Report of the Group Human Resources Director 2011
 In 2011 the Group reaffirmed its commitment to people and performance. Our core values - Employee-Centred, Customer Excellence, Creativity and Innovation, Social Responsibility, Respect and Trust - were distilled into our Three-Year Aspiration Statement. Getting the People Basics Right was set as our number 1 priority.
Our approach to people basics was straightforward and comprehensive. We started with extensive reviews of our governance and structure, thereby setting the boundaries within which our HR strategies would flourish.
At the beginning of the year the Executive Committee of the Parent Board reviewed the Group's corporate governance framework and fine-tuned our 'RACI' model (RACI identifies which people are responsible and accountable for key decisions; it also states who must be consulted before a decision is made and who must be informed after the decision has been finalized).
The RACI model firmly established single-point accountabilities (SPAs) and consultative working requirements, empowering all Group Executives to operate independently within a well defined governance structure.
This served as the basis for a new Group HR RACI model, which linked all major people processes to the high level RACI accountabilities. The HR RACI model was supported by the revised HR Policy Manual, which forms a key component of our sacrosanct rules and guidelines, known internally as "The Blue Books" - harkening back to the pre-intranet days when our policies and procedures were codified in a series of ANSA McAL-branded blue folders.
Furthermore, the model was implemented in the context of a new Group HR structure, focusing our HR professionals at the Sector level. This new structure was populated by high-performers promoted from subsidiaries to sector-level positions, augmented by a few strategic external appointments.
Having established our operating parameters, we were well-placed to execute our 2011 'people' agenda. Highlights from this agenda are:
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ANSA McAL People Branding - we defined ourselves as "The Place for Performers" and throughout the year we celebrated the personal stories of the people who live our high standards and whose careers have mushroomed within the ANSA McAL Group. Their stories show a remarkably coherent picture of our DNA; our top performers consistently embody discipline, passion, integrity, spirituality, and commitment to family.
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Proactive Industrial Relations (IR) - we continue to practice a business-like approach to negotiating with our unions. The aim is to achieve mutually beneficial settlements for our workers in shorter timeframes, thereby balancing fair and competitive rewards, delivered without undue delay, without compromising the commercial realities of our companies. We anticipate that the success of this approach will be increasingly evident in 2012 onwards.
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Change Management - the Group has adopted the international best practice ProSci Methodology. All key executives with accountability for significant capital projects across the region have been trained in the methodology and it informs the planning parameters for our major continuous improvement projects.
 I am highly appreciative of the unstinting support and valuable output provided by the extended HR team, which has representation at all levels of the Group - corporate, sector and subsidiary.
We are continuing our exciting work into 2012.
As we build on our 2011 achievements, our attention turns to a more rationalized and institutionalized approach to strategic performance management and leadership-critical succession.
In other words, we are taking what we already do well instinctively and ensuring that its application is even more predictable and pervasive.
Teresa White
Group Human Resources Director
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