Battelle Prepares for Growth

Volume 1 Issue 1 - 2008
Beyond Compensation | Battelle Prepares for Growth | LEADeR: Identify Potential, Cultivate Success 

The business challenge

The range of scientific and technological expertise that Battelle Memorial Institute can bring to almost any challenge is arguably unrivaled. As the world's largest independent consulting, research and development organization, Battelle has built a strong team of engineers, scientists and other high-tech experts who develop cutting edge solutions to complex problems in the areas of defense, energy, environment, transportation, health and life sciences.

While Battelle is well established in North America and Europe, expanding into Asia offers Battelle new challenges in new markets. Battelle believes that R&D in Asia will increase significantly in the future and it wanted to participate actively in that growth. To do so, it needed to ramp up its operations across Asia, expanding simultaneously into India, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. Battelle turned to Aon Consulting for help.

According to Bob Lincoln, Battelle’s Vice President of Human Resources, “We never operated before in Malaysia and India. It is so important to understand the market from a local and regional perspective in order for us to implement an infrastructure for compensation and benefits that ensures we are competitive and are knowledgeable about how to conduct business. That is one of the reasons that we chose Aon.”

Solution

As Battelle is looking for unique talent in science and technology fields in these two markets, Aon’s job was to characterize the market from an alternative talent supply perspective. This then enables Battelle to build targeted compensation policies in order to tap this supply pool. Aon’s local and regional consultants benchmarked the market and helped Battelle to understand talent trends, pay practices, elements of pay, and how those things are implemented in those environments. In addition, they helped establish overall policies including employee handbooks.

Aon Consulting employed a thorough, disciplined approach to learning about Battelle’s business, its needs and its expectations. We then assembled a team that combined the right mix of global, regional and local resources, capabilities and expertise to deliver an innovative and personalized solution.

Battelle wanted to adopt local customary practice where appropriate while at the same time maintaining its global corporate values and culture. Aon’s experienced consultant helped Battelle work through this process to develop human resources policies and practices that met corporate objectives while also being highly competitive in the market. Lincoln told Aon that, “What we counted on Aon for was their knowledge of the local domestic markets. Understanding local policies, practices and procedures helped us implement strong policies and procedures. They brought with them a cultural perspective and indigenous knowledge that allowed us to be competitive for staff not only in terms of policies and procedures but also from operating perspective in terms of compensation and benefits.”

Lincoln feels that Aon’s Client Focus is its greatest strength. “Aon’s relationship management is a strong point. The Aon global account manager is routinely in contact with me. Above him is Aon’s regional head of consulting and above her is Aon’s president. I have had contact during this process with each one of them. They are always responsive and I feel that you want Battelle as a customer and you really want to keep me happy all the way up to your president.”