Case TapCorp: balancing career management with business needs

Abstract

TapCorp is a Belgian company which over the past decennia has grown from a small family-owned business to an international holding active in manufacturing high-quality floor and wall coverings. TapCorp currently employs 3.670 employees and realises a turnover of 635 million euros. At a strategic level, TapCorp follows a strategy of cost leadership and scale enlargement. This is reflected in the organisational structure and culture. The TapCorp culture is characterised by 'no-nonsense', efficiency and a strong focus on performance. In the past, human resource management (HRM) within the organisation was seen as the responsibility of line management. There were no coherent policies and personnel matters tended to be considered as having less priority. In the mid-nineties, management started to realise that stronger attention to human potential within the organisation was necessary. The human factor came to be considered as crucial for good strategy-development, creative product development and increasing turnover figures. This lead the top management to hire an HR manager. During his first years within TapCorp his major tasks were streamlining the recruitment and selection process and the organisation of training. The problem TapCorp is currently confronted with is the difficult path for employees to the general management level. The focus on performance and a lack of policies towards high potential makes it difficult to fill vacancies at a general management level by internal candidates. There is an urgent need to change this situation in order to ensure the organisation's continuity.