Newly arrived managers in the ÏDKIDS community follow a specific Management Programme with a focus on active learning methods based on an exchange of best practice, experimentation and role play.
The programme comprises two complementary parts: the Management Basics course is designed for all new managers and is followed by the Development Course designed for experienced managers.
The aim of Management Basics is to help managers implement managerial practices and be effective role models of the We Act For Kids ethos on a daily basis. The course is designed and run in-house by industry and education experts with excellent knowledge of the group’s management culture.
Some of the feedback from our employees:
- Mélanie, regional manager
“I’ve been leading 18 teams from Okaïdi, Oxybul and ÏDKIDS stores in the south end of Greater Paris for 18 months now.
This training course was an opportunity for me to fully take on board the group’s values so I can communicate them to my staff on a daily basis. It’s important to understand how to bring tools such as HESSERBraC to life in our own words, in our own way and drawing on our own experience. I was also looking forward to sharing my managerial successes and problems with other managers so we could draw on each other’s experience and best practice to solve real problems.
I particularly enjoyed working with the trainers. They had extensive managerial experience and exemplified the values of the ÏDKIDS community. The workshops themselves were all about reflecting on and discussing our current managerial stance. Another positive aspect was the opportunity to get to know and exchange ideas with trainees from other areas, whether head office or retail, Jacadi or ÏDKIDS, France or abroad.
The training course helped me gain a new perspective and go on to support my staff in a caring way yet with high expectations. I make sure each milestone in their career has meaning, including recruitment, orientation, collaboration, annual appraisal interviews and internal development.
As a proud member of ÏDKIDS who has fully assimilated the culture, I am happy to be a role model for our group and all it represents!”
- Anne, ÏDKIDS Besançon store manager
“In my role as store manager I lead a team of four people on a daily basis. I am responsible for managing and organizing the members of the team and for how well they perform.
I was hoping this training course would clarify how to manage priorities and provide information on the annual appraisal interviews I hold with each employee. I was also keen to receive advice on the best way to delegate.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that this course was not theory-based, so there was plenty of time to build relationships with colleagues we would not necessarily have met in our day-to-day work.
Thanks to this training course, I am now able to delegate more to my assistant manager who in turn guides our sales assistants. Now we have a close-knit team who work brilliantly together. I learned more about my management style, which has helped me improve and use the right approach at the right time.
A good sense of humour and SHERBET keep our staff and our customers smiling!“
- Julien, logistics team manager at the warehouse in Leers, part of the procurement department
“I was in the management programme from September 2016 to March 2017. I didn’t have any specific expectations of the training course but, generally speaking, I wanted to bridge any gaps in my knowledge of staff development (e.g. monthly and annual appraisal interviews) because I came from smaller companies with a much less structured approach.
I enjoyed the fact that I was with managers from different fields, such as administration and retail, and that I spent time with the same people throughout the training programme. It makes you feel like you are part of a group.
The interactive workshops gave the training course a dynamic feel and it was very well run. A programme divided into stages like this lets you apply what you learn as you go along, and it avoids you having to assimilate a large chunk of information all in one go.
And I finished the programme with the information I was hoping for on staff development. I was even able to try out new things I wasn’t expecting, like delegating more.
This training course has given me a broader perspective on my job and a better understanding of it.”
- Charlotte, Okaïdi Poitiers Sud store manager
“I’m delighted to have been with the ÏDKIDS group for a year and a half now and passionate about my job as store manager.
The training programme helped me learn new skills and reassured me about the group’s values, which are very much in line with my own.
I didn’t have any particular expectations, but right from the beginning I understood that the programme was going to be very rewarding, both from a personal and professional perspective. Now I have a better understanding of tools like the paradox triangle* which I can pass onto my team in a meaningful way. I am also more at ease with employee appraisals and now approach them from a sound management perspective, i.e. on a case-by-case basis.
It was an absolute pleasure to take part in this programme with trainers who were enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Each day was a rich learning experience made all the better by sharing it with people from different business areas.
I can’t wait for stage 2 of the programme to start!”
*The paradox triangle is a tool for harmonizing our activities (performance, character, meaning and team spirit) to ensure that our brands remain unique in the long term.
