How Toyota Australia partnered with Art of Mentoring to support 30 mentoring pairs through one of the most significant corporate transitions in the company’s history, achieving 100% participant advocacy.
Program at a glance
Participants 30 Pairs
Organisation Type Corporate
Program Length 11 Months
Program Start July 2016
Advocacy Rate 100%
The Challenge
Building a science leadership pipeline across regional NSW
In February 2014, Toyota Australia announced it would close its manufacturing operations by 2017. As part of the resultant restructure, the entire sales and marketing team was required to relocate from Sydney to Melbourne, a life-altering decision for staff, many of whom had worked for Toyota for over a decade.
Toyota could neither afford the productivity drain associated with simmering fear and discontent, nor the risk of losing its highest value performers in one fell swoop. What was lacking was meaningful support for employees in reaching a life-altering decision and managing the resultant transition.
Corporate Managers Deborah Bacon and Naomi Bryant had both been involved in a 2007 mentoring program that Art of Mentoring ran for Toyota to address diversity issues. They recognised that mentoring was a powerful tool that could provide meaningful support to employees in transition, and asked Art of Mentoring to design a bespoke program.
We were all going through a difficult set of circumstances, and the mentoring program provided a good connection point. The program helped participants to make a decision.
Naomi Bryant
Corporate Manager, Toyota Australia
The Solution
A bespoke, fully managed program built for a moment of upheaval
Art of Mentoring designed a face-to-face mentoring program focused on connectivity and career development. The program was fully managed by AoM, freeing Deborah and Naomi to focus on their own teams and organisational objectives during a period of enormous personal and professional change.
Senior managers were matched with more junior, usually younger, managers, with pairing kept to a maximum of two management levels apart to ensure effective communication. AoM matched 30 pairs using an online mentoring platform, with their extensive matching experience enabling overrides where individual profile information suggested a better pairing.
Training was adapted to incorporate career development materials from the Harness Your Talent program, helping participants see their career options more clearly at a time when decisions had never been more consequential.
Internal buy-in was critical to success
Deborah and Naomi prepared a briefing paper for the Directors of Sales and Marketing and secured top-level buy-in. They also personally identified and recruited mentor candidates at Levels 2 and 3, experienced managers who were strong role models and had not been placed in the position of managing the transition directly.
Their individual, one-on-one conversations with prospective mentors in the early stages of the program significantly increased the quality and commitment of the mentor cohort.
Program Timeline
A two-stage program structured around a critical deadline
July 2015 Program commences. First stage focuses on supporting the decision-making process — stay with Toyota and relocate to Melbourne, or pursue a career elsewhere.
November 2015 Decision deadline. A follow-up workshop and participant survey are held to assess program effectiveness and re-energise participants for the second stage.
December 2015 – May 2016 Second stage focuses on supporting transition, whether that meant leaving Toyota or preparing for a move to a new city.
May 2016 Final participant survey conducted. Results confirm 100% of participants were glad they had participated and would recommend the program to others.
August 2016 Second program launches, running through to May 2017 and leading up to final office closure in December 2017.
Melissa understood that Naomi and I have limited time and she just went on and did it. She really understood our objectives and adapted things to suit.
Deborah Bacon
Corporate Manager, Toyota Australia
We were fortunate to have had so much success with our 2007 program, so senior management understood the potential of mentoring
Deborah Bacon
Corporate Manager, Toyota Australia
Program Results
100%
of participants — both mentors and mentees — were glad they participated and would recommend the program
31%
of mentors said the program was “one of the best things I’ve ever done” — despite navigating their own career decisions
75
engagement scores actually increased slightly year on year, at the height of disruptive change
2
programs run in total, with many mentors from Program 1 volunteering again for Program 2
We had to do a bit of badgering to enlist mentors. But this program has helped the mentors as much as the mentees
Deborah Bacon
Corporate Manager, Toyota Australia
Key Learnings
What this program proved about mentoring and change
Mentoring Is a Change Management Tool A well-designed mentoring program can help manage disruptive organisational change. This program demonstrates that even in the most difficult circumstances, structured mentoring can maintain engagement and support employees to make confident decisions.
Mentoring Upskills Your Management Team Mentors gained an invaluable skill set to carry through the rest of their careers. Many said they would like to be part of the next program, a strong indicator of the personal value they derived and a sign that Toyota was building a genuine mentoring culture.
Outsource to Experts, Focus on Buy-In Fully outsourcing the program to AoM freed internal management to focus on their own objectives. But the initial internal work to secure top management buy-in and enrol a strong cadre of mentors was equally critical to the program’s success.
Internal Champions Make the Difference The program’s success illustrates the powerful potential of combining outsourced mentoring expertise with a strong internal champion. Deborah and Naomi’s personal investment in recruiting the right mentors elevated the program for everyone involved.
Mentee Benefits
What mentees said they gained most
Confidence building and personal support through a period of significant uncertainty
Access to broader networks beyond their immediate team and division
Structured career planning support at a time when decisions had never been more consequential
Mentoring people through change is an important skill to develop. It will make the organisation stronger when we face the next change.
Naomi Bryant
Corporate Manager, Toyota Australia
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