Video makes stars out of John Lewis managers: Film‐making exercise builds team spirit at retailer

Abstract

Purpose

The paper examines how the process of making a video for the annual general meeting helped to build teamwork among senior managers at the Milton Keynes branch of UK retailer John Lewis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents the viewpoint of the branch managing director, whose idea the video was, and of training consultants John Matchett Limited, which facilitated the exercise.

Findings

The paper reveals that the John Lewis team took one‐and‐a‐half days to produce the video, which covered all the necessary points in a novel and memorable way and helped to forge closer links between the management team.

Practical implications

The paper argues that, while there will always be the need for traditional classroom interactions, different learning approaches can have more impact and be more memorable.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the value of unorthodox training.

Citation

(2006), "Video makes stars out of John Lewis managers: Film‐making exercise builds team spirit at retailer", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 28-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730610643963