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26 | T+D | october 2007

Better Than
the Rest
We’re often asked “What does it take to be BEST?” It isn’t just one
thing that makes a company a winner of an ASTD BEST Award.
Organizations only make it to the ranks of the BEST if they can
demonstrate excellence in several of these areas: alignment, C-
level involvement, efficiency, effectiveness, innovation, investment
in learning, learning opportunities for employees, measurement
of the effectiveness of learning, and success with nontraining
solutions to business needs. Those characteristics have been
exhibited by BEST winners since ASTD created the award in 2003.
BEST organizations report improvements in BEST organizations strike a balance between
employee and customer satisfaction, the quality training and other kinds of efforts. For the past
of their products, cycle time, productivity, reten- three years, the winning organizations have al-
tion, revenue, and overall profitability. In other located nearly half of their learning functions’
words, they are able to link learning to critical resources to nontraining activities such as per-
business concerns. formance analysis, organization development,
Strategic plans and corporate objectives are talent management, and process improvement.
the root of most BEST organizations’ learning Looking at the BEST organizations, one can see
and performance activities and the winning com- a number of examples of the integration of ac-
panies have clearly defined processes to link their tivities related to employee development at all
learning strategies and initiatives to increases in stages from recruiting through retention.
individual and organizational performance. Many BEST organizations involve their top
BEST winners often report an increase in the leaders, including the CEO, as teachers and men-
number of employees trained as their primary tors. Their CEOs support the corporate university,
achievement in efficiency, followed by improve- viewing it as a way to help prepare the next gen-
ments in time to deploy new learning initiatives eration of leaders designated by the company’s
and to get new employees ready to be productive. succession plan. Companies gain efficiencies too,
BEST winners report that process improvements by developing managers as trainers.
also help them be more efficient. Technology continues to play a growing role in
The winning companies use many approaches BEST companies’ learning activities. They report
to select and design learning initiatives to im- that it has helped them launch learning programs
prove performance. BEST organizations save time in dramatically less time than in the past, increase
on content development, often using technol- the number of initiatives launched, and reduce
ogy to design and deliver the learning in less time development time. Many of the companies use
than in the past. Their greatest gains in efficiency “time to deploy” as a metric for efficiency.
come from the use of technology, as well as from In short, BEST organizations don’t win that
improving existing courses and restructuring their distinction by being effective at only one thing.
distribution. For example, some companies are in- They perform well across a range of activities,
tegrating their learning management systems with work constantly to improve, and can demonstrate
their performance management systems to better that their efforts deliver results. In the view of our
align individual performance with company goals. judges, that clearly makes them the BEST.

october 2007 | T+D | 27


Corporate Number of
Rank Organization Headquarters Employees industry Page

1 Satyam Computer Services Hyderabad, India 42,000 Information technology 30

Bridgewater,
2 sanofi-aventis U.S. 16,000 Pharmaceuticals 34
New Jersey

Vancouver, British
3 TELUS Communications 28,900 Telecommunications 79
Columbia, Canada

BD (Becton, Dickinson & Franklin Lakes,


4 27,000 Healthcare 38
Company) New Jersey

5 Deloitte & Touche USA LLP New York, New York 40,000 Professional services 42

U.S. Army Armament Research Picatinny Arsenal, Research and


6 2,940 46
Development and Engineering Center New Jersey engineering services

Real estate property


7 Equity Residential Chicago, Illinois 5,200 50
management

Charlotte,
8 Wachovia 108,000 Financial services 54
North Carolina

9 The Home Depot Atlanta, Georgia 364,000 Retail 58

Allentown,
10 Air Products and Chemicals 18,112 Manufacturing 68
Pennsylvania

11 Wipro Technologies Bangalore, India 48,891 Information technology 81

Hopkinton, Information
12 EMC Corporation 30,500 72
Massachusetts management and storage

Financial e-commerce
13 Checkfree Services Inc. Norcross, Georgia 3,600 68
services

14 Telkom SA Limited Pretoria, South Africa 27,273 Telecommunications 79

Winston-Salem,
15 BB&T 28,900 Financial services 70
North Carolina

UT-Battelle, LLC—Oak Ridge Research and


16 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 4,100 80
National Laboratory development

17
Ruby Tuesday Inc. Maryville, Tennessee 53,080 Food services 76

Tata Consultancy
18 Mumbai, India 93,000 Information technology 62
Services Limited

19 BJC HealthCare St. Louis, Missouri 26,622 Healthcare 70

20 Caterpillar Peoria, Illinois 94,593 Manufacturing 71

21 Scottrade St. Louis, Missouri 1,462 Financial services 78

28 | T+D | october 2007


Corporate Number of
Rank Organization Headquarters Employees industry Page

22 Infosys Technologies Limited Bangalore, India 59,427 Information technology 74

23 ICICI Bank Limited Mumbai, India 35,000 Financial services 74

Durham,
24 Clarkston Consulting 300 Professional services 72
North Carolina

25 Nemours Jacksonville, Florida 3,745 Children’s healthcare 76

26 Microsoft Redmond, Washington 70,000+ Application software 78

27 Anel Corporation Winona, Mississippi 178 Manufacturing 69

28 Howrey LLP Washington, D.C. 1,515 Professional services 73

29 Baptist Health Care Pensacola, Florida 5,046 Healthcare 70

Highmark (an independent licensee of Pittsburgh,


30 11,000 Financial services 73
the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) Pennsylvania

31 WakeMed Health & Hospitals Raleigh, North Carolina 7,104 Healthcare 81

32 American Express Company New York, New York 65,400 Financial services 80

Real estate property


33 Gables Residential Atlanta, Georgia 1,261 73
management

34 ETS Princeton, New Jersey 2,500 Educational services 72

American Home Shield


35 Memphis, Tennessee 1,884 Home related services 69
Corporation

Saskatchewan Regina, Saskatchewan,


36 3,517 Telecommunications 76
Telecommunications Canada

Lawrence Livermore National


37 Livermore, California 7,421 Scientific services 75
Laboratory

38 Alliance Data Dallas, Texas 8,737 Loyalty marketing 69

39 iQor, Inc. New York, New York 7,000 Call center services 75

40 LexisNexis Dayton, Ohio 13,700 Information services 76

41 BWXT Pantex Amarillo, Texas 3,400 Manufacturing 71

42 The Schwan Food Company Marshall, Minnesota 22,000 Food services 79

october 2007 | T+D | 29


Managing
Massive
Change
the Satyam Way
30 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Arunav Sinha
Satyam Computer Services
Hyderabad, India

In the past two years, Satyam Computer Services


changed its business model completely, seeking
to retain the entrepreneurial spirit that generates
innovation without sacrificing quality in the face of
phenomenal growth—from 100 employees in 1992
to more than 42,000 in 2007. The key was to keep the
core essentials and avoid stagnation.

The result is the new Satyam—an that challenged Satyam’s learning and
organization that consists of more development team. Working with 60
than 2,000 independent, interdepen- senior leaders who each volunteered
dent, full lifecycle businesses (FLCBs). two hours, three full-time workplace
Each business unit has a leader who learning professionals designed and
operates much like the CEO of an in- delivered the learning program known
dependent business, and each unit col- as the SatyamWay to 28,000 associates
laborates with other FLCBs within the in just 75 days.
company for the necessary products Introduction of the change pro-
and services. cess was achieved through a two-part
“Each full lifecycle business is run web seminar. The first part used a
as a small business that aggregates up prerecorded radio talk show format in
to the integrated businesses and ulti- which three senior leaders provided
mately to the enterprise called Satyam. foundational information that was
This takes outsourcing to the next enhanced with on-screen presenta-
level, but all of it is conducted within tions. In the second segment—a live,
Satyam,” explains Ed Cohen, senior synchronous session—associates were
vice president of Satyam’s School of able to ask questions to senior leaders
Leadership. The company evolved via a moderator. The seminars were
from an emphasis on growth to an accompanied and supported by a book
emphasis on balancing assets and out- and website published specifically
comes for greater value creation. This to explain all aspects of the Satyam-
approach has four components: rapid Way. A certification exam to measure
growth, entrepreneurship, innovation,
and quality.
Communicating and explain-
ing the advent of FLCBs generated a
large-scale change management effort

Ed Cohen (left) and Rajul Asthana


built a successful learning culture
that encompasses all 28,000
Satyam associates.

october 2007 | T+D | 31


knowledge acquisition was a critical Phase three—Lift-Off—consists “We showed
follow-up element.
According to Rajul Asthana, vice
of a five-day induction program at
the company’s learning center. The that senior
president of Satyam’s learning center, program includes a chairman’s dinner, leaders were
“Through the development of this
program, we demonstrated that we
Harvard case studies, and a real-time
business simulation that was developed involved from the
can quickly participate in any kind with Booz Allen Hamilton. Phase beginning, and we
of high-level rollout. We had all the
right pieces and didn’t have to chase
four—Orbit—allows participants to
develop competencies while focusing set the expectation
anybody down. We showed that senior on roles and responsibilities. They con- for certification
leaders were involved from the begin-
ning, and we set the expectation for
tinue to meet with their leadership de-
velopment consultants as well as with and provided
certification and provided resources for assigned mentors. They also participate resources for
that. I think the program proved that
learning doesn’t have to be manda-
in monthly virtual action-learning ses-
sions to solve real-time organizational that. I think the
tory for people to come out in large challenges selected by senior leaders. program proved
numbers.”
A second requirement of the new
“To design and develop the pro-
gram, we asked ourselves, ‘What are that learning
FLCB model was to educate those who the needs of our leaders and how can doesn’t have to
would be the leaders of the new busi-
nesses. For them, the Satyam School
we help?’” says Cohen. “We inter-
viewed several hundred successful be mandatory for
of Leadership developed a year-long and new leaders, and reviewed data people to come out
certification program with four phases,
adopting space exploration as
from performance appraisals and exit
interviews.” in large numbers.”
a metaphor. Cohen notes that Satyam’s commit- Rajul Asthana
“It’s an ongoing challenge to com- ment to employee learning is evident Vice president of Satyam’s
bat turnover among new leaders, and in the five-day residential program that learning center
we have learned that the first year is makes up phase three. “The only thing
crucial. As we rolled out the FLCB we sell is the services of our people. We
model, we wanted our new leaders to must respect the fact that this compa-
be prepared for maximum success,” ny runs on billable hours. In the past,
says Cohen. Five learning professionals we have had to fit learning into small
worked with leaders across the com- snippets of time.”
pany for six months to build, test, and Corporate commitment to, and
measure the program, and also served recognition of, employee learning ter’s campus. Participants receive base-
as personal leadership development and development has been growing at line training in software engineering as
consultants to the participants. The Satyam, says Cohen, who notes that well as technology training based on
end result is a strategy that focuses on the company has supported his efforts destination unit, education on com-
success by ensuring close attention to with some major capital investments pany processes, project work in vertical
new leaders for the first year. in the past year. Total corporate in- markets, and training on the Satyam
Phase one—Fueling—welcomes, in- vestment in learning has increased by Way. The last three weeks are spent
forms, and prepares the business lead- 4 percent as a percentage of payroll, working on project teams in various
ers with resources including the Fuel- and Satyam has recently constructed roles. More than 7,000 new employees
ing Kit, a branded box that contains a a 240,000-square-foot leadership passed through the program last year.
welcome CD, information on the Sa- institute. Asthana says the significant dedica-
tyam Way, and an audiobook, The First For a company experiencing such tion of time and resources is more than
90 Days, by Michael Watkins. Phase phenomenal growth, many new em- repaid in the reduced time it takes
two—Ignite—leverages e-learning for ployees are also new to the workplace. employees to gain competence. “This
competency development and resource The learning center staff has the job program has resulted in associates who
awareness. Content includes six mod- of educating entry-level employees not are ready to be deployed on projects in
ules on internal service offerings, three only about working at Satyam, but half the time than previously, and who
core Harvard mentor courses, three also about their duties and responsi- need much less retraining and reori-
additional Harvard courses determined bilities. The entry-level technology entation once they reach the business
by competency assessment, and a one- program is a 15-week, residential, units. We can directly tie this program
on-one meeting with the leadership technology-training program for new to more than $750,000 in additional
development consultant. hires, conducted at the learning cen- revenue each year.” t+d
32 | T+D | october 2007
Mike Capaldi and his training and
development staff orchestrated a
major sales training initiative at
sanofi-aventis U.S.

34 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Peter Murphy


Sales
Training as
Dynamic
as Big
Pharma Itself
The result of a merger between two European companies in 2004, sanofi-
aventis employs about 16,000 people at 14 sites across the United States.
Of these, approximately 9,000 are field professionals, making it one of the
largest in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Mike Capaldi, associate vice
president of sales training and leadership development, is responsible for the
training and development of the field teams.
“Our corporate philosophy toward individual development plan, and a
employee learning has undergone a common competency model extends
positive evolution over the past several across the organization. Employees
years,” Capaldi says. “For the first two at sanofi-aventis are required to earn
years after the merger, our focus was continuing professional education
on orientation and foundational train- hours annually.
ing. Now, we have turned our atten- The program’s curriculum aligns
tion to providing continuous learning with corporate values, key productiv-
for our tenured professionals.” In fact, ity measures, and core competencies.
Capaldi calls the full development of Curriculum maps that identify the
its continuous learning program the training programs for each of these
company’s most innovative learning areas are available through the com-
initiative in 2006. pany’s learning management system.
The program is self-directed. It Once a developmental area has been
supports both sales in the field and identified, employees can easily locate
employee development at the home an appropriate training course using
office. It is a combination of more the maps. Courses are accessed via the
than 700 courses offered via CD- LMS and organized by functional area sanofi-aventis U.S.
ROM, textbook, audio CD, DVD, and as well as by core competency. Because Bridgewater, New Jersey
online and classroom training. Every of the self-directed nature of the learn-
employee is encouraged to create an ing and the on-demand availability of

october 2007 | T+D | 35


most of the courses, developmental
plans can be as dynamic as the busi-
The initiative was not only success-
ful in helping the company to reach
“A big component
ness environment. its sales goals; it also broadened the of the continuous
Capaldi sees exceptional training
of the company’s salesforce as a key
impact of learning to support business
objectives across the organization.
learning program
competitive advantage. “Although “There was a clear goal from a is skills-based
there is typically fairly high turnover in
pharmaceutical sales—averaging 10 to
performance standpoint, and a lot of
change management. Some sales-
training. We are
15 percent annually—the remaining people had to learn a completely new now implementing
85 to 90 percent of employees provide
us with the greatest opportunity for
therapeutic area and then learn about
our products in that area. The success
behavioral change
performance enhancement,” he says. of the program made the learning and measurement and
Market realities also drive training
needs in the pharmaceutical industry.
development staff even more relevant
than before, and we established a lot
seeking increased
In 2006, as sanofi-aventis was facing of credibility. In addition, it was a great effectiveness.”
some marketplace challenges, the com- experience for the learning organi- Mike Capaldi
pany conducted a major reorganiza- zation. We actually restructured our Associate vice president of sales
tion of its salesforce that affected 2,500 department in midstream. Training training and leadership development,
field sales professionals and district specialists got exposure to new tools sanofi-aventis
sales managers. These individuals had and applications, as well as project
to represent products that were new to management,” Capaldi says.
them, and Capaldi and his team had to The company’s goal was to main-
bring them up to speed—fast. tain a high level of customer satisfac- conference rooms, a 48-seat assess-
“This population needed training in tion despite the changes in the deploy- ment center, 31 simulation rooms, a
60 days, so we leveraged new sys- ment of its salesforce, which caused creativity center, and a production
tems—including our LMS and virtual the disruption of some business rela- facility for virtual classroom offerings.
classroom—to deploy cross-training,” tionships. The learning organization The center allows the company to
Capaldi explains. took a proactive, three-part approach take training to a new level. For ex-
A web-based platform integrated early in 2006 to keep customer satis- ample, Capaldi points out, “It is very
with the LMS was designed and imple- faction high. awkward for a regional director to ob-
mented to communicate the logistics An enhanced selling skills curricu- serve a sales professional along with a
of study requirements, timelines, reg- lum was designed and implemented district manager during an actual sales
istration, and travel. Self-paced, web- through the continuous learning pro- situation, with three people squeezed
based technology was used to acceler- gram. A program designed for market- into a physician’s office.” The simula-
ate the initial training process by pro- ing managers emphasized a customer- tion rooms, which are equipped with
viding coursework and content online. centric approach to brand planning digital video recording capability, al-
Training staff used Brainshark Rapid and execution. Coaching workshops on low trainers to observe trainees in role
Learning, an asynchronous develop- the company’s selling model were add- plays, provide coaching on their per-
ment tool, to create online learning ed to the management development formance, and even download video
objects and track learners’ progress. curriculum, preparing managers to im- clips to a flash drive for later use. The
The pharmaceutical company still prove sales representative performance creativity center is designed to foster
relies heavily on instructor-led training, and ultimately customer satisfaction. creativity and collaborative learning
which made up the next phase of the Employees at sanofi-aventis com- through the use of moveable furniture
initiative. “Selling skills are very difficult plete about 43 hours of learning per and magnetic whiteboards.
to model and simulate online, and year, and the company invests nearly In the next year, Capaldi and
trainees need immediate feedback,” 3 percent of payroll in learning and his staff will be evaluating training
says Capaldi. District-based field train- performance improvement. In 2006 programs rigorously. “A big component
ing specialists were called in to facili- the company made a major capital of the continuous learning program
tate classes for the targeted population, investment in learning in the form of is skills-based training,” he says. “We
which was 10 times the usual number a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art are now implementing behavioral
trained in a given month. The district training center. “The significant com- change measurement and seeking
sales trainers partnered with training mitment of resources to this facility increased effectiveness. Due to
specialists from Capaldi’s organiza- demonstrates the commitment of our increased salesforce productivity and
tion to effectively deliver training in leadership to the learning function,” investment in the learning program,
two weeklong sessions with more than says Capaldi. The facility includes 22 this evaluation is part of being good
1,000 attendees each. classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, five stewards of the organization.” t+d

36 | T+D | october 2007


38 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Peter Murphy
Joe Toto (left) and Wendy Witterschein
have created a teaching culture at BD.

Those Who
Lead, Teach
How do eight full-time staff members oversee strategic
enterprise learning and development for a company of 27,000
employees? By embracing Noel Tichy’s “leader-as-teacher”
model. Tichy argues that all leaders must have a “teachable point
of view” to develop other leaders. This creates knowledge while
simultaneously aligning leaders, teachers, and students around
consistent values, philosophies, and practices.
BD, a global medical technology the respect of their employees and
company that manufactures and sells peers, and some skills in teaching and
medical devices, instrument systems, facilitation,” says Joe Toto, director of
and reagents, enthusiastically em- leadership development and learning.
braced the leader-as-teacher model “They bring unique value to employee
about seven years ago. The company’s development by providing credible
Chairman, President, and CEO Ed information—but they also model and
Ludwig said, “When we recruit, we live the process that they’re teaching.
definitely want people to know that Further, it’s two-way learning, which
teaching will be part of their success benefits the leaders because they are
factor. They will be expected to take exposed to viewpoints they might not
time to develop people and to get into otherwise encounter. Although there
a formal training mode.” are certainly practical benefits to the
Since the founding of BD Univer- model in terms of cost, it takes a very
sity in 2000 by Ed Betof, chief learn- secondary role to the quality of teach-
ing officer and vice president of talent ing that it enables us to provide.”
management, its staff have identified BD employees can be involved in
and trained nearly 550 leader-teachers teaching as classroom instructors,
across the company’s three major seg- guest speakers, peer coaches, subject
ments in the many countries in which matter experts, or program champi-
it operates. The strategic-level training ons who are responsible for the course
administered by BDU is disseminated content. Ninety percent of the compa-
through five colleges: leadership, busi- ny’s leaders participate as instructors
ness skills, sales, career, and opera- or speakers. In a 2004 interview with
tional effectiveness. Leader-teachers T+D, Ludwig said, “Teaching gives me
BD (Becton, Dickinson &
are both self-selected and recruited, the opportunity to talk to people about
Company)
and can be leaders at any level. where we are going, about our journey
“Our leader-teachers must pos- to become a great company. Frankly, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
sess the desire to teach, credibility, I don’t think the role of a teacher is

october 2007 | T+D | 39


optional for a CEO in today’s complex, India weren’t growing. Sales associates “Our senior
multifunctional, multinational, tech-
nology organization. It’s part of the job.
engage with clinicians to sell solu-
tions rather than products, and they leaders have
And it’s a fun part.” were spending a lot of time conducting raised the bar
BD has experienced 27 consecu-
tive quarters of meeting or exceeding
clinical in-service programs.
Upon investigation, regional to direct our
expectations and brings in revenues of learning leaders discovered an company into
almost $6 billion, 50 percent of which
are generated outside of the United
enormous turnover among English-
speaking nurses in India, many of new, higher-value
States. Wendy Witterschein, senior whom were emigrating for better- products that will
business partner for leadership de-
velopment and learning, believes that
paying jobs in the United States and
the United Kingdom. This attrition require new and
learning and development play critical meant that BD sales associates were more robust skill
roles in the company’s success.
“Our senior leaders have raised the
constantly providing training to
inexperienced nurses. In many cases, sets. To meet
bar to direct our company into new, senior hospital management was that challenge,
higher-value products that will require
new and more robust skill sets. To
unaware of BD’s efforts.
Regional training and development BDU has engaged
meet that challenge, BDU has engaged staff created a program on the clinical more leader-
more leader-teachers who are affili-
ated with global product development
value of safe blood collection and its
practice, which included a facilitator teachers who are
and are working on the front lines of guide, participant manuals, and guided affiliated with
innovation,” she says.
The reach of the BDU staff is ex-
practice sessions. Approaching the
largest private hospital network in global product
tended by 36 core team members—BD India and the largest private healthcare development and
employees who, in addition to their
regular jobs as business and functional
group in Asia, BD’s sales team offered
programs to HR executives. Their value are working on
leaders, conduct ongoing needs analy- proposition was to control the drain the front lines of
ses, select initiatives and solutions,
and staff small sub-teams to continu-
of nursing talent by providing educa-
tion that brings new nurses up to speed innovation.”
ously improve service delivery. The quickly. BD employees conducted a pi- Wendy Witterschein
entire group of 44 meets by teleconfer- lot program at seven sites and trained Senior business partner for leadership
ence every six weeks and in person at a 59 trainers to deliver the program. development and learning, BD
worldwide conference each year. “Our company helped to improve
In addition to the strategic the hospital group’s immersion archi-
learning and development managed tecture by applying our proven global
by BDU, hundreds of hours of company training philosophy, leaders
product and technical training are as teachers,” says Witterschein, who
delivered throughout the highly also notes that quarter-on-quarter
matrixed organization, in which growth rates for the India blood-
nearly two-thirds of employees collection market doubled after the
work in manufacturing. Businesses, introduction of the training program. learning will be applied before the
regions, and functions develop their Witterschein and her colleagues training program even begins. The
own programs based on market and seek more than return-on-investment second is the program itself. Phase
associates’ needs. The Asia-Pacific in the evaluation of BD training pro- three is about execution and applying
region was responsible for developing grams. “It’s easy to poke holes in ROI the knowledge and skills back on the
the program Witterschein cites as the calculations,” she says, noting that job as well as identifying their business
company’s most innovative in 2006. a global project sub-team has been impact. To improve and facilitate
In India, the blood-collection mar- seeking ways for more meaningful and the supervisor’s role in creating
ket draws 400 million pints per year, rigorous evaluation that inculcates the expectations and measuring impact,
although only 12 percent of the market company’s teachable point of view. As BDU plans to increase emphasis on
uses safe blood-collection technology. a result, BD has adopted a three-phase coaching, which will be supported by
For BD, the market represents huge approach to evaluation that keeps the training and a redesigned performance
potential to upgrade the blood- learner as the primary focus. management process that measures
collection practice to a safe and sci- The first phase is about associates’ satisfaction with the
entific platform, but sales revenues in expectations and identifying how coaching they receive. t+D

40 | T+D | october 2007


A Living, Breathing
People
Strategy
42 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by David Joel
Jennifer Gardner (left) and Kathryn Hal- Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
lenstein have made coaching a common
occurrence at Deloitte & Touche USA. New York, New York

The mission of the learning department at


Deloitte & Touche USA is “to optimize the power
of learning to develop high-potential, high
performing talent.” One thing that the company’s
workplace learning professionals have realized
and leveraged in the past year is that every
employee wields the power of learning. The
professional services company has implemented
an organization-wide coaching initiative that
offers every employee the opportunity to coach
and be coached, and strives to make informal
two-way coaching an everyday occurrence.

“This program demonstrates our The coaching courses do not exist


recognition of the unique value of in a vacuum, however. Deloitte’s new
each individual’s perspective and Coaching for Critical Talent services pro-
expertise. Thanks to our additions vide confidential individual coaching to
in the past year, it is now a full-scale, support the acceleration of professional
comprehensive approach of which development for managers and execu-
we are very proud,” comments tives. One-on-one and group coach-
Jennifer Gardner, director of national ing services for all employees facilitate
education and development. career planning and internal mobility.
The foundation of the coaching Support for coaching at the top of
initiative is Deloitte’s Coach Approach the organization is strong. Deloitte’s
workshops, which are live, instructor- chairperson, CEO, managing partner,
led classes that explore the coaching chief people officer, and other top-
framework and emphasize skills prac- level executives “continually champion
tice and application. Both introductory coaching across the organization,”
and intermediate courses are offered, says Gardner, whose office also pub-
and their completion is incorporated lishes multimedia communications
into the learning paths for managers
and senior managers within the firm.
Next, Coach Approach Transfer
sessions permit safe, low-stakes
practice in live sessions that include
troubleshooting and individual
coaching guidance. These are
supported and reinforced by an e-
learning course that is available to
all employees. During the course,
participants observe video vignettes
that model both positive and negative
coaching sessions and challenge them
to identify corrective behaviors.

october 2007 | T+D | 43


that maintain strong visibility for the “The resulting prioritized initiatives “We want to be
a thought leader
coaching program. for the year are approached as a port-
In the past two years, Deloitte has folio of investments allocated to the
reevaluated and retooled its people most strategic initiatives. Those invest- in the world of
learning. During
strategy, forming a new corporate phi- ments and learning resources are tied
losophy that holds lifelong employee to those initiatives as an integrated
learning as one of its four tenets. The budget item,” Gardner explains. these times
of economic
coaching initiative is one way in which Deloitte employs more than 40,000
the strategy is put into practice. “Our people in 90 American cities. The work-
people strategy is a living, breathing ers’ cultures, locations, and ages chal- fluctuations and
global issues
part of our organization, and coaching lenge and drive the shape and method
gives employees a real way to experi- of many learning solutions, says Hal-
ence it,” Gardner says. lenstein. “We’ve been looking at the affecting business,
Deloitte executives
“Our employee learning is now generational differences in learning,
more aligned with business objectives and recognize that our employees have
and thereby more relevant. We are fo- different learning styles and strategies. have taken a hard
look at every aspect
cusing on application-based training,” We continually add new processes and
notes Kathryn Hallenstein, national approaches to reach them.”
e-learning director.
Every employee has an individual
The company cites as its most
innovative learning initiative the Cul-
of our business.”
learning plan. Deloitte’s Global Excel- tural Navigator, a package of tools and Jennifer Gardner
lence Model maps competencies to resources that presents a wide range Director of national education and
professional development and links of intuitive, easy-to-use learning, development, Deloitte
them to performance expectations consulting, and assessment solutions.
that include explicit behavioral mea- Elements include a cultural profile
sures. Since 2005, employees have tool that allows users to compare
been held accountable for mandated their personal profiles with those of
training; performance ratings and other cultures and identify areas of
compensation can be negatively af- commonality and difference. A cul-
fected by noncompliance. In a similar tural simulator tests and reinforces
way, managers and partners are com- awareness and learning by creating Participants and coaches play roles
pelled to allow their staff to participate online simulations around a variety that reflect actual responsibilities and
in developmental opportunities. of management topics pertaining to a challenges of working at a client site
“We want to be a thought leader in specific country or region. while coaches guide teams through
the world of learning. During these Aligning with the organization-wide the project process and provide
times of economic fluctuations and coaching initiative, the exchange is a skill tutorials based on their own
global issues affecting business, platform for a suite of cultural coach- experiences. The simulations are
Deloitte executives have taken a ing solutions. Expert coaches moder- offered quarterly and are reinforced
hard look at every aspect of our ate this feature and provide context with performance support materials
business. As learning becomes and quality assurance. Cultural Navi- and e-learning modules.
recognized as more important, gator made its debut in April, and was The results are impressive. A con-
we are proud to say that Deloitte used by more than 1,000 participants sultant who has completed the full
takes a broad view of learning [as a in its first three months. learning experience is engaged by
strategic initiative] and makes smart Live training has its place at Delo- clients on average 30 to 40 percent
investments,” says Gardner. itte as well. Because the company hires more than those who have not. Each
To determine those investments nearly 10,000 new associates each year, fully trained participant generates
and set priorities, learning and devel- orienting them to the ins and outs of approximately $165,000 in additional
opment leaders consult with busi- the company is critical. “Onboarding is revenue annually.
ness function leaders annually to set the first step in a contractual relation- “Learning and development are
a direction for learning that will help ship,” notes Hallenstein. part of our commitment to employ-
the company meet its business goals. To get new consultants up ees and clients. I believe that Deloitte
Learning directors confer with practice to speed more quickly, the is innovative—truly a thought leader
leaders to determine key initiatives learning and development team in this area. It’s one of the reasons I
and strategies for each function, then designed a new, high-intensity live came to work here,” says Gardner,
develop plans and budgets based on simulation that places learners in who has been with the company for
the needs identified. a close approximation of real work. 12 years.t+d

44 | T+D | october 2007


Learning
That Could
Save Lives
46 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Todd G. Mozes
Joe Shiposh (left) and Jan Luce have U.S. Army Armament
the daunting task of developing Research Development and
training to keep American troops safe
on the front lines.
Engineering Center
Picatinny Arsenal,
New Jersey

When the United States entered into the current


conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S.
Armament Research Development and Engineering
Center, part of the Department of the Army, faced
two daunting tasks: to hire and develop more
than 1,000 new scientists and engineers to replace
employees eligible for retirement, and to develop
new weaponry and technology to support American
soldiers in an unconventional war.

ARDEC provides the technol- combat veterans. Upon their return to


ogy for more than 90 percent of the field headquarters, they participate in
Army’s weaponry. Every nonnuclear a review with combat commanders,
weapon and every ammunition type and compile an extensive technical
used by members of the U.S. military report for dissemination to other mili-
have been touched in some way by tary research and engineering cen-
workers at ARDEC, whose mission ters. When they return to work, these
is to keep American servicemen and scientists and engineers translate their
–women alive. new knowledge into design consider-
Employees new to ARDEC, re- ations and product improvements, by
gardless of the number of advanced increasing maintainability, reliability,
degrees they hold, require significant and performance—and ultimately sav-
education and training. It’s critical ing soldiers’ lives.
that scientists and engineers under- ARDEC has demonstrated a strong
stand the deadly environment in commitment to employee learn-
which their end users work—and the ing and development since the early
ways in which military personnel use 1980s, according to Joe Shiposh,
and adapt their weapons in the field. ARDEC’s chief learning officer. “Our re-
Although visits to weapons produc- search and development mission here
tion facilities and briefings with means that we must bring in as much
returning combat teams conveyed training and information as possible.
some of that information, it was still We are supported by the U.S. Depart-
received at a distance. ment of the Army, which has always
In a groundbreaking initiative, been extremely training oriented. We
ARDEC integrated a progressive and do not have to sell our training pro-
sequential Greening Program into grams—our audience demands them.”
its onboarding process. Prepared by
comprehensive instruction on am-
munition, explosives, and weapons,
scientists and engineers participate
in simulated combat operations at
the National Desert Training Center
in California and at Fort Benning,
Georgia. There they participate in war
games, live-fire operations, and equip-
ment and technology discussions with

october 2007 | T+D | 47


Six full-time and five part-time
staff design and deliver human capital
newly hired workforce. Through sur-
veys, focus groups, and other means,
“We are supported
initiatives for ARDEC’s 3,000 employ- new employees are asked to report on by the U.S.
ees under the auspices of Armament
University and more than 50 unit ad-
their assimilation into and satisfaction
with ARDEC. Participation rates are
Department of
ministrators who help with outreach, more than 90 percent. One outcome the Army, which
support, and instruction. ARDEC’s
director and chief scientist is Joseph
includes a redesigned orientation pro-
gram that is dedicated to making an
has always been
Lannon, who is an ardent supporter employee’s first 180 days on the job a extremely training
of employee development and fre-
quently participates as a speaker at
positive experience. Support materials
include a new handbook, training, and
oriented. We
learning events. an improved welcome package. do not have to
Armament University uses four-
corner methodology that is both
Employees’ individual development
plans—a formal expression of their ca-
sell our training
competency- and commodity-driven, reer goals and aspirations—also inform programs—
explains Jan Luce, training program
manager. Career paths, individual
the four-corner model. Developed
jointly by employees and their supervi-
our audience
development plans, soldier require- sors, the plans highlight competency demands them.”
ments, evolving technology, and other areas for development or improve-
factors play a role in determining ment and help to drive a closed-loop Joe Shiposh
learning needs. ARDEC has a decen- performance-management process Chief learning officer, ARDEC
tralized learning budget in which the composed of four critical elements:
university charges business units for goal setting, talent review, work-
employee development. In competi- force development, and performance
tion with external sources for learning evaluation. Together, these inputs help
dollars, ensuring customer satisfaction university staff formulate operational
is critical for the online university. objectives and drive engineering proj- identify and refine their projects,” says
The four-corner model ensures that ects, each with specific talent require- Shiposh. Participants in the green and
learning and performance are linked ments. An overarching annual master black belt programs work in teams to
directly to the organization’s mission. learning plan translates learning needs prepare work-related process im-
“Our choices incorporate and reflect into curricula, workshops, and project provement projects in class. Upon
our vision for the future—critical assignments. completion of the instructional phase,
mission development areas as well as ARDEC’s implementation of Six the teams continue to work on their
workforce needs—to assure our con- Sigma methodology has significantly projects until they are ready to pres-
tinued viability,” says Shiposh. contributed to workforce develop- ent to the Six Sigma review board,
Operating in the New York metro- ment, driving a major cultural change which includes members of an exter-
politan area and requiring specific and and the continuous strategic improve- nal certifying agency.
rare education and experience from ment of the organization. Although “Internal faculty also gives us the
its workers, ARDEC faces significant the university outsources some flexibility to provide an environment
recruitment and retention challenges. learning design, development, and of free discussion without concern
Employee satisfaction and engage- administration, the Lean Six Sigma for confidentiality, classified sub-
ment are highly valued and conscien- program was brought in-house after jects, or proprietary information,”
tiously sought. “We bring in generic the phenomenal success of the pilot Shiposh continues.
engineers and academics and provide program in 2005. The LSS Green Belt The LSS Board monitored more
them with highly specialized educa- curriculum is now offered in two than 100 active projects in fiscal year
tion and training,” says Luce, who tracks for both technical and business 2006. Savings generated by each
notes that ARDEC spends $4 million applications, and a Six Sigma business LSS project are used to calculate the
per year on outside graduate studies unit provides instruction and techni- return-on-investment of the overall
alone. “We want them to find a home cal consultation on projects. By using program. Shiposh estimates hard sav-
here, and to stay for the long haul.” internal master black belt instructors, ings will exceed $7 million for 2006.
ARDEC’s 2006 hiring boom brought program costs were cut by one-third. “Through the hands-on projects,
an opportunity to track and study a “Our resident faculty better under- we reinforce the intense learning
large group of new employees. Arma- stands our unique mission and our process and directly link cost savings,
ment University established a process corporate history, and allows us to increased effectiveness, and our ability
called “cohort studies” to identify plan and publicize annual LSS learn- to deploy quality equipment rapidly to
successes and problem areas in the ing schedules so that participants can our nation’s defense.” t+d

48 | T+D | october 2007


Ron Gjerde implemented a
new way of doing business.

Learning
on the Rise
as the Company
Grows
When Equity Residential completed the rollout of its new,
integrated business information system in 2006, virtually all of
the 4,000 employees at the company’s more than 600 apartment
properties had to learn how to use it.

This included sales, housekeeping, ee, could take a few minutes to several
and maintenance staff who may not hours to complete.
have used a computer in their jobs. The second phase consisted of
The new system incorporated prop- training on the new proprietary busi-
erty management, unit pricing, and ness information system. Pusateri
procurement functions, and is used hired 15 new operational support
for everything from completing a lease trainers and deployed them across
to ordering a gallon of paint. Further, the country with new mobile training
reducing time to employee readiness labs. These labs included 12 laptop
was critical. computers and peripherals packed in
Equity’s national education group, a specially constructed shipping crate
working in Dallas under the leader- from which they can be unpacked and
ship of Tony Pusateri, senior vice set up in any conference room in less
president for education, designed a than 30 minutes.
phased approach that would teach This training effort broadened the
or remediate the computer skills of impact of learning across the company
employees who needed them with- not only because it touched so many
out holding back workers who were employees in so many roles, says Ron
more comfortable using a keyboard Gjerde, vice president for organiza-
and mouse. An online assessment was tional development, but also because
created to determine the learner’s skill “implementing the new system rep-
level, so an online training program resented a fundamental change in
Equity Residential
could be constructed for areas where the way we do business. We had been
Chicago, Illinois there were deficiencies. The resulting using our previous system for many
program, customized to each employ- years, so naturally we encountered

50 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by David Joel


october 2007 | T+D | 51
some resistance. But although the
training was actually a small part of the
success is its people. “Our service—and
our success—depend on our people. We “We’re looking
system implementation, the success of continue to provide the structure, train- at our courses
the training was key to the success of
the implementation and allowed the
ing, and support they need to achieve
their best,” writes CEO David Neithercut in light of
new system to have its impact.” in his 2006 annual report. generational needs
A seat at the table ensures that
learning initiatives are aligned with
“Our company leadership has felt
the absolute need to attract the best and respecting
corporate strategy. Equity Residential’s possible people, educate them to do our employees’
chief human capital officer serves on
the company’s executive committee,
business, and develop internal leader-
ship,” says Pusateri, who notes that computer literacy.
and the organizational development more than 650 employees have par- Further, we’re
group facilitates the meetings. Mem-
bers of the educational staff also serve
ticipated in leadership development
courses over the past several years. trying to make sure
as leaders or members of various task A pivotal decision to concentrate on that every piece
forces and committees. “Nothing goes
on here that we aren’t involved in—we’re
organizational development led to the
creation of Gjerde’s department, which of information
there from the beginning,” says Gjerde. spearheaded the process to create a that’s included
Gjerde’s unit also is responsible for
the company’s performance manage-
competency description.
High turnover has long plagued the is absolutely
ment and succession management property management industry, and necessary.”
processes. Competencies have been Equity has attacked the problem head-
or are currently being defined for 100 on through the leadership develop- Tony Pusateri
percent of jobs, and 50 percent of em- ment program and employee engage- Senior vice president for education,
ployees have individual development ment initiatives. Equity Residential
plans, which are tied to performance “People don’t leave companies, they
objectives and competency model leave managers,” says Gjerde, who has
requirements. Learning staff review ensured that leadership development
the plans and map the development offerings have been opened up to any
needs to existing curricula, using that of the company’s employees who man- teach and manage field trainers. In this
process to identify gaps in offerings. age others. area, hands-on training is conducted
When Pusateri joined Equity Resi- Equity’s employee engagement in vacant apartment units and mainte-
dential in 1997, the company offered score in 2003 was 68 percent. By tar- nance training labs using appliances,
four courses. Ten years later, employ- geting employee recognition, career electrical systems, and heating, ventila-
ees can choose from more than 70 development, team building, and tion, and air-conditioning equipment
courses. Employees completed more compensation, the company increased set up for demonstrations, as well as
than 60,000 student sessions last year. its scores to 79 percent in 2005. Par- computer-based simulations.
Corporate learning is affected by two ticularly effective were a new, frank Exceptional Make-Ready mainte-
large external trends: the increased attitude toward compensation and a nance training is a program designed
professionalization of property man- new performance management web- to reduce the number of defects in an
agement as a career and the slow rate site that allows employees to engage in apartment when new residents move
at which colleges and universities have candid conversations about compen- in. Since its implementation, move-
unveiled degree programs in property sation and plan career development in service requests have declined by 5
management. Therefore, Equity and its moves. By 2006, engagement scores percent, which has resulted in savings
competitors must provide much of their had reached 83 percent, and turnover of 67,500 staff hours.
own education for employees, of whom had dropped 19 percent from 2004. In the coming year, Pusateri plans a
only 15 percent hold college degrees. Despite Equity’s recent success with comprehensive review of all corporate
Along with the industry, Equity integrated business systems and lead- educational offerings. “We are ques-
Residential has experienced dynamic ership development, the nature of its tioning ourselves and everything that
growth over the past three to four business requires diverse offerings for we do in terms of efficiency,” he says.
years. Since going public, the company many types of employees. Maintenance “We’re looking at our courses in light of
has grown from having 22,000 apart- and repair of the company’s 160,000 generational needs and respecting our
ment units in its portfolio to more than apartment units is a critical function employees’ computer literacy. Further,
160,000 units in 35 major markets across of its business with 1,700 people em- we’re trying to make sure that every
the United States. Executives clearly ployed in maintenance alone. Four full- piece of information that’s included is
recognize that the key to the company’s time maintenance education trainers absolutely necessary.” t+d

52 | T+D | october 2007


54 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Kent Smith
Dean Williams integrates learning into
one performance management system.

Paving
the Path
to Performance
Management
A recent survey by OnPoint Consulting found that less
than half of HR professionals believe that their performance
management systems add value to the business while only 30
percent believe that the systems achieve the desired objectives.
Clearly, many American businesses are going to be replacing
or radically altering their performance management systems
in the coming years. If so, they can look toward the experience
of Wachovia as an integration success story.
Two years ago, when Dean Wil- “This approach was not only cum-
liams was hired as Wachovia’s first chief bersome and time consuming for
learning officer, he and the company’s managers but also very confusing for
leadership resources group were asked employees,” says Williams.
to look at the approach that the finan- In February 2006, Wachovia ac-
cial institution took toward employee quired a new performance manage-
learning and development, particularly ment system and integrated it with the
the learning management and perfor- existing LMS. This permitted the bank
mance management systems. What the to use a single learning platform and
team found was that different types of integrate it with a single performance
employee performance, compensation, management system, thereby provid-
and learning information were being ing employees with easier access to the
stored in various formats and systems. tools they need to be successful in their
For example, the learning management jobs. With a single login, employees
system (LMS) permitted employees to and their managers now have access
enroll in a variety of training programs to goals, competencies, and planned
but, because the employee performance developmental activities, as well as the
process was largely paper based, there ability to search for and track learn-
was no linkage between an employee’s ing activities housed in the LMS. The Wachovia
developmental goals and her options or new system has resulted not only in Charlotte, North Carolina
attempts to meet those goals. time savings and clearer links between

october 2007 | T+D | 55


“As we continue
learning and performance, but also in zes, and role plays in a highly interac-
improved measurement of learning’s tive learning experience. Participants
impact and greater visibility into the
organization’s talent pool for Williams
are encouraged to share examples of
learning points.
to improve this
and his staff. Course prerequisites include sev- process, we
remain focused
Learning and development at Wa- eral web-based training courses that
chovia have adopted what Williams de- present foundational concepts and
scribes as an “embedded hybrid model.”
This means that workplace learning
provide simulated practice in audit
methodology and database tools.
on the behaviors
professionals sit within their business Following completion of the Jungle that we believe
are crucial to
partner teams but employ centralized course, participants practice their new
infrastructure and reporting systems. skills with their managers and receive
“This allows them to see the uniqueness
of the various lines of business while
coaching and feedback. Internal audits
now are conducted on time, and a ma-
driving success.
reaching back to what’s common across jority comes in under budget. An ad- We seek to
maximize rigor
the enterprise,” Williams explains. ditional bonus is that turnover within
To select learning and performance the department has been reduced.
initiatives, the organization uses an
intake and prioritization model called
“Our corporate philosophy is that
learning helps us achieve our business
and discipline
“triage” when requests come in from goals as we seek to recruit, engage, by involving
key partners in
the lines of business. The triage pro- and retain a qualified workforce. Yet
cess is a forum that allows workplace our overall priority is to achieve the
learning professionals to partner with
other key functions—such as the desk-
company’s business priorities,” says
Williams, who admits that learning
the screening
top and application support team or and development are still viewed as a and evaluation
of investment
business operations—to define early cost center. “Our long-term goal is to
requirements for new requests. The create a stronger view of learning and
learning organization facilitates the
process so that sponsors can present
development as an investment.”
In 2006, Wachovia migrated to a
options.”
their needs and then answer questions new investment review process that Dean Williams
from the triage forum. approved and monitored investments Chief learning officer, Wachovia
“Enforcement of this process allows more rigorously. The new process
for a quicker assessment of needs and rationalized individual project invest-
a better understanding of key partner ments throughout the organization
accountabilities and potential solu- at a portfolio level within and across
tions,” Williams says. “It can allow the business units. Learning and devel- by creating and implementing a
early discovery of significant risks, opment staff served on the cross- structure, process, and guidelines to
resource constraints, or even the dis- organizational team that conceived, evaluate investment possibilities.
covery that a learning intervention is designed, and launched a next- “As we continue to improve this pro-
not the appropriate solution.” generation process for making more cess, we remain focused on the behav-
Many learning solutions at Wacho- effective investment decisions at both iors that we believe are crucial to driv-
via are designed in partnership with the business unit and enterprise level. ing success. We seek to maximize rigor
the business units. One of the organi- In its first year, the team reduced ap- and discipline by involving key partners
zation’s most innovative learning ini- provals of new investments by $1.7 in the screening and evaluation of in-
tiatives of the past year was developed billion while simultaneously improv- vestment options,” says Williams.
for employees in the internal audit ing the profit and loss impact of 60 As Wachovia’s first CLO, Williams
division. The Welcome to the Jungle!, approved projects by $189 million. The was told that learning and develop-
program leveraged a visual learning collective portfolio enjoyed a rate of ment needed an enterprise-wide,
map that combines metaphors, activi- return of nearly 20 percent. strategic focus that would help to
ties, games, hands-on skills practice, There were also qualitative create influence in the lines of busi-
and participants’ own experiences to benefits to the project, including ness. Learning solutions such as the
teach and reinforce audit concepts. raising decision makers’ willingness internal audit course, coupled with
Department leaders, serving as course to challenge potential investment nonlearning initiatives such as the new
facilitators, team with participants projects, increasing awareness of the investment-review process, help to un-
to embark on a journey through the importance of investment decisions, derscore the relevance of learning and
“jungle” that includes games, quiz- and enhancing those decisions development to business success. t+d

56 | T+D | october 2007


58 | T+D | october 2007 Photo by Scott Jolliff
Chief Learning Officer Leslie Joyce takes
learning to new heights at The Home Depot.

Walking
in the
Customers’
Shoes
A typical Home Depot store holds about 40,000 products.
Because many of these products, for promotional or seasonal
reasons, have short shelf lives, training employees on their
characteristics and customer benefits must be completed
promptly. To increase the consistency of content and decrease
content development costs, the company partners with its
suppliers to design and deliver product training.

This training is delivered through study in which content modules


the company’s rapid web-based were developed for products at three
training model, a video-driven different price points. The training
e-learning experience that consists of was delivered to stores in varying
15 minutes of video and synchronized locations, and results were compared
text, followed by an assessment. to a carefully selected group of control
To keep production costs low and stores. Taking into account historical
to keep the language as natural as sales trends, product penetration,
possible, there are no scripts for video and year-to-year gains, trainers found
production, and the segments are significant improvement in sales of
produced in the company’s in-house all three products. Six weeks after the
studio. Templates and streamlined training, the $100 product line showed
production processes allow for a 19 percent increase; the $500 to $800
replication and further reduce costs. product line was up by 29 percent; and
The Home Depot
In developing the model, the the $1,200 product line showed a 50 Atlanta, Georgia
learning team conducted a controlled percent increase.

october 2007 | T+D | 59


Product training doesn’t occur in “There was a clear recognition of the “Using leaders
as teachers, we
a vacuum but as part of a carefully need for improvement on the very
planned curriculum that surrounds front lines of the company,” says Joyce,
the development of all Home De-
pot employees. The company offers
whose team had already designed
leadership essentials and team es-
were able to
customized position-based curricula sentials programs; customer essentials create a rich
sensory
to approximately 83 percent of store were the next logical step.
associates. Each curriculum lists the “Customer essentials are a group
minimum amount of classes required
for each associate. Associates must
of specific behaviors linked to actions
that guide associates to provide service
environment
complete the classes on a scheduled that puts customers first,” she says. that engaged
learners and
monthly basis to become effective in “We wanted to surround the prob-
their positions. This approach, as well lem and expressly define what good
as the company’s philosophy about
hiring, represents a sea change over
customer service looks like. The es-
sentials create a common language
allowed them
the past several years. and provide store leaders with a to interact with
senior leaders
Leslie Joyce became Home Depot’s yardstick to measure and coach for
first chief learning officer in 2004. “I customer service.”
was clearly directed to take learning to
the next level. What that means is that
The learning organization
developed a learning map, which new
to whom they
we wanted to create formality and dis- associates receive on their first day of normally
wouldn’t have
cipline in the process while optimizing orientation. It illustrates customers’
informal learning,” she says. Learning shopping journeys through the store
and development became a central-
ized function with decentralized de-
by putting associates in customers’
shoes. Participants interact with each that kind of
ployment resources.
The company has transitioned
other to form responses to hypotheti-
cal customer questions. In 2006, more
access.”
through several phases of philoso- than 100,000 new hires went through Leslie Joyce
phy regarding the kinds of people it the orientation. Chief learning officer, The Home Depot
should hire. In the early days, many In a third component, the learn-
store associates were accomplished ing organization partnered with the
do-it-yourself types, from hobbyists to customer service team to design ac-
experts. As the company grew, talent tion meetings, eight-hour sessions
pools of experienced candidates de- offered across divisions to share best playing a game in which they were the
creased, customer satisfaction ratings practices and improve customer sat- game pieces. In another session, as the
declined, and stores began to “hire isfaction results. In the six months audience watched a video case study,
for attitude and train for skill,” as the following the meetings, “likely to they used voting machines to help a
company sought a stronger service recommend” ratings by customers fictional character choose the best
orientation, Joyce explains. Now, the increased in every division. ways to improve his financial reports.
approach has settled into a sort of The company recognizes that lead- “The responsibilities of leaders
middle ground, where the company ers are crucial to ensuring and inspir- within Home Depot have changed over
seeks a solid mix of people who are ing the learning and performance of its the past couple of years,” says Joyce.
service-oriented as well as home- 364,000 employees. Although previous “We now focus on discipline, account-
improvement hobbyists or seasoned leadership development initiatives had ability, and employee engagement as
professionals—a specialized require- focused on motivation and alignment, being key to getting results. Although it
ment that Joyce admits is far more dif- a new program launched in 2006 is very unusual for us to produce such
ficult to find. targeted learning as a key to business a large, in-person learning event, the
Improved customer service remains success. The new leadership learning commitment and agenda for the lead-
crucial for the organization, which suf- forums educated 3,500 high perform- ership learning forums came directly
fered in the ratings for several years at ing leaders across the organization in from our CEO and senior leadership
the hands of its competitors. Joyce and three-day conferences that included team. Using leaders as teachers, we
her staff were involved in the design presentations by senior leaders, were able to create a rich sensory
and implementation of the company- workshops, simulations, competitive environment that engaged learners
wide Customers First initiative in 2006, analyses, and leadership challenges. and allowed them to interact with
which was aimed at making customer One innovative activity in an asset- senior leaders to whom they normally
service the first priority of the stores. protection workshop had participants wouldn’t have that kind of access.”t+d

60 | T+D | october 2007


Sowmyanarayanan Sampathkumar
Tata Consultancy (left) and Vidyut Navelkar (right)
Services Limited designed training solutions with the
Mumbai, India help of K. Ganesan, global head of
learning and development for Tata.

There is beauty and elegance in simplicity. Case


in point: Experience Certainty, Tata Consultancy
Services’s solution to a pressing business
problem. Asia’s largest software consultancy
needed to provide quick and effective
training on software updates to support and
maintenance associates around the world.
There were several factors that complicated the
delivery of the training.

The knowledge to be imparted to touch plays an important part in addi-


associates was incremental, which tion to technology. Some ideas are best
made a full-scale training program im- conveyed through an approach that
practical. Because the target audience combines the benefits of both.”
worked in shifts, it was impossible For the training on software up-
to gather them together for training. dates, the learning and development
In addition, the trainers themselves team assisted the projects group in
were associates working on the same crafting a solution that combines
engagement and operating under the the best of both worlds by creating
same time and deadline constraints. small training snippets without going
“While designing the solution, we through the time-consuming process
also took some of the socio-cultural of storyboarding, scripting, and mul-
aspects of learning in our organiza- tiple production steps. The team used
tion into consideration,” says Sow- a software tool to capture the neces-
myanarayanan Sampathkumar, senior sary operations to be trained, and then
consultant of strategic initiatives and composed simple, clear instructions to
special projects in the company’s learn- accompany the screen sequence.
ing and development department. Trainers recorded voice-over audio
“Although we support a multigenera- of the instructions, which were incor-
tional, technologically savvy workforce, porated as synchronized narratives.
we realize that in training, a personal The finished product was then placed
on the web server so the target audi-
ence can access it easily, anywhere
and anytime. This simple process
was followed for each update when
it became available, and small add-
on recordings were prepared for any
modifications that arose.
Emails announcing the training
updates alert associates to start their
individual training sessions within a
specified time. A tracking feature al-
lows the learning and development
team to monitor completion and send
automated reminders to associates
who haven’t completed the training.

62 | T+D | October 2007 Photo by Srinivasan Shyam


Simple Is
Beautiful

october 2007 | T+D | 63


“The company
There are numerous benefits to remain in pockets, but sharing them is
this approach, says Sampathkumar. key to the company’s growth and suc-
To begin, only elementary knowledge
of the program is needed to leverage
cess,” says Sampathkumar. The con-
ference was planned and orchestrated
instituted
the tool. Training material is created over an extended period. Participants a retention
strategy that
quickly and cost-effectively, with con- prepared formal presentations, the
sistent content. The recordings can notes for which were circulated in ad-
be replayed any number of times to
eliminate the need for multiple train-
vance. “In that way, the conference it-
self could be used for networking and
addresses
ing sessions. Further, Sampathkumar informal conversation as participants compensation,
job enrichment,
believes, “The voice-over portion gives assimilated nuances while looking for
the training immediacy.” Through the commonalities,” he says. Each of the
use of this simple solution, trainers
can achieve 100 percent coverage with
participants went home with 30 new
ideas, and a dedicated portal, Know-
loyalty building,
100 percent effectiveness. Max, provides access to materials after and career
and personal
Two years ago, the learning and the event.
development team drafted a new Benefits to the business were unas-
mission statement that reflected its
strategic role in the company, says
sailable. In one example, the expertise
acquired in a client-supplied product
growth.”
Vidyut Navelkar, head of the Global was leveraged to form a full-fledged Vidyut Navelkar
Continuous Learning Program. The Center of Excellence within the com- Head of the Global Continuous
statement reads, in part: “Our mission pany. The knowledge and expertise Learning Program, Tata
is to enhance the competency capital accumulated within the center allowed
of Tata Consultancy Services, through the company to win a major, multi-
the co-creation of learning experiences million-dollar contract.
continuously and consistently.” “We try to leverage peer-to-peer
The term “co-creation” is impor- learning as much as possible,” Na-
tant. Although company leadership velkar explains. “While the usual un- career and personal growth. One
has always been committed to every derstanding of that is of one-to-one, of its most innovative solutions
associate’s learning, that commitment we have succeeded in converting the was to create mobile certification
has become stronger as the company model to one-to-many and many-to- camps that address the geographic
has grown to its current size of 93,000 many,” he says. “The Center of Excel- diversity of employees and the fact
associates. “The mission statement lence is a clear example of that.” that information technology skills
exemplifies our conscious move away A significant challenge for the busi- can become obsolete very quickly.
from learning and development as a ness is keeping all of that knowledge Professional certifications are very
support function. Now we are posi- and expertise within the company. important to this group, and the
tioned as partners, and work closely Learning’s impact on the company’s new program brought training and
with the business at every level to ability to retain essential employees exams directly to employees. “It’s
enhance our competency capital,” is a metric that is carefully measured. certification at your doorstep,” says
Navelkar says. In particular, the company sought to Navelkar.
One way the company strives to do retain middle managers with six to 11 Cross-cultural and cultural diversity
that is through knowledge sharing. The years of experience. “These profes- training also equip targeted employ-
learning team has found that to elicit, sionals, who are much sought after by ees to work in new areas and establish
codify, and communicate associates’ our competitors, provide a crucial link centers of excellence in other coun-
tacit knowledge is a difficult and time- for us between employees and clients. tries. “We constantly rotate people
consuming task. In 2006, seeking a way They are project, group, and module across roles and geographies,” says
to share innovations in large-project leaders, and are actively looking to Sampathkumar, who notes that learn-
delivery, the learning team sought a enhance their own performance op- ing and development executives oper-
new approach. Bring Three, Take 30 is portunities,” Sampathkumar says. ate from locations across the globe.
a two-day conference for a maximum Tata Consultancy sought to address He and Navelkar cite the continuing
of 10 participants. It adopts a “share- attrition among this population globalization of learning as the next
and-learn” platform to showcase and proactively, before turnover became big challenge for workplace learning at
transfer technological and manage- unacceptably high. The company the company.
ment expertise among large projects. instituted a retention strategy “We seek to provide learning that is
“In our business, one of the biggest that addresses compensation, job universal, not uniform,” says Sam-
challenges is that great innovations enrichment, loyalty building, and pathkumar. t+d

64 | T+D | october 2007


CheckFree Services Inc.
Air Products and Chemicals
Within its five divisions, CheckFree discovered that there were multiple best prac- Using a new strategic direction called
tices around performance management. However, those practices were not being Deliver the Difference, Air Products
leveraged or trained across divisions. began implementing a comprehen-
“We had been doing a great job of teaching our leaders about leadership but sive change program. Its aim was to
never gave them training on how to be better people managers,” says Linette Hillis, align the company into a process-
director of learning and organizational development at the Atlanta-based firm that oriented enterprise that is focused on
provides financial e-commerce services and products. The company, which acquired growth through the active manage-
two large businesses in 2007, sought a universal process for dealing with corrective ment of its business portfolio and the
action, performance reviews, recruiting, interviewing, and other managerial tasks. use of consistent processes across the
To that end, the company’s training and organizational development team organization.
partnered with human resources to develop the five-course people management When Deliver the Difference was
training curriculum. A blend of classroom instruction and e-learning, the manda- launched, Air Products’s sales were $5
tory program teaches managers skills for setting expectations, handling conduct billion. Since then, that number has
situations, and adopting behavioral-based interviewing. doubled to $10 billion as the company
CheckFree’s growth and commitment to training are anything but ordinary. In has been reshaped into an enterprise
1981, CEO Pete J. Kight founded the company in his grandmother’s basement. Now, that operates in more than 40 coun-
it has 3,600 employees and annual revenues of $973 million. tries around the globe.
That evolution underscores one of the firm’s core beliefs: Progressive learning As part of the initiative, leaders
requires executive involvement. Kight teaches a portion of the company’s annual pledged to participate personally in
Energy of Leadership course, which helps high-potential leaders identify and leading the effort to instill continu-
develop their core strengths as revealed by 360-degree appraisals, personality ous improvement as a basic corporate
assessments, and performance reviews. The course also helps these leaders over- value and to promote new ideas and
come their weaknesses and understand the need to tie corporate goals to training introduce a formal process for turning
initiatives. Each participant in the role-playing class follows a robust, monitored ideas into action. The executive team
individual development plan after the two-day course ends. participated in a continuous improve-
Recognizing and managing talent is an overriding mission at CheckFree, ment workshop that was conducted in
which also launched a 12- to 18-month developmental roadmap for new super- a blended-learning environment.
visors. Focusing on HR and leadership responsibilities, the program includes an A select group was trained in
orientation delivered by colleagues and training leaders, just-in-time training, continuous improvement processes
and mentoring by executive coaches. that blended Six Sigma methodology
Managers aren’t the only ones who benefit from CheckFree’s focus on employee with Lean techniques. In 2006 more
development. The firm’s customer support team at its three-shift technical assis- than 1,000 continuous improvement
tance center in Atlanta recently received customer satisfaction scores that ranged projects were completed, and leaders
between 50 and 60 percent. A senior consultant from the learning team spent a claimed impressive results from their
week observing and interviewing customer support associates, then customized learning. Fifty percent reported that
a training program that utilized new communication and listening techniques. The the training had a direct influence
program helped employees recognize how personal beliefs often affect customer on their job; 90 percent believed it
interactions. Soon after, customer satisfaction scores reached 85 percent. increased productivity. In addition,
Another recent CheckFree learning initiative, Customer Solutions University, is a two-day learning simulation called
an intense, weeklong, experiential program that enables the customer-solutions lead- “discovery-driven planning” was
ership team and other participants to employ more strategic decision making instead held for executives who met with
of focusing on day-to-day tactics. At its conclusion, employees create and implement individuals from the University of
individual development plans that align with the company’s three-year growth plan. Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and
Each CheckFree associate’s demonstration of the firm’s core values and learning Columbia University.
competencies accounts for half of the overall score on her annual performance These recent initiatives are building
appraisal, which determines salary increases and is a central focus of the organi- upon the company’s ambition to be-
zation’s succession-planning process. “Our learning is integrated and embedded, come a recognized learning organiza-
rather than just being singular events,” Hillis says. “Each person is responsible for tion. The company’s virtual university
taking action to improve themselves and the company, and our team is committed is now available in 40 countries and
and driven to helping everyone do just that.” connects 18,000 people.

68 | T+D | october 2007


Alliance Data American Home Shield
At Alliance Data, each associate adds Corporation
value to the company. Therefore,
this provider of credit and marketing
The home warranty company had to
modify more than 200 of its products
The proportion of
solutions strives to enrich its because of updated federal regulations technology-based
associates’ careers by offering them
career development and learning
on energy efficiency. For the first
time in a decade, the organization learning in BEST
opportunities as well as rewards and had to educate all of its associates organizations
was 36 percent in
recognition. about complex product changes.
In the past year, the company has The learning and development team
implemented several initiatives to
reinforce this philosophy. In 2006,
was a crucial partner in designing
a companywide plan that entailed
2006. Self-paced
it launched a second version of the design and delivery of corporate learning continues
Leadership Academy program, which
features leader-to-leader education.
messaging, process design, and
information sharing. to be the most
Fifty percent of the program’s content The team employed a blended popular type of
technology-based
is facilitated by company executives, learning strategy, which included
who lead discussions on everything instructor-led training for 2,000 as-
from company strategy to the business
scorecard and goal execution.
sociates, a two-week “road show” to
educate 200 field associates, and an
delivery.
Alliance Data also has improved online course, which also served as a
leadership effectiveness by measuring way to measure learning and reten-
leaders’ capabilities through a 360- tion. A total of 1,145 associates passed
degree feedback process. With this the online course with an average Anel Corporation
feedback, company leaders create in- score of 91 percent. The custom metal fabrication sup-
dividual development plans for them- To better illustrate complicated plier could not keep up with customer
selves, share them with those who business processes, the learning and demand and feared for the safety of its
provided them feedback, and measure development team worked with a employees because they were work-
their own progress through follow-up vendor to produce a cohesive method ing extra hours. To address the product
feedback, coaching, and mentoring. for communicating, educating, and quality and employee safety issues,
In addition, a new performance and branding. This method, which com- Anel hired a training coordinator and a
talent management process with ac- bined graphics with information to welding instructor.
companying technology was incorpo- tell a story about the business goal, With its focus on hiring employees
rated last year. This process helps to helped translate regulations into lay who may lack the needed technical
clearly define talent requirements for terms for audiences inside and out- skills but were local and possessed
business, evaluate associates’ leader- side of the organization. It increased good character, Anel found a strong
ship skills and performance, and con- activity on the company’s website, pool of potential job candidates.
duct workforce planning. offered clarity and understanding With assistance from Holmes
Rounding out these programs as customers purchased optional Community College, the company
was a major cultural change for products designed to address the new established an eight-week pre-welding
the company—a switch to a pay- regulations, and served as a source of course and a 30-day post-welding
for-performance philosophy. By information on the new legislation’s course. The learning initiative consisted
rewarding top performers for their effect on homeowners across the of two weeks in the classroom discussing
achievements and contributions to United States. welding concepts and six weeks of
company goals, Alliance Data showed The format turned out to be so hands-on training. All hired workers
its workforce that it is serious about successful that the company has were required to achieve a ninth-grade
its leadership development initiatives. started to embed it throughout the or- math proficiency and full production
The response to these programs has ganization as a core vehicle for com- level within 90 days of employment.
been positive. municating to and educating employ- Every candidate did not become a
ees about multiple new initiatives. welder. Some were hired as machin-
ists or quality inspectors. More than

october 2007 | T+D | 69


The average implementation, the old and new completion time and expectations. Af-

number of hours
codes were called at the same time to ter this new process, customer surveys
familiarize staff with the new codes. revealed that BB&T recorded fewer
of learning per Most notably, the team widened
the scope of the project by soliciting
problems than its large in-market
competitors.
employee for BEST support from two local competitors The bank continues to expand its

winners was 44 to help adopt the new codes. The


team facilitated this effort by
outreach programs to the Spanish-
speaking community. Employees who
in 2006. providing all plans and materials to interact with Spanish-speaking clients
its competitors to use as needed. The receive a kit that includes a reference
two competitors also implemented guide, a DVD that contains scenes de-
the codes to ensure a uniform system picting common banking transactions, a
93 percent of the employees who were across the community. CD soundtrack, and a participant work-
hired from the welding program are Another important success at this book. Upon completion of the self-study
still employed with the company while organization was the creation of an guide, employees call into a telephone
the retention rate among employees employee attitude survey database by testing service to gauge proficiency.
hired outside the learning initiative is the corporate university. The user- Audio tapes on basic banking sce-
only 43 percent. friendly database allows employees to narios were produced for Spanish-
Sales have grown by 300 percent simultaneously view one screen, which speaking clients to make them feel
over the last three years. During that focuses on an overview of the specific comfortable with various banking
same period, absenteeism decreased action plan, alongside another screen, transactions. Another recently com-
by 50 percent and direct labor costs fell which provides details such as action pleted program is a CD series that
by 14 percent. steps, project status, and key milestones. simulates a radio talk show. Each epi-
sode focuses on a different topic such
as income taxes and informed credit
decisions.
During 2006, the percentage of em-
Baptist Health Care BB&T ployees who completed the corporate
One of the not-for-profit healthcare or- All bank employees have a personal university’s certification program,
ganization’s corporate strategies in the development plan that outlines annual which measures learning of essential
past year was to achieve best-in-class objectives, strengths, and opportuni- job tasks, rose 36 percent.
clinical outcomes and safety perfor- ties for growth. Each staff member is
mance. To improve this strategy’s execu- evaluated every six months, and man-
tion, the organization set a goal to stan- agers are required to discuss training
dardize safety and emergency response completed by the employee as well as
codes. The corporate university team, as identify potential training courses for BJC HealthCare
engaged by the vice president of quality development. To address the looming shortage of
and patient safety, created a work state- To renew its commitment to cus- healthcare workers in the United
ment to begin completing this goal. tomer service, the bank launched its States, BJC HealthCare launched a
The statement included advertising “perfect client experience” initiative to career development program for
through a company newsletter its employees. The initiative emphasiz- entry-level healthcare workers in 2004.
and rolling out new codes and es reliable, responsive, empathic, and Building on the success of that initia-
processes five to six months before competent customer service. Materi- tive, the not-for-profit organization de-
the implementation date. Another als, including videotapes and a leader veloped another program, Expanding
tool was using the existing cascade guide, were sent to all managers to Your Career and Healthcare Opportu-
learning process, taught by all leaders, conduct the training. nities, to address the needs of employ-
to educate staff on the new codes and Another component of the initiative ees who seek to advance in non-
how to use them. Color-coded badge was just-in-time training for 1,400 em- clinical positions. The ECHO initiative
hangers, table tents, and phone stickers ployees on a new problem resolution was launched in 2006.
also were created and distributed to process. Clients with more complicat- Through learning, coaching, and
all employees to help them memorize ed problems receive a written commit- networking, participants refresh their
the new codes. A month prior to ment from customer service regarding study skills to prepare for college, and

70 | T+D | october 2007


study medical terminology, anatomy,
and physiology to improve their cur-
Caterpillar
rent skills. They take part in classroom The success of Caterpillar hinges on the success of its more than 100 dealers, who
and online studies to identify differ- must understand the company’s products thoroughly before they can sell them.
ent learning styles, develop career and “We consider dealers to be a critical extension of our enterprise,” says Frederick A.
learning plans, create a time manage- Goh, manager of strategic learning for Caterpillar University.
ment calendar, and examine strategies It’s one thing to use a distribution channel to sell power equipment. It’s more
for moving up the career ladder. challenging to equip that channel with knowledge, especially when offering a wide
The program has given many range of product lines. “Our dealers have to know the why, not just the what,” Goh
participants the confidence to con- says. “They need details about the true value of our products, not just specifications
tinue their education. Out of the first and model numbers.”
22 ECHO graduates, five have enrolled Caterpillar University’s College of Marketing and Distribution launched a project
in higher education and 12 have made three years ago to enhance dealer sales effectiveness. Its aim was to create a
plans to do so. Four participants have process that tied learning solutions to dealers’ business goals. The program comprised
received a promotion, and two have in- several elements, including a three-level sales certification process, shared best prac-
terviewed for higher paying positions. tices worldwide, an online assessment for salespersons, and a template for develop-
The organization’s learning op- ment of individual learning plans based on the assessment results.
portunities also include an on-site Caterpillar University now delivers competency courses to dealers via e-learn-
MBA program, partnerships with local ing in eight different languages, as well as more targeted offerings in 21 languages
community colleges and universi- that address specific needs that arise in the assessments. Nearly 4,500 dealer sales
ties, software skills classes, leadership professionals are engaged, and early performance metrics indicate “consider-
development, and adult basic educa- able success,” Goh says. Previous marketing programs from Caterpillar University
tion courses. Employees can choose generated return-on-investment of more than 40 percent for Caterpillar and nearly
from a number of learning methods 400 percent for dealers.
ranging from traditional instructor-led Caterpillar’s companywide training mission is ambitious: to be the best continual
classes to self-study and online learn- learning organization in the world. Each of the firm’s more than 95,000 employees
ing. In 2006, 84 percent of employ- receive “four buckets” of instruction, Goh says, including required annual
ees enrolled in at least one learning e-learning modules, training specific to the employees’ business units, education
program. The employee retention central to their job roles, and discretionary guidance relative to their career paths.
rate among those who completed the Most training is delivered directly to employees using the firm’s learning manage-
courses was 91 percent. ment system. In 2006, employees participated in more than 562,000 e-learning
sessions, an 86 percent increase from the previous year.
Caterpillar’s knowledge management system provides more than just a global
repository. It also serves as a social-networking platform, tying communities and
disciplines together across the value chain. The system has grown from fewer than
BWXT Pantex 500 communities of practice in 2001 to more than 4,500 today. “We see a key differ-
Mistakes are costly for any organiza- ence between learning to know more, and learning to apply and share that knowl-
tion. But at BWXT Pantex, they can edge. The latter is much more relevant,” Goh says.
be downright fatal. That’s because So is measuring the impact of education initiatives. Each major program at
the company manages and operates Caterpillar is graded by a performance scorecard and a reporting process that
a government-owned nuclear plant examines business impact. Reaction, application, and ROI data are reviewed
northeast of Amarillo, Texas. monthly and reported to the board of governors quarterly. Over the past six years,
In addition to engineering, admin- the company completed 11 studies to demonstrate how its corporate university
istration, and management duties, program improves business performance. A study of a new first-line supervisor
the company’s 3,400 employees are course delivered an ROI of more than 240 percent through improved productivity
responsible for the plant’s nuclear and team effectiveness.
weapons and high explosives opera- “Keeping in mind that we’re a manufacturing firm, reducing employee injuries
tions, plutonium pit storage, safety, and improving safety performance continue to be the top priorities at all facilities,”
and security. Consequently, the com- Goh says. Analysis of employee injury data revealed that hand and finger injuries
pany places the utmost importance on were far more frequent than any other type, so Caterpillar University developed and
accident prevention and awareness. deployed a hand-safety curriculum of more than 300 sessions. The key result: a 24
BWXT Pantex’s approach has been to percent reduction in recorded hand injuries.

October 2007 | T+D | 71


implement a culture of high reliabil- To support this plan, the training less complex tasks. The initiative saved
ity that emphasizes constant aware- and professional development team an estimated $5 million.
ness of high-consequence operations, conducted a series of training sessions In the coming years the demand for
organizational weaknesses, accident that gave leaders the opportunity to IT professionals who are qualified to
and injury precursors, and experience- learn the philosophy as well as learn work in data storage will rise exponen-
based learning. and discuss best practices for its inte- tially. Yet managers report that only
This cultural change is achieved by gration. After the sessions, the team, 33 percent of their employees are pre-
a variety of programs, one of which is with the support of company execu- pared to handle the explosion of data.
the teaming of technical training and tives, worked to ensure constant com- EMC Corporation offers an Aca-
line management through the com- munication about the win-win-win demic Alliance program designed to
pany’s Line Manager Training Obser- philosophy and its incorporation into introduce students to the field of data
vation Program. Most accidents occur employee performance standards. storage. Universities worldwide are
at floor level where humans interface Another firm initiative developed in participating in the open curriculum
with the system. The LMTOP provides the last year is an improved knowledge called Storage Technology Foundations,
direct evaluation of training evolutions management program. This program which is the first storage education and
by field managers who are most famil- includes a new knowledge manage- certification program of its kind.
iar with the operations. ment framework to support business More than 100 colleges offer the
The program also provides rapid objectives and communities of prac- course, and 1,500 students are en-
feedback to the technical training tice such as centers of excellence and rolled. There are three levels of storage
organization, which can then quickly specific departments. The framework technology expertise and certifications
implement corrective actions, in- includes new processes geared toward that can be acquired. The courses are
cluding training content modifica- sharing information centrally and focused on storage concepts and prin-
tions that are disseminated to the integrating it with classroom training ciples rather than specific products.
field through mini-training events. to facilitate organizational learning. A
Because the observation program is new portal also was launched that al-
performed by operations managers, lows employees easy access to content
the results are more focused and en- such as repurposed training materials. ETS
hance training effectiveness as well as One of the site features is an embed- ETS created an action learning leader-
the quality and safety performance of ded search function across corporate ship development program—Learning
the workforce. knowledge resources. for Business Results—to enhance deci-
This program and other training The firm also began using wikis and sion making and collaboration skills
initiatives such as human performance blogs among various communities of while generating solutions to challeng-
improvement, conservative decision practice to encourage collaboration and ing business problems.
making, and causal analysis are work- information sharing and to further facili- Officers select between six and
ing together to heighten the safety tate a blended learning environment. eight candidates at both the director
awareness and high reliability culture and executive director levels to par-
of the company’s workforce. ticipate in the annual groups. Over a
six-month period, program attendees
EMC Corporation collaborate with one another to solve
When the organization’s highly skilled a complex business issue that the CEO
Clarkston Consulting information technology staff members assigns to them, such as determin-
Among leaders and managers in were required to devote a substantial ing the feasibility for entry into a new
this management and technology portion of their time to completing business arena.
consulting firm, the win-win-win routine tasks, management decided to Along with their day jobs, partici-
philosophy—“win for clients, win for alter the hiring and training process. pants invest a significant amount of
the firm, win for the employees”—was In 2005 company leaders launched the time, effort, and energy to complete
one of the key initiatives implemented Technology Solutions Associate Pro- their LBR work. Sessions, led by the
in 2006. This motto encourages gram. Rather than hire new employ- company’s chief learning officer, offer
managers to consider how to benefit ees and put them through six months tools and models to help the partici-
clients, shareholders, and employees of training, the organization decided pants gain knowledge in mentoring,
when making business decisions and to hire recent college graduates who assessing feedback, and creating suc-
managing projects. could be prepared in 90 days to handle cessful teams.

72 | T+D | october 2007


The program culminates in the pre- had to bolster both the timing and quality
sentation of solutions to the CEO. Past of its responses to inquiries. A cusomized
proposals have included restructuring online course and a regimen of mystery
project management, assumptions
of revenue generation, environment
shoppers enabled the company to im-
prove its response time by 200 percent in
BEST
change projections, product conceptu- a matter of months. organizations
alization, and launch strategies.
One significant business outcome
While a number of online and class-
room courses are required for employ-
continue to
of the LBR program last year was the ees, college credits are available for allocate more of
conceptualization, research, and de-
sign of a completely new business line.
individuals who choose to participate
in the program. All courses offered their spending to
Implementation of this recommenda- by the company are approved college internal services,
reaching 68
tion resulted in business opportuni- curriculum, and credits are granted at
ties in the consumer market and new each certification achievement level.
partnerships with Microsoft, AOL,
and Discovery Channel that has net-
At the end of the year, the learning and
development department presents a
percent in 2006.
ted projected income of $200 million strategic review that summarizes the
within five years. year’s activities. All accomplishments
are matched against goals that were scope of the project and its learning
established before the year began. and business objectives. This ensures
that the training can be directly tied
Gables Residential to business goals. The proposed
As a way to help sales staff stay com- learning solution can be connected to
petitive, the company contracts with specific corporate goals or business
an external company to videotape Highmark drivers, such as increased revenue, cost
sales representatives incognito. Sales Learning and organizational perfor- avoidance, or improved service.
associates are taped at random as the mance go hand in hand at Highmark, In addition, each agreement cat-
external company visits each location an independent licensee of the Blue egorizes the results produced from
twice a year. Called the mystery shop- Cross Blue Shield Association. The the learning solution as either “hard,”
ping program, the initiative was ex- Pittsburgh-based health insurance such as fewer product defects, reduced
panded to include trained evaluators provider recently activated a per- delivery time, increased revenue,
who pose as buyers, evaluate the sales formance management system that or reduced costs, or “soft,” such as
representative, and write a full report. requires all employees to have a devel- improved behavior, work practices,
The video is one of the company’s opmental goal. Development goals are and culture. Officials say the tool has
most effective training tools. Each linked to both individual performance been well received by the company’s
member of the sales team is required to goals and business objectives. workers and has helped quell mis-
review his own tape and write a report as All 11,000 Highmark employees can understandings regarding expected
they watch the video. All sales associates take advantage of a variety of learning outcomes and accountability.
review the video and the report with a opportunities, such as searchable
learning and development professional. reference materials, job aids, and on-
Sales associates demand a lot of them- the-job learning sessions. Seventy-
selves, so the process is intended to pro- four percent also participate in Howrey LLP
vide encouraging feedback exclusively. formal workshops and online In 2006, this global law firm intro-
The sales associates’ monthly bonuses courses, and all workers have access duced its first Leadership Academy.
are tied to their performance on the to electronic performance support, Focused on fourth-year associates, the
other segments of the mystery shopping mentors, and the company’s tuition academy introduced new concepts
program which include a telephone reimbursement program. and activities atypical to law firms.
shop, on-site shop, and an internet shop. Before any specialized training One of these features was an upward
Video shops are used for coaching and request is implemented, however, feedback tool that helped associates to
development only. performance consultants work with compare their own understanding of
With more customers conducting their client areas to develop a service their leadership styles with the percep-
housing searches online, the company agreement. The agreement outlines the tions of their employees.

october 2007 | T+D | 73


Infosys Technologies Limited Leadership styles included behav-
Some organizations analyze and adopt new information technology systems iors such as listening, setting goals, de-
at a breakneck pace while others implement changes gradually. That presents veloping action plans, directing others,
a significant training and development opportunity for Infosys, a global IT and giving feedback, setting rewards and
consulting services provider that must absorb up-and-coming technologies while punishments, and developing rapport
simultaneously partnering with its clients. with employees. Having leaders under-
“We need to be in a constant state of readiness,” says V.P. Kochikar, associate stand their own styles from the point
vice president of education and research at Infosys. “The range of technologies of view of their staff was a unique and
organizations use is growing, and industry changes occur very rapidly. We have successful method of helping team
to move extremely fast.” Proof is in the sheer number of learning courses Infosys performance and productivity.
provides—more than 1,000. IT systems account for 53 percent of training content. A series of interactive theater dem-
Internal training for Infosys’s more than 59,000 employees occurs at two levels: onstrations with professional actors
a 14-week foundation program that imparts basic competencies for new software simulating realistic leadership situa-
engineers, and continued training for experienced staff that builds depth in technol- tions also was part of the academy. The
ogy, process, and domain skills. associates watched the piece, analyzed
The firm’s learning mission extends beyond staff. Infosys recently realized that the behavior of the actors, and posed
the revenue from a couple of its largest accounts wasn’t growing in proportion to questions to understand the motives
their potential. “To break this pattern, it was imperative to build trusted advisor of the characters. They also offered
relationships with senior management,” Kochikar says. “We needed to deliver a insights on how to “redo” the scene to
broad and deep portfolio of knowledge and create sustained behavioral change.” provide a better outcome.
Infosys conducted 360-degree assessments to identify key clients’ develop- Another teamwork and leadership
mental needs and conducted workshops to help managers articulate the business activity simulated an Iron Chef compe-
value of Infosys solutions. The company also provided employees with personalized tition. After learning about leadership
coaching and mentoring. Infosys projected the initiative would generate high-value styles and teamwork behavior, partici-
deals worth $27 million; the program generated $82 million. pants were tested in a live timed cook-
“The driver that’s helping us upgrade skills and give people fresh knowledge is ing competition. Part of the competition
our ambition to move up the value chain—to become partners with our customers included switching the chefs from one
and serve as an extension of their businesses,” says Girish G. Vaidya, senior vice team to the other to challenge each team
president of the Infosys Leadership Institute. to integrate new members under high-
A large United States financial services provider recently turned to Infosys to pressure circumstances. Judges evaluated
improve its knowledge about cultural diversity. The client had grown largely through the meal results, the oral presentation
mergers and acquisitions, and was facing adverse media coverage and an internal of the menu, and the teamwork skills of
backlash against outsourcing. “The previous diversity initiative classified people each team. Associates rated these creative
into two categories: dominant and subordinate. Its idea was to help those identified programs 4.9 on a 5.0 scale.
as subordinate, but the method was too divisive,” says Aruna C. Newton, a principal
consultant at the Leadership Institute. “This was as an opportunity to build a strategic
partnership that was about changing the cultural fabric of an organization.”
Infosys built a needs analysis using appreciative inquiry, then provided work- ICICI Bank Limited
shops that improved the client’s cultural dialogue and its understanding of the When India’s second largest bank
reasons behind individual preferences. Today, the financial services firm has 60 needed to boost the skills of its em-
culture-change experts. ployees, its learning and development
To ensure that Infosys’s learning-strategy investments yield results, the team borrowed a technique from
company’s leaders and governing learning council review the firm’s action plan American football.
and training performance every six months. Also, an internal employee certifica- While in the office, ICICI employ-
tion program is integrated within the firm’s performance management system, and ees have access to I-Quest, an online
promotions and benefits are tied to “a full dimension of competencies,” says M.P. repository of all company processes,
Ravindra, senior vice president and head of education and research. Two such skills policies, and precedents. Employees
are strategic vision and the ability to manage change. simply query the system and are able
Through an initiative called Campus Connect, the company helps to to locate the needed information as
enhance the skills of engineers and recent graduates. More than 16,000 they interact with customers.
students from 342 colleges participate, and Infosys has hired more than 1,700 The problem with the system, how-
graduates of the program. ever, is that it is not accessible to the

74 | T+D | october 2007


bank’s traveling salespeople, who com- ees using rented equipment. The cost
prise half of its workforce. What’s more of the production was $4,000.
is that without deep understanding of Employees enjoyed the film, and
the bank’s products and services, such
workers risk losing customers’ trust—
many asked to view it a second time. The
amount of retests dropped 62 percent. Since 2003, more
the foundation of the banking Company trainers also searched for than 88 percent
of vice presidents
relationship—when they are unable to innovative ways to motivate company
immediately respond to questions. employees. Each week, one day is
Instead of hiring more managers or
conducting traditional training classes,
designated with a theme. Each depart-
ment holds a competition around that
and C-level
the bank chose to deliver the learning theme and votes to determine the win- executives in BEST
via mobile phones. This on-demand
approach would ensure that employ-
ner. Photographs are taken and added
to the weekly newsletter. Best prac-
organizations
ees obtained the information when tices are shared in the form of games, have made public
they needed it most.
The learning team envisioned the
such as hangman, word searches, and
crossword puzzles. Employees also statements that
support to be similar to the instruc-
tions relayed to a quarterback from his
are encouraged to submit “Ask the VP”
questions, and those questions and an-
support learning
coach. They carefully designed scenario- swers are published in the newsletter. and included
based audio learning modules, which
focused on knowledge and comprehen-
More than 80 percent of employees
gave a satisfaction rating of four or five
learning objectives
sion. The content was purposely present- on a scale of five. as part of their
ed in chunks to avoid memory overload
and stimulate recall of prior knowledge. performance goals.
After a pilot promotion and some
tweaking, the service was launched Lawrence Livermore
in the vehicle loan and credit card National Laboratory consolidated into an online knowledge
departments. During the first week, After 54 years of operation in the center on change management.
approximately 1,500 employees ac- public sector, this scientific research The site featured streaming video of
cessed the platform more than 74,000 and development organization the speakers, briefings, and online
times. Now, it is regularly used by 8,000 changed course to become a limited courses. Indicating its usefulness and
salespeople. liability corporation. The change value, the site receives thousands of
represents a significant cultural shift visits each month.
that affects all levels of the company. Another recent initiative was the
To prepare for the adjustment, the realignment of the succession pool
iQor, Inc. human resources development team development program. A greater
The learning department at this col- put together an organization-wide emphasis was placed on coaching,
lection agency has built a workplace change-management plan that was challenging assignments, and learning
culture that is dedicated to teaching soon adopted by senior leadership. options at every level to help develop
all elements necessary to produce The plan included briefings given emerging and existing supervisors
exemplary results for employees at all to top management, then to groups and managers for current and future
levels. But the learning, according to of interested employees, and finally leadership roles. The program’s
the company’s workplace learning and to teams across 12 directorates. An structure is now working more directly
performance professionals, doesn’t external consultant with extensive with organizational development
have to be stale and boring. experience in mergers, acquisitions, consultants to provide coaching and
To teach complex federal laws and and change management was hired as consulting support.
ensure that all employees will pass a a strategist for top management. Program results show that
test with 100 percent efficiency, the Development programs were realignment has been a successful
training department created a movie refocused to reflect the company’s venture. Forty-two percent of
on the specifics of a federal law. The evolution. A leadership lecture series, succession-development graduates
script, production, direction, and act- onsite training and development received promotions this year as
ing were all done by company employ- courses, and e-learning tools were compared with 29 percent last year.

october 2007 | T+D | 75


prevent patients falls and enhance certification created a new class of
hospital safety at its Alfred I. DuPont “masters” who can teach a particular
LexisNexis hospital campus. Research conducted skill to their teams. All company lead-
LexisNexis, which provides informa- in 2005 showed that while the incidence ers participated in the initial training
tion and business solutions to various of pediatric patient fall rates were low, and were certified as burger masters.
professional markets, set out to train the potential for serious injury when a They then returned to their restaurants
its customers to reap the full benefits fall did occur was high. Several perfor- to train staff, ensuring that training was
of the company’s products and servic- mance and learning strategies were delivered on a consistent basis. The em-
es. Last year the company’s customer created that decreased the number of phasis on training was rewarded by bet-
support team responded to more than pediatric patient falls in 2006. ter consistency, and by customers who
1 million customer calls, 36 percent The learning function supported indicated in surveys that their intent to
of which were about research and this program by working with staff in purchase again, along with their per-
provided unique training moments for two inpatient pilot units, hematol- ception of taste and quality, improved
customers. In 2006, customer support ogy and oncology. First, hospital staff compared with the previous year.
delivered more than 60,000 hours of were educated to increase awareness A district training manager pro-
customer training. of falls. These sessions were followed gram was launched last year as well.
In addition to selling products and by an examination of risk factors re- The individual ensures that training
services, company sales representatives lated to falls. The learning department standards are consistently delivered
trained customers on how to use them. produced job aids for nurses to assist in every restaurant throughout the
In one sales division, 260 sales repre- them in creating patient care plans as organization. Each district manager
sentatives provided 180,000 hours of well as educating families on fall pre- assesses the training needs of manag-
training to more than 4,000 customers. vention. The effectiveness of this ap- ers and team members. There is one
The company implemented a strat- proach was assessed through perfor- district training manager for every four
egy to help its sales staff provide solu- mance feedback and patient fall data. to six restaurants. Individual loca-
tions to customer needs. The initia- The fall prevention program continues tions were able to retain more highly
tive includes online manager toolkits to deliver improved levels of care for trained employees, and turnover was
that contain talking points, meeting children and their families. decreased by as much as 20 percent
presentations, and videos; face-to-face In another recent initiative, the compared with the previous year.
functional learning session materi- learning function helped to establish a The company opened a new cu-
als; and communication tools such as comprehensive project-management linary arts center last year, which is
intranet articles and websites. infrastructure. Intended to create a uni- dedicated to building hands-on train-
The communication and learn- fied organizational approach to project ing experience for all employees from
ing tools were designed to empower management, the approach includes hourly employees to senior managers.
LexisNexis employees to deliver the a self-paced online course, instructor- The center has a classroom, interactive
company strategy and transform led courses, a certification track, and stations, and all the equipment found
the organization from one that sells a central web resource that provides in the restaurants. The new facility
products to one that sells solutions. All templates and access to mentors. is housed within a leadership cen-
company employees were mandated The project-management program ter, which offers training year around
to attend an experiential workshop has been incorporated into the operat- along with a lodging facility for over-
that explored the past, present, and fu- ing protocol of the organization. With night stays during sessions.
ture of the company. At the end of the the infrastructure in place, the pro-
sessions, employees created personal gram is now moving into its next phase
action plans that contributed to the as learners achieve certification, proj-
company’s transformation. ect sponsors seek specialized educa- Saskatchewan
tion, and project-management “guilds” Telecommunications
begin to form across the organization. As this Canadian telecom services
company strove to meet the demands
Nemours of advancing Internet protocol
The Nemours children’s healthcare (IP) technology, nontraditional
system, which annually treats 238,000 Ruby Tuesday Inc. competitors, and evolving business
children in five states, developed a Last year the restaurant company issues, it also uncovered a skills gap
program, Catch Me Before I Fall, to introduced a master’s program. The among its workers.

76 | T+D | october 2007


Specifically, learning officials dis- opment plans based on the results. Par-
covered that the sales department was ticipants learn through a combination
challenged to keep pace with advanc- of courses, mentoring relationships,
ing technology and customer needs.
Further, past training efforts were inef-
and self-study resources such as white
papers and technical guides. Because BEST award
fective in increasing focus on IP sales this is the company’s first in-house winners spent 3
percent of their
initiatives: Workers were not consis- certification program, a knowledge and
tently applying the new information to skills library on the learning manage-
their jobs, and the company was con-
cerned with maintaining and growing
ment system was created to supple-
ment on-the-job reference resources.
payrolls on
market share and customer loyalty. Although officials are still research- training in 2006.
To combat the problem, the compa- ing the effects of the new training, data
ny’s learning professionals designed an has proven that the program is suc- mentoring noncertified personnel. The
IP certification program. This blended- ceeding. Officials say employee cred- company also administers learning
learning solution delivers a curriculum ibility with customers has increased. application surveys to participants and
based on strategic IP communications, The salesforce feels more confident their managers 60 days after partici-
products and services, solution sell- about its knowledge of products and pants complete the program. Employ-
ing, and return on communications. services, and IP sales are up by 14 ees who complete the certification are
Skill gaps are identified by an online percent. Certified employees—who recognized by senior management
assessment, and employees and their comprise 15 percent of the sales for their success and contributions as
managers prescribe personalized devel- team—now share their knowledge by sales professionals.

october 2007 | T+D | 77


Microsoft Scottrade
By the end of 2007, the number of new products Microsoft will have shipped will be The retail brokerage firm’s motto is
greater than the number of products it has ever shipped in the past. “Hire for Attitude, Train for Success,”
“That might be mind-boggling, but it’s accurate,” says Cedric T. Coco, the and it exemplifies its commitment to
company’s general manager of Engineering Excellence. training employees.
The software provider’s hectic product-release schedule has bolstered its need Last year the training department
for solid training and development. More than half of Microsoft’s learning content is created a 20-week intern learning
devoted to industry-specific learning and product knowledge. map, which is an online program that
The company’s latest PC operating system, Windows Vista, showcases a unique resembles a college campus. Some
training perk for the organization: It’s able to teach what it develops internally, courses are available online while oth-
rather than what a third party creates. “The shorter our time from product concep- ers are taught by branch managers.
tion to distribution to competency, the better,” Coco says. “That speed is an absolute The map includes “buildings,” which
foundation of Microsoft, and it necessitates our agile learning environment.” correspond to a week of learning that
Extended enterprise learning recently became a primary focus at Microsoft. The interns are encouraged to acquire.
company designed and delivered several new initiatives this year, including formal Each week interns learn about topics
classroom and online training programs for its marketing and sales employees, such as customer service, corporate
and educational programs and campaigns for partners and other vendors that sell culture, and account funding.
and distribute its products. It also launched new certification programs for industry A total of 50 courses are required
professionals who use those products. in addition to 11 optional courses.
“The releases were successful, as confirmed by feedback from customers and When the original intern program was
partners,” Coco says, adding that the company’s learning effort speaks directly launched in 1998, it did not include
to its overall mission of helping people and organizations realize their potential. any formal training. Within six months
“Focusing on the experience of users—how they leverage technology to achieve of the introduction of the new program
goals—is the essence of our work.” in 2006, 64 interns had been hired as
What’s truly working for Microsoft is a customized approach to performance associates. Being an intern offers a
improvement. At a time when just-in-time learning is a popular goal, “we’re trying pathway to leadership in the company.
to become ‘just-for-me,’” says Irada Sadykhova, the director of learning strategies Among the ranks of branch managers,
at Engineering Excellence. “Each employee needs resources to better comprehend 18 percent started as interns.
a specific job, distinct tools to make it happen, and often a peer expert to help. The A customer service simulation
jobs are different, and everyone learns differently. We have to account for all of this.” training module was introduced last
Engineering at Microsoft relies on a balanced portfolio of blended learning that year. Participants were expected to use
includes formal classroom sessions, lab workshops with mentors, brief expert- and the program to enhance their cus-
leader-driven talks, online community discussions, think-tank sessions, network- tomer interaction skills. A typical ex-
ing events, and online knowledge-management databases made available on the change involved communicating with
company’s intranet. Key content includes information about innovative technologies a customer who held accounts with a
and what Microsoft calls “deep-dive” topics that emphasize the need for soft-skills competitor. To demonstrate learning, a
development. contest was initiated last year whereby
Rather than trying to force learning onto its more than 70,000 employees, the various departments submitted their
company focuses on removing barriers that hinder learning, providing fast access best customer call for consideration.
to training resources, and designing simple programs that quickly drive perfor- One winning call was selected from
mance improvement. “Shaping the learning environment—not forcing employees to each branch region.
change, but guiding and supporting them in enhancing their competencies—is our By revising training processes,
focus,” Sadykhova says. the company was able to reduce the
The chief architects of the plan are members of Microsoft’s executive learning training time required for new associ-
council, the virtual learning governing body of the company’s internal and external ates from nearly six months to three
training programs. “Because learning here is decentralized, we need a commu- months. No formal training process
nity to align corporate strategies with our learning agenda,” Coco says. “In more existed prior to 2005.
traditional models, the process says, ‘Tell me what your challenges are. Then I’ll go
away, build solutions that present answers, and see if they work.’”
Because of the governance and communication of the learning council, no one is
“ruling” training at Microsoft. Rather, everyone is constantly part of it.

78 | T+D | october 2007


Telkom SA Limited TELUS Communications
A skills acquisition project identified As any practitioner would agree,
a dire need for advanced network- selecting and designing corporate In BEST
organizations, 66
ing technology skills in Africa. Telkom learning solutions is no easy feat. But
spent the early part of 2006 designing TELUS has found a way to successfully
and implementing a management of
next-generation networking (NGN)
link its organizational learning and
performance plans to corporate strat-
percent of learning
technology training program. egy. Its trainers are focused on provid- was instructor led
The training solution focused on
two areas: essentials training and
ing mission-critical information that
closes knowledge gaps and boosts per-
and the majority of
professional training. The goal of the formance. In fact, the company says that training was
still classroom
essentials training was to provide it does not offer training that is not
participants with an understanding directly linked to increased individual
of the issues and factors associated
with a next-generation network. The
or organizational performance.
TELUS learning consultants partner
based.
program focused on NGN principles, with the business units to identify
market drivers, regulatory framework, and execute strategic learning initia- The Schwan Food Company
network migration strategies, billing tives for its nearly 30,000 employees. In the past year, the global food com-
in an Internet Protocol environment, This connection with the business pany has worked to develop and ex-
management architecture, and ser- units allows the team to be part of the pand the educational opportunities it
vice platforms. strategic planning process and have a offers to its employees. An accelerated
At the end of the five-day program, thorough understanding of how it can degree program was launched with
participants were required to complete support them in achieving their goals. customized features. The program,
an assessment that tested their ability These learning consultants also play a which contracts with three accredited
to apply NGN principles to a market key role in ensuring that the organiza- institutions, consists of seven-week
scenario. During 2006, 310 employees tion offers the most effective training online modules that help students earn
completed the training. An 80-percent possible. They conduct vital front-end bachelor’s degrees in three years or less.
confidence rating was recorded after analysis, which identifies the nature Other degrees offered include an asso-
the program. of performance gaps and establishes ciate’s degree as well as an MBA.
The goal of the professional training the appropriate solutions, as well as Many of the materials in the
program is to develop a targeted group in-depth investigations to better un- program have a dual learning effect in
of specialists to address organizational derstand the audience and its learning that they are specific to the company’s
challenges through appropriate tech- styles and preferences. needs and relevant to the subject
nology decisions. The professional When training isn’t the answer, matter at hand. The company’s
training program focuses on NGN these consultants suggest other more corporate university also has specific
drivers, technologies, and technology appropriate resolutions. They also courses that are applicable for up
integration. Participants are required work in a decentralized training to six credits toward an employee’s
to demonstrate their ability to apply model, in which some business units degree. Through development of this
their NGN knowledge to real techno- have small teams of learning special- program, employees can seek higher
logical issues facing the company. ists while others rely on vendor re- degrees more efficiently than through
The professional program is supple- sources and outsourcing solutions. traditional degree programs.
mented by a global study tour, during All training programs are measured Another venture this year was the
which the participants research the for success using Kirkpatrick’s meth- expansion of the talent-management
implementation of next-generation odology. The learning team links Level program. While this program originally
networks in various countries so that 3 results to the HR performance score- started out as a senior executive devel-
they are better equipped to implement card, which directly affects the salaries opment program, last year, the model
technology strategies. International of both departments. Officials say that was expanded to encompass all busi-
visits in 2006 included trips to China, visibility ensures that the learning cre- ness units and key business managers.
Australia, and Europe. ates positive behavioral change among The central focus of the talent-man-
workers throughout the company. agement program is the nine-box talent
matrix. This tool allows the company

october 2007 | T+D | 79


American Express Company to measure and monitor employee
development by taking into account
individual performance and potential
The American Express Learning Network, a team of learning and development on a standardized model. The talent
professionals, recently launched a number of initiatives to address the attrition and matrix helps managers compare their
increase employee engagement at the company’s customer service centers. employees’ past and current perfor-
First, the learning network launched Connections, a program that educates new mances, and thereby determine their
employees about the firm’s values, vision, and customers. The training team part- future potential. The model also helps
nered with human resources and call center professionals to conduct a root-cause determine what outside talent needs
analysis of employee attrition. They determined customer service agents needed to be acquired.
to feel more empowered to be the “voice of the customer,” a critical link that
helps American Express achieve its main objective of becoming “the world’s most
respected service brand.” UT-Battelle, llc
The team included the Connections initiative in the company’s orientation At UT-Battelle, the not-for-profit com-
program. A specially trained facilitator developed a customized curriculum for each pany that manages and operates the
group of new employees, based on their pre-hire screening assessments. Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the
Today, groups that participated in the program reported that attrition rates were United States Department of Energy,
34 percent lower than groups that didn’t participate. Also, call center employees’ an independent assessment of the
reaction scores have increased by 5 percent, as more of them believe training has a organization’s quality program identi-
positive influence on their job roles and performances. In all, more than 340 class- fied implementation weaknesses. The
room sessions were conducted in 2006. analysis exposed vulnerabilities in
“The program helps increase our customer care professionals’ emotional several areas, including how quality ex-
commitment to the company, so they have a stronger desire to stay and grow with pectations were communicated to staff,
American Express,” says Kim Stewart, director of the American Express Learning how quality assessment activities were
Network. “That is demonstrated when they interact with customers. Now when conducted and documented, and how
customers call, they feel more connected with our company, and that leads to staff were trained to conduct assess-
improved loyalty and satisfaction.” The company’s long-term goal for Connections ments. Following analysis, a number of
is to ignite the same enthusiasm at all levels of the organization, not just among corrective actions were designed to ad-
new hires. dress these issues and their causes. Three
Another recent initiative, Coaching to Extraordinary Customer Care, focused specifically had a focus on learning.
on developing the coaching skills of frontline supervisors to help them offer To ensure the implementation of
better instruction to employees and thereby improve customer satisfaction. The the organization’s quality standards,
company’s learning team conducted train-the-trainer sessions with senior lead- the existing Quality Assurance Funda-
ers, who also participated in role-playing exercises with a talent management mentals training program was revised.
coach to tutor lower-level leaders on how to recognize and develop employee skills. Thirty-seven program representatives
These sessions included tips on how to effectively prepare for an optimal coaching and coordinators completed the three-
session, how to give and receive feedback, and how to create a solid learning plan hour course. The training was then
supported by the leader and employee. offered to other persons responsible
Those leaders are now better equipped to review employees’ performances, talk for implementing quality program re-
about their aspirations, and coach them to excel, Stewart says. Since beginning the quirements in the organization.
program, American Express has achieved a 7 percent increase in customer satis- More than 460 managers and su-
faction scores. pervisors completed training on the
This fall the company’s executive team will begin annual discussions with its organization’s process for conduct-
business owners about strategic objectives for 2008. The firm’s training person- ing management assessments. They
nel will then align resources with those owners to develop new training initia- received the training in 2006 as part
tives. “Increased exemplary service is the metric that drives everything we do,” of an annual Group Leader Update
Stewart adds. “All positions within our learning function are held accountable course designed to address cur-
for that achievement, and our dedication to the goal is constantly pushing us rent issues, initiatives, and needs for
forward.” improvement.
In addition, a comprehensive
course, Conducting Assessments Ba-
sics Training, was developed. The inter-

80 | T+D | october 2007


active eight-hour course included both web-based support system and can
group and individual learning activities. select from more than 100 clinical
Before the classroom event, participants specialty offerings taught by hospital-
completed a brief web-based course to based instructors.
establish foundational knowledge of the During their first months on the
existing assessment process.
Following completion of all correc-
job, the nurse fellows participate in
didactic training and a personalized
In 2006, BEST
tive actions, an independent review clinical orientation on their units. organizations
was conducted in January 2007. The
review team determined that all actions
This thorough training and support
enhances their patient-care skills allocated more
were effective, and reported that the as- and professional development. The than 40 percent
of the learning
sessment course, in particular, was well second six months entail specific con-
structured and well received by partici- tinuing education programs in addi-
pants. The demand for the course from
individuals outside the quality function
tion to support sessions to maximize
personal growth.
function’s
was noted as an indication of the effec- Retention data shows that of the resources to
tiveness of the training. 108 nurse fellows hired in 2005, 93
percent remained employed with
nonlearning
the organization after their first activities.
year. The program has created
WakeMed Health & an environment that promotes
Hospitals the organization as a preferred
Retaining new nursing graduates pres- employer, helps meet employee
ents a challenge for most healthcare needs while ensuring alignment of
systems. In the United States, the attri- efforts, and contributes to ensuring training on Open Source standards,
tion rate for a new nurse during the first consistent matching of human technology, and development meth-
year of employment is between 25 and 57 resources to service volume levels. ods. They were then assigned to work
percent, depending on the assignment. units from the 115 projects. The com-
That’s why the private, not-for-profit pany paired them with 85 mentors in
healthcare system based in Raleigh, the organization to whom the students
North Carolina, designed a program Wipro Technologies reported their progress.
that would not only reward and engage A newly hired engineer at this India- This project work has not only
current nursing staff, but hire and keep based technology company spends helped the students meet mandatory
new graduates for the long term. six months in the organization before requirements of compliance for their
The organization offers a one- becoming productive and billable. The degrees but also has cut down their
year nurse fellowship program that new hire spends the first 10 weeks in initial training from 10 weeks to three
combines clinical and educational classroom training and the remain- weeks. The initiative is expected to
activities to facilitate professional ing time studying the real project contribute $2.1 million in revenue to
and personal growth. The program is environment. the company’s bottom line.
mandatory for all newly hired nursing To reduce the initial training time, As a result of the program, the
graduates, and it pairs newcomers the company designed Magnum Opus, students have a well-defined project
with specifically trained preceptors an innovative program to build techni- vision and are able to work in a
in the organization who are compen- cal capabilities among students. In the collaborative environment to promote
sated for their roles. first phase of the initiative, a program- the Open Source concept. They
Nursing fellows attend orientations ming contest was conducted in 160 also are able to quickly assimilate
and ongoing educational programs campuses across the country. The top upcoming technology domains
throughout the year, including a skills 450 participants advanced to the next by working with senior architects
development day, a three-month level, which consisted of 115 projects and mentors in the organization.
professional practice workshop, and aimed at conceptualizing large Open In addition, the organization has
a six-month transition workshop Source themes. benefited by hiring better prepared
as well as continuing education Through a portal called Campus2- recruits who have already executed
programs. They also have access to a Career, the 450 students received projects of industry relevance.

october 2007 | T+D | 81

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