L-R: Dennis Laverty, Ingenuity, Richard Paul, GES Group, David Moore, GES Group, Roger LaSalle, Innovation Training, Tom Grant, GES Group, Ian Laverty, Ingenuity.
We recently had a surprise visit from the creator of Matrix Thinking, Roger LaSalle, who presented GES with an award for our win at the Training Journal Awards, and delivered a workshop to the team on Innovative Thinking.
Roger commented:
“It was an absolute joy to present the trophy to GES Group at the Ingenuity convened retreat at “Lusty Beg” in Northern Ireland.
The things that struck me most about the people of GES was their enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and most of all their cohesion. It reminded me of a top football team with every member being at ease and confident in the abilities of all the other players. I have seldom experienced that “all on the bus” and working together attitude.
GES Group have invested heavily in delivering an Innovation Programme to their Management Team, and employees, in collaboration with their training partner, Ingenuity.
Innovation is defined as “change that adds value”, and we began this significant training and development journey to introduce creativity and innovation into the Management Team, company strategy, and culture. The programme, which started in August 2015, included: 360 Feedback, Psychometric Profiling, One-to-One Mentoring, Training Workshops delivered over Residential Weekends, and the use of LaSalle’s Innovation Matrix to develop Business Improvement Projects chosen based on their likelihood of success, and their potential impact on the organisation. These were used as the vehicle for implementing change and embedding a culture of innovation in the Company.
The Training Journal Awards attract over 5,000 applications annually, with only 48 companies making the shortlist, and 15 finalists receiving Gold, Silver, or Bronze on the night of the award ceremony. Outperforming organisations many times its size, and competing against heavyweights such as Dell, Transport for London, and Fuller Smith and Turner PLC, the Company was the only small-to-medium sized business shortlisted, and was one of only two companies from Ireland.
Ian Laverty, Managing Director of Ingenuity, said:
“We work with many clients across Northern Ireland, and further afield. The organisations who benefit the most are those that take training and development, and commit to the implementation of the learning in the workplace. GES Group have excelled at exactly that, and we were delighted that we all got the recognition that our efforts deserve in winning the National Training Award in London in December 2016 (beating some significant national corporates such as BT in the process).
The team’s hard work and the recognition received, caught the attention of one of the world’s leading thinkers and speakers on innovation, and he couldn’t help himself but come and see what we’ve been doing. It’s a great story and an even greater achievement. Well done to all at GES.”
The initial Programme has developed into a permanent and continuous Business Improvement Strategy, with significant tangible outputs. Employing more than 80 people across our County Antrim facilities, we service a range of industrial, manufacturing, and power generation sectors across Northern Ireland, and beyond. Currently participating in a Growth Programme supported by Invest NI, we extended our Mallusk premises in 2015, achieved 23% growth in 2016, and will shortly celebrate 45 years in business.
Invest NI has supported the company’s investment in marketing, job creation, and skills development in recent years. Welcoming the achievement, Bill Montgomery, Invest NI Director of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering said:
“This award recognises GES Group’s focus on driving excellence and continuous improvement across the business. Investment in innovation underpins growth and I commend GES on securing national recognition for its efforts.”
We’ve recently announced at least 20 new job opportunities becoming available in 2017 across both of our sites, and we look forward to releasing more good news in the near future as we continue to achieve, and exceed, our growth targets, expand in to new and exciting markets, and develop our innovative and creative approach to modern engineering.
