Innovate Talent Selection Mechanism, Promote the “Second Take-off” – CMBC Launched “Three Thirty One-hundred” Young Talent Training Project

By HR Department   

Young employees should keep in mind the following words: first, devotion. One can only harvest with sustained devotion, as it goes: “Reap what you sow”. The second is sincerity. Be sincere to your colleagues, customers, and do not change yourself easily. Heart to heart communication, honest and sincerity are the basis of interpersonal relationship. The key is not how much you “say”, but how much you “do”. The third is passion. Passion, in other words, is creation. It is your love and pursuit of your career. As young employees, you should pay more attention to them. The fourth is kindness. To be a good leader, you should be kind to people and things around. Have a broad mind and learn to be tolerant. - Dong Wenbiao   


With the arrival of market-oriented economy and globalization today, China’s financial industry has entered a stage of rapid development. China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd. (CMBC) furthered its strategic transformation and the process of internationalization, and a number of outstanding youth that possess both political integrity and ability are needed as a back-up management personnel in the future development of bank and will be gradually included in the core team. Issues such as how to select and train talent, how to realize the optimal allocation of human resources, and how to boost the “Second Take-off” are crucial in the growth of CMBC. They also lead to important initiatives of party and youth league building. I. Be centered in the work of the whole bank, take a broad and long view, and determine “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project

The young talent is a solid foundation and important guarantee for continuous development of CMBC, and the training and selection of outstanding young cadres have always been a strategic task of the bank. Chairman Dong Wenbiao attaches great importance to the cultivation of young talent. In March 2011, Dong Wenbiao put forward the overall vision of “Three Thirty One-hundred” project at CMBC Youth Work Conference & the 3rd Plenary Session of the 2nd Communist Youth League Conference, calling on the all levels of party committees to create conditions for the emergence of a group of outstanding young people. The head office studied the core team training plan in the next 5-7 years and worked out “Three Thirty One-hundred” youth talent construction project implementation program in line with Chairman Dong Wenbiao’s instructions of on youth work and President Hong Qi’s requirements of personnel training. According to the project, since 2011, selection work would be carried out for three consecutive years, during which 30 to 35 people with excellent performance and identifying themselves with corporate culture of the bank would be chosen each year to the training plan. After follow-up training, about 100 youth backbones would become core trainees at all levels of the bank before 2015. It was significant in taking the lead in completing the transformation of the core human resources through personnel training and reserves, and realizing the ultimate goals, i.e. to boost strategic transformation, improve business performance and management effectiveness, and cultivate all levels of youth vanguard and new force for the bank’s strategic transformation, process banking building and sustainable development. Through “Three Thirty One-hundred” project, CMBC endeavored to realize a full range of mid-term sustained talent supply and improve the youth and international level of the core team.

To speed up efforts to the implementation of the “Three Thirty One-hundred” project, the party committee of the head office established “Three Thirty One-hundred” project leading group with Chairman Dong Wenbiao as the head and President Hong Qi the deputy head. The group was mainly in charge of the overall implementation of the project, the examination of project implementation plans and system rules, and collective decision-making for candidates, selection procedures, manner of cultivation and other major issues. Working group was set up under the leading group to implement decisions of the latter. The working group was lead by HR Department of the head office and involved Party-Mass Work Division, the Communist Youth League, the office, and Discipline Inspection and Supervision Room. The leading group determined, after the research, young talents selection conditions, trainees, as well as work arrangements for the first test, retest, and final test, the follow-up training plan and evaluation mechanism of “Three Thirty One-hundred” project. II. Ground on the display of qualities of youth, coordinated deployment, careful implementation, and carry out the first selection of trainees

The selection work of “Three Thirty One-hundred” project 2012 started in the end of 2011. In the first phase, a total of 305 qualified young employees and those with overseas background recommended by party committees of grass-roots operating agencies participated in preliminary selection. It was conducted in the form of seminars that involved young employee self-introduction, viewpoint sharing, discussion, exchange, written expression and other means, through which they clarified ideas and viewpoints accumulated in day-to-day work and expressed their feelings of the bank. A total of 100 outstanding young employees entered the retest stage after the selection in 14 seminars. April 16 to 18, 2012, as judges of the retest, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, Head of Party Committee Organization Department and General Manager of HR Department Duan Qingshan, together with members of “Three Thirty One-hundred” project leading group office and people in charge of some departments of the head office rated the young employees in an open, scientific and objective manner and selected 40 contestants to enter the final test of the year.

May 5, 2012, CMBC young cadres echelon construction selection & “Three Thirty One-hundred” project final test was held in Beijing and wrapped up when 40 contestants were rated by judges in site competition. CMBC leaders such as President Hong Qi, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee Duan Qingshan, and people in charge of branch and department, and involved in the first test and re-test “Three Thirty One-hundred” project attended the final scene. Dawa Tsering, Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee, the Communist Youth League, person in charge of the Central Financial Work Group, secretary of the Communist Youth League of the CBRC Hong Song provided guidance at the scene as representatives of superiors of Communist Youth League. The final test also invited three professional HR senior judges to conduct on-site reviews of the 40 contestants. The final tests consisted of three parts. In the first part, or “Glory Bloom”, each contestant was required to make a declaration within the specified time. Some described their own course of growth with aesthetic language, some used digitals to directly display their achievements at work, and some showed the beauty of humanity in affection among family members. In this part, all contestants expressed themselves in different forms and left the judges and the audience a deep impression. The second part was “Acme Fight”, where the 40 contestants were divided into five groups to debate around the impact of regional environment on the development of commercial banks, which was more important, product or service, in the marketing of the commercial banks, what was more needed, innovation or execution, in building first-class commercial banks…to name just a few. Contestants quickly found the entry point based on the topic. Their argument was well grounded, accurate, and logic deliberate. The war of words brought the debate site to waves of climaxes. 20 out of the 40 contestants entered the next part of the competition. The third part was “Let Your Dreams Fly”. During this part, the 20 contestants made a presentation on the proposition, “Myself in the Next 5 Years”, to demonstrate their good wishes of their career and life in the future. Contestants actively involved themselves in this part. Some displayed themselves in a song, some used “three sentences and a half” (in Chinese, San Ju Ban) to allow the audience to get a strong feeling for life, some drained off a cup of beer to show their forthrightness and sincerity, while some interpreted the perfection and harmony between work and life with a balance. 10 contestants were awarded “Best Live Performance” in this part. In the mean time, the audience used their voting machines to choose 4 contestants in this part for “Most Popular Award”, who exchanged with the leadership at the site. At the end of the competition, the 40 contestants and more than 200 audiences took the oath “We are on the Road” in front of the flag of the bank, and the entire competition was successfully concluded in the solemn oath.

III. Spare no efforts to enhance the ability of youth, make scientific planning, hierarchical classification and ensure follow-up training The first batch of trainees of CMBC “Three Thirty One-hundred” project was finally determined based on the results of the 40 contestants in the final test. The working group of “Three Thirty One-hundred” project trained them in accordance with their characters, educational background, and their strengths. Differentiated on-the-job training was the major form, supplemented by various tools, such as the tutorial system, apprentice, leadership development, internal and external communications. The training mainly included the following aspects: first, the self-assessment. Trainees filled out the “Self-Assessment Table” for self-assessment, analyzed their own strengths and weaknesses, and made clear their main development objectives in the training process. The second was capacity evaluation. Together with institutions and departments of the trainees, the working group carried out professional and managerial capacity short-board evaluation based on their investigation results, historical performance assessment, and day-to-day performance to guide and amend their development goals. The third was the direction of cultivation. Combined with self-assessment and capacities evaluation, the working group applied a variety of training and development tools to determine trainees’ training objectives. The fourth was plan of action. Based on the training objectives, the working group, together with the trainee and their institutions, made targets and timetables for stages of individual growth, and enhanced management capacities through the leadership training system and professional capacities through on-the-job training, hence the specific action plan. The two dimensions of training, i.e. ability enhancement and service experience, were implemented through the tutorial and training system. The fifth was follow-up tutoring. The working group led and organized follow-up tutoring and their institutions were in charge of it. Trainees would receive two-hour business tutoring, one-hour management tutoring each week, report to the HR department of their institutions on a monthly basis, and report to their tutor each quarter on the banking business, management advice or special research reports. Every six months, the HR department of the trainee would carry out a formal tutoring interview with the trainee. The sixth was development assessment. At the end of the training each year, the working group would assess the growth of the trainee and report it to the leading group. The results of the assessment included five levels, i.e. “excellent”, “good”, “passable”, “basically passable”, “failed”. The seventh was continuous improvement. The working group sent the final results of the development assessment and interpreted it, so that the trainee could know their annual growth. Abilities or performance results assessed to be “basically passable” needed targeted improvements.

IV. It takes ten years to grow trees but a hundred years rear people – HR innovation being very significant In recent years, party committees of CMBC closely linked together the youth strategy and the sustainable development and ever green of the enterprises. It required Communist Youth League, organization and personnel departments at all levels to earnestly care about youth in politics, support them in their career, and love them in life. “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project was of great significance in the reserve of young and strategic talents of the bank, and had a profound impact on the reform and innovation of the industry’s human resources management. (I) “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent selection being a major innovation of CMBC’s human resources management transition Under the background where China fully participated in the economic globalization and competition, and integrated into the international economic system, the focus of interbank competition gradually shifted to the competition for human resources. Human capital had replaced physical capital and become a source for wealth growth. Therefore, it was a must to update the concept of human resource management, improve the level of human resources management, and promote enterprise strategic transformation through human management innovation. “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project was one of the innovations. First, it established a new concept of the human resources management and closely connected it with the development strategy of the bank. Second, it changed the traditional human resources management mode from the traditional one where “people did their best” to be “people-oriented”. Third, it boosted employees’ sense of belonging and loyalty by maximizing their enthusiasm and enhancing their dedication, sense of responsibility, spirit of collaboration, innovative thinking, efficiency concept and self image, so that the employees could really integrate into the culture of the bank.

(II) Making the talent mining and cultivating the core concept and shifting the traditional staffing model that stressed “performance and experience” to the direction where “potential and sustainability” were emphasized The employee’s job performance and work experience were stressed in the traditional selection and staffing model; it attached great importance to “the past and now”, but neglected “the future” development. It pursued short-term effectiveness and valued experience the employees accumulated and the benefits they created for the enterprise at present. For an enterprise, the “stationary state” of employee potential was not conducive to its sustainable development. Moreover, it was human resource management mistakes and waste of human resources costs if the employees could not further enhance their value, or their positive willingness was not put into practice or recognized. Taking the opportunity of “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project, CMBC broke the traditional staffing model and shifted to the new direction where “potential and sustainability” was emphasized. With the core concept to mine and cultivate human potential, it trained people instead of using them and built the platform for the growth and development of young employees, thus laying a solid human resource base for future sustainable development of the bank. (III) “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project initiated human resources transformation in the industry and would have a positive and far-reaching impact on it “Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project achieved a fundamental transformation of the human resources management concept. It was the first in the industry to openly recommend and select cadres according to their personal abilities and qualities, a true transition from personnel management to human resource management, and was bound to play a positive demonstration role in the innovation of human resource management model in the industry. We had reason to believe that through continuous innovation and development, the human resource management of CMBC would pave a broad road that met the law of its development, and provide more technical exploration and practice guarantee for human resources management of the financial system.

“Three Thirty One-hundred” young talent training project was one important measure of CMBC in its human resource management specialization and innovation in recent years. Under the guidance of the party committee of China Banking Regulatory Commission, we will seek development in stability and innovation in growth, and walk our way of human resources development with CMBC characteristics. Following the determination of the strategic transformation of the bank, a personnel training will be the deciding factor in the next few years. The success or failure of a cause lies in the core team. The critical time where more opportunities and challenges exist has greater needs for strategic vision and thinking, as well as training and selection of young talents. It is a matter of long-term strategic initiatives. As was pointed out by General Secretary Hu Jintao in the important speech to commemorate the 90th anniversary of CPC, “It is a matter of fundamental importance to the party and people’s cause to continuously turn out a large number of outstanding young cadres.” Only with the emergence of a large number of young cadres that are politically reliable, fully motivated at work, keep good style of work, able to accurately judge the situation and grasp the overall situation, and improve themselves and work efficiently in intricate conditions can the core team of CMBC always maintain the vigor and vitality, that the grand blueprint of the “Second Take-off” be show, and that the dream of being “hundred old” finally achieved.