VIEW FROM THE TOP
Tribal DDB Worldwide is a global network of 45 offices in 25 countries led by a passionate group of talented and relentless brand builders, strategists, technologists, creatives, econometric modelers, producers, D.B.A.s, Ph.D.s, C.F.A.s, M.B.A.s, M.F.A.s, S.E.O.s, one German who speaks and writes Mandarin, two Irish filmmakers, probably (rough guess) three or four lawyers, gamers, seekers, strivers and PMI-certified butt-kickers. Join us. www.tribalddb.com/careers.
Best wishes,
Matt Freeman
CEO
Tribal DDB Worldwide
TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT
Talent Management
Tribal focuses on talent management with a collaborative approach. Training, performance planning and an ongoing review process ensure career development and that Tribal talent are reaching their full performance and work potential. Tribal measures success with regular staff reviews and the Maister Survey.
We target training needs on an individual basis, giving people the tools and support they need to meet their objectives. We also organize specialist departmental training—for example, PMI training and certification for our Project Management Department.
Other forms of training are offered across the company, including negotiation, presentation skills, financial management, languages lessons, diversity and interview training—even digital photography and life drawing.
Sally Boulton, head of resource for Tribal DDB London, and a champion of development and recruitment within the Tribal Network, says, "My ultimate goal is for everyone to have a development plan in front of them which will provide absolute clarity as to what their objectives, expectations and goals are as their career progresses here. The people at Tribal are our most important and biggest investment."
Her vision to ensure Tribal employs and retains the most talented people in the industry centers around personal development, training and mentorship. In her role, she designs systems and procedures that ensure effective management of the team.
Worldwide Management Conferences
Tribal holds global management conferences several times a year across different disciplines. Attendees are provided the opportunity to know their global counterparts and share information. Tribal Worldwide most recently hosted its Senior Management Conference in San Francisco. Two days of internal strategy meetings focused on sharing best practices and strengthening cross-office relationships and collaboration. Immediately following was a knowledge summit where clients, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists were brought together to share ideas and talk about the future of the digital landscape.
Global Exchange Program
With Tribal's expansive network and Global Exchange Program, star members are enabled to move for short and long terms. Mike Follet, director of strategic planning-USA, moved from London to Tribal New York in August 2007. "You do feel that you are part of a global network. By moving you around, Tribal helps you apply what you have learned from one tribe for the benefit of another. Everyone wins."
TRIBAL INNOVATION
Innovation is a touchstone for Tribal DDB as an organization. The challenge is that technology and the world are changing around us faster than our clients are buying solutions. This is true in areas such as mobile, RSS and even specific Flash implementations. That requires us to focus and fund the exploration of the world around us as an agency.
In 2007, Tribal DDB launched an employee innovation program that allows employees to submit "grant proposals" to fund potential learning and development. Through these proposals, employees outline what they would like to learn, how they intend to do that (time spent experimenting, classes, etc.), and the expected delivery on knowledge sharing to the broader team. Once these proposals are approved, employees enter a percentage of their time toward learning and growth. It's an excellent program that has delivered exceptional solutions for our clients and allows our employees to explore areas and technologies that are of interest to them.
TRIBAL TOUR
"I recently had the opportunity to visit Tribal offices around the world and meet their most valuable asset: people. This experience showed me how valuable cultural differences are to the network's creativity. On the other hand, through staying in Tribal's guesthouse in India, exchanging ideas at the management conference in San Francisco, going out at night with Tribal's team in Shanghai, I noticed that we have many cultural similarities, not least an enthusiasm for collaboration and unbelievable levels of hospitability. That's what makes Tribal's network powerful: a mashup of cultural differences and similarities, and a willingness to embrace that."
—Vincent Thome, strategic planner, Tribal DDB London
Website: www.tribalddb.com/careers
