all his managers and records comments and recommendations. A second review, attended by the Control Authority and Personnel division, as appropriate, was conducted for certain managers to be reviewed again. Those reviewed twice include Senior Managers, Managers on the "C" list, Managers for whom some action by Personnel has been requested, any others nominated for discussion by the head of the unit.

Publication/Creation

1951-1977

Physical description

14 boxes

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