Citat Academy brings the different forms of competence development together

An initiative from a group of employees at Citat AB in Sweden was the starting point for the company’s new concept of competence development. Citat Academy, started in 2010, focuses on three areas in contributing to personnel’s professional development: skills, inspiration, and leadership.

"We recognized the need for a more structured training and competence development process. Our aim is to strengthen our position as advisors in strategic and tactical communication and to proceed with digitalization of our deliveries. To support this development, we created the concept of Citat Academy, planned for the entire Citat team", says Lars Lundström, Managing Director, Citat AB.

Citat Academy was further developed in co-operation between the Citat team, HR department, and the management team. Now the concept is managed and coordinated by HR and owned by the management team.

"Naturally, Citat Academy focuses on the employees’ professional skills and competences needed for continuous development of our services. Inspiration and knowledge sharing, the basic elements of operation for an advertising agency, are important as well. On top of those, leadership is emphasized, as it is central for efficient day-to-day operations and development of the company and individuals."

The ongoing improvement of the staff’s skills set includes, for example, training program for senior project managers, and various topics such as digital communication and effect measurement. One approach to knowledge sharing and inspiring among the Citat team are Digital Talks, lunch time presentations on digital development.

Training for the team management primarily highlights visionary, value driven leadership. In addition, more formal training is offered, concerning for example development talks, feedback discussions, and employment law.

Lundström describes Citat Academy as an umbrella for all employee training and development at Citat.

"Various purposes and methodologies also lead to differences in pedagogical methods. Some modules are more regulated, such as the project economy training for all project managers. On the other hand, there are workshops and pitches for customers. Furthermore, some modules are based on a totally informal team dialogue."

Citat Academy trainings are mainly held by internal experts. Within an experienced organization like Citat, there are many opportunities for knowledge sharing. However, the outside perspective is necessary too. Therefore, external inspirational speakers and training experts are regular visitors at Citat AB.

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