Cross Cultural Programmes
The Client
British International Investment, formerly CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution, was created in 1948 as part of the Overseas Resources Development Act 1948. It’s the world’s oldest Development Finance Institution (DFI). In addition to its financial initiatives, BII is known for its Cross Cultural Programmes, which further enrich its global impact.
The organisation supports the building of businesses throughout Africa and South Asia. Their goal is to create jobs and make a lasting difference to people’s lives through initiatives like the comprehensive Cross Cultural Programme. These are countries where over 80 percent of the world’s poor live.
BII provides the long-term investment and expertise that many businesses in developing countries need. Their investment portfolio is valued at £4.8bn and includes 1,245 investee businesses. These companies together have helped create 1.29 million new jobs in just one year.
The Brief
BII has grown rapidly over the last two years. A need was identified for a more structured approach to developing its people. This helps them work more collaboratively, sharing BII’s strong values and mission statement, supported by the Cross Cultural Programme.
BII attracts an extremely highly skilled and culturally diverse mix of employees. They are based in London and work with companies and investors worldwide through diverse programmes.
Following on from their Staff Survey this year, many employees expressed the need for training to improve the way they
- Give and receive feedback
- Motivate and coach
- Manage challenging conversations
- Delegate effectively
With such a diverse and international market scope, British International Investment needed to find a training company. This company needed to work with different cultures, in alignment with the goals of their innovative Cross Cultural Programme, and in different countries.
It was very important for British International Investment to work with a training consultancy that had cross-cultural expertise and global reach. This was so they could bring this knowledge into the training room. More importantly, they needed the ability to create and deliver unique experiential training sessions. In these sessions, delegates fully experience and participate to create their own practical tools that could be used straight away.
Our Tailored Solution
British International Investment has found in Impact Factory, the trainer partner they can trust to design and deliver diverse and fully bespoke programmes. These have included a range of one-day courses including:
And their four-day Leadership and People Management course for Senior Leaders.
The in-depth and intense training programmes are immersive and fun. This guarantees that the course objectives are met. Strong relationships are formed across the business that have a lasting effect, thanks to the influence of the Cross Cultural Programme.
Through participating in their robust Cross Cultural Programme, it’s training that sticks and lasts.
Feedback and Testimonials
40% of BII employees have attended these sessions which have supported the organisation‘s rapid growth. There has already been a big impact in the countries and communities where British International Investment works. The initiatives from their Cross Cultural Programme have been fully transferable to their daily jobs and put into practice immediately.
See What We Can Do For You
If you like what you’ve seen and would like to know more please contact our team.
“CDC Group has been helping the poorest communities in Africa and Asia for decades and it’s vital for us to work with a training consultancy that understands what drives and motivates people. We fully trust Impact Factory to deliver our people training programmes. We have experienced very rapid growth and we needed to make sure that the new joiners are able to feel part of our mission and our values”,
“It’s extremely rewarding to work with CDC Group, not just because of the highly positive outcome of their work, but also for the amazing kind of people who work for it. They really want to make a difference in the world and they are committed to improving themselves and the way they work together to make it happen.”
