ugh years of experience. It's like jazz music, you train hard for years, and the real test is when all the musicians are improvising together. Same thing with (MTD), we all bring something to the course, and the test is how do we get it to work?' (Argentinian Commercial Director)'It's not what's on the course that really matters. It's the other things you do while you're there, the people you meet, networking, learning from each other. It's the interaction with colleagues from the whole of the IP group. So if you ask me what did I learn about marketing, finance etc., that I didn't know before, I'll say, yeah, some new concepts, cases ... but at the end of the day, it's the whole package.' (Dutch commercial manager)Watson (1994: 161) found a similar ambivalence about management courses in a UK firm: managers were not sure what their courses were 'good for', and therefore sought to explain them in terms of building confidence and networking. The question is why are managers prepared to invest their time and effort on courses which, by their own admission, are somewhat at variance with the official policy? The answer appears to lie in the promise of managerial accomplishment. Managers are taught to expect rapid career advancement up the scale in line with their own aspirations and are encouraged to pursue high-profile careers.'The development of people at every level of its business is of critical importance to those individuals who have the potential to achieve positions in senior management.' (Source: Official Training Policy documents) 'Personnel policies give people incentives to come up with their own track record rather than just for the company. An excellent track record is the mark of a successful career, and this is what we very much encourage.' (Belgian training manager)'We encourage people, support them and do all we can to develop them into world-class achievers. It's very important that you have an outstanding career, it says ...
