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Comprehensive Learning Strategies | Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 1: Learning Strategy (Key Competency Identification, Learning Needs Assessment, Training Design and Development) Situation The high turnover rate of front line employees at this international grocers company was costly in many ways. In addition to the direct costs associated with recruiting and hiring, there were the indirect costs associated with poor customer service and poor morale among employees. Lack of adequate training was sited as the primary reason for high turnover and poor morale. Employees did not have sufficient knowledge about store products, processes and operations, and about company standards and philosophy. Of course, this impacted their ability to provide good customer service. This was particularly devastating since, as a specialty grocery store, customer service had historically been this company's competitive advantage. Furthermore, competition in the organic grocery sector was heating up, and margins were getting squeezed. Some of the key challenges to training the front line employees were ensuring that: ·
Solution One of the key factors to effective training is targeting the "right" skills and knowledge. Our first step was to conduct a large number of interviews and focus groups with employees at all levels in the organization from front line employees who held the job, to store managers, to regional managers, to senior executives. From the plethora of information gathered, we developed detailed competency profiles for each of the targeted 16 jobs across 11 store departments. Once completed, each of the profiles was validated through a review process with job incumbents and store managers. Although the competency profiles information for the training content, our next challenge was to design training that would work in the fast paced store environment. The new employees were required to be on the floor as much as possible, so a large part of the training must occur on the floor. we needed to design easy to use, on the job training in "bite size" modules. We accomplished this by developing a template in which we organized the information for each topic on a single page. Essential job aids and resources such as checklists, manuals and other materials were referenced on the individual topic pages. Accountability for learning was facilitated by developing pre- and post-tests for each module. The pre-tests had two key purposes. One was to give learners a clear indication of the skills and knowledge they are expected to acquire by the end of the module. Secondly, the pre-tests allow learners to "show what they know." If new employees already demonstrate the apppropriate level of skill or knowledge in a training area, then attention can be focused in other areas and the training time is reduced. The purpose of the post-test, of course, is to affirm the learning. In addition to the training itself, we created a structured training schedule that organized the entire training program to fit into the new employee's first 30 shifts. The new employee as well as the store manager, trainer, and/or mentor were given the schedule. The purpose of the training schedule was to keep both the learner and his/her mentor on track and to plan future shifts around critical learning modules. Results Department and store managers were extremely pleased with the comprehensive nature of the content - its detail and accuracy. This indicated that the investment in the upfront research, to define the key competencies for each job, had paid off. Mentors and/or trainers were thrilled with the structure and organization of the program because it keeps them on track. This program also represented a concrete demonstration of company's leaders commitment to training, developing, and retaining their employees. Quantitative data are not yet available.
Case 2: Learning Strategy (Benchmark Study, Key Competency Identification, Learning Needs Assessment, Learning Needs Prioritization Assessment) Situation When the challenge of deregulation hit the Canadian telecom industry, leaders of this company wanted to find out more about the key people development strategies used by other successful companies. The goal was to create learning curricula for managers that helped the company build a competitive advantage in the marketplace by developing a superior workforce. Solution The first step was to design a benchmarking study. We interviewed senior managers from 25 companies in a variety of industries, asking about key business drivers and their people development strategies. At the same time, senior exectutives within our client company were interviewed about their own thoughts on key business drivers, and the skills and knowledge needed by their employees to move the company into a more intensely competitive environment. We analyzed the data and created a new comprehensive set of customer service management competencies from the insights revealed by the research. More to come...
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