OPP and Air Malta - a lesson in business class
Air Malta CEO explains why change is the key to the airline’s success in 2013.
Recognising that growth and development do not happen automatically, Air Malta has taken OPP on board to help create a team that will pioneer a changed agenda throughout the business.
The airline selected OPP partly for their expertise in leadership assessment and development, but also on account of the strong relationship that had grown between the two businesses during the scoping phases of the project.
A one-day assessment centre has now been developed as part of the company’s leadership development initiative. This provides feedback and identifies strengths and developmental opportunities across the current management teams.
Peter Davies, CEO of Air Malta, says the drive for change at the heart of the initiative is nothing less than a “revolution”:
“The airline business is all about safety, customer service delivery and profit, supported by complex processes and procedures. But fixing processes to reduce wastage and boost profitability is a relatively small part of the story. It won’t turn the airline around in the long term unless there is cultural change too, and this applies to all stakeholders. There’s no point in telling the guys loading the baggage to change the way they do their jobs and just expecting them to accept it. They need to understand the value of it, and why it’s important for them and for the airline. We have to pull our workforce through, not simply push them, and that requires a team of managers who are conscious of the softer, often forgotten about, elements of management expertise”.
Tasked with implementing the change and communicating its rationale, all members of the senior management team and the extended leadership team have participated in the OPP-led exercise. Their work will enable Air Malta to meet whatever challenges these increasingly highly competitive times have in store.