Vingroup, dubbed the Vietnamese version of the Korean chaebol, is a diversified conglomerate and a leading force in the national economy. To achieve its prosperous growth with over 25,900 employees (as of 2015, according to Cafebiz), "captain" Pham Nhat Vuong has his own secret to steering the Vingroup "ship."

Chairman of Vingroup, Pham Nhat Vuong. Source: Cafebiz

For all businesses, human resources are one of the key factors for success. Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong's human resource development strategy revolves around two words: training and development.

The two words "training"

All members of Vingroup, from leaders and managers to the lowest-level employees, must participate in learning. Currently, the "Vingroup Learning Program" is being implemented. Billionaire Vuong shared: “For leaders, 52 hours of training per year is required for subordinates, and 100 hours of training per year for each employee. This is not just a program; I hope it will become a culture ingrained in the blood of Vingroup people.” For him, training is a national policy, a top priority for the company. To improve, every officer, employee, and leader must learn every day, every moment, and everywhere from everyone. Not only those in lower positions, but also those in higher positions need to be trained. "The most crucial factor is having people who fit the culture and the way things are done. You can recruit very talented people, but you have to retrain them to fit in, which is very tiring. The probability of success isn't very high. We try to train a department head to become a deputy general manager, a deputy general manager to become a general manager, for example. The way to do it is for the leaders to work hard to train them," Mr. Vuong said.

Training is Vingroup's guiding principle in human resources. Source: Vingroup.net

Why is training necessary?

First and foremost, training will help businesses proactively maintain their workforce, attract talent, and develop their systems. Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong stated: "In all the industries Vingroup is currently involved in, Vietnamese people are rarely trained for mid-level and senior management positions. For example, in the hotel or shopping mall industries, ... Previously, most positions from general manager upwards were held by foreigners, but now we appoint Vietnamese people. Without training, we wouldn't have the talent and workforce to maintain operations, let alone develop the system." From this, the group is no longer dependent on foreign human resources and confidently embraces the "made in Vietnam" model.

For employees to be enthusiastic, dedicated to their work, and eager to learn, they must be shown their value within the company. Billionaire Vuong stated: "Vingroup has a movement called 'Every employee is an ambassador of Vingroup,' meaning that employees must always demonstrate their capabilities at all times and in all places. Employees are working for an entire system and represent it; they are the image of the entire system. When leaders instill this spirit in them, they must recognize it and perform well in their daily work." This contributes to enhancing the professionalism of the entire Vingroup system.

Vinmart supermarket employees, part of the Vingroup conglomerate. Source: Cafebiz

Besides training, motivating employees is equally important. Fair rewards and punishments create respect, pressure, and goals for disciplined employees. The Chairman of Vingroup emphasized that brand image is a key factor in success. Good customer service attracts customers. At Vingroup, rewards and disciplinary actions are also handled quickly. The Vingroup communications team is responsible for reviewing feedback about the group from social media platforms like Facebook and Zalo to address issues promptly.

Train them, but don't expect too much.

We can hope to acquire dedicated employees and talented managers through training. However, we shouldn't expect all employees to excel from training. According to Mr. Vuong, the human resources story is like an investment, and this is an investment in people. Therefore, this investment cannot be guaranteed to succeed. Many people may perform very well on a small scale, but when they reach a larger scale, they may not be able to do it. In such cases, the leader must be courageous, mentor, support, motivate, demand, and guide them. If we train 100 people, perhaps 20 can be considered successful; don't expect 80-90 to succeed, or you'll be disappointed.

It is clear that learning and training are key to building a highly skilled, dedicated, and professional workforce. The success of a business must first and foremost stem from each individual employee. Vingroup has been doing this very well under the leadership of Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong.

Vinamart+ store staff. Source: Zing.vn

Young people can learn from the smallest details of the "Vingroup world" through their roles as sales staff at Vinmart+ stores nationwide.

Phuong Vy - According to Cafebiz