In the late 1990s, Marathon Oil was, like most companies in this sector, wrestling with the consequences of deflationary pressures on price, industry consolidation and escalating costs of exploration. It became clear to the senior team that one of the few assets that could offer competitive leverage was the people. The company consequently embarked on a top to bottom training programme, using consultancy DDI's 'Core Skills' as its foundation. This programme has recently been rolled out across Marathon's entire European Business Unit.