Learning in Practice Awards 2016
For learning executives who have implemented a significant measurement or evaluation program that has demonstrated exceptional business impact from their workforce development programs. Potential results may include measures of employee retention, sales, revenue growth, customer satisfaction or cost reduction, among others.
DIVISION 1
Bob Povey, Unit Manager, Gold Fields
As one of the world’s largest gold producers, Gold Fields operates eight mines across four countries. In an industry characterized by hazardous working conditions, injuries and fatigue, safety has always been a core value for the company.
But about a year ago, the overwhelming majority of its workforce did not feel this commitment: 90 percent of employees said they believed management cared more about production than safety.
So when Gold Fields acquired three new mines in Western Australia, the timing was just right to establish a stronger culture of safety in the region.
Management brought in Bob Povey, a mining safety expert with 42 years of experience, to implement the trademarked Influencer Training program. The leadership course provided a model for behavior based on six sources of influence at the personal, social and structural levels. Povey led more than 300 workshops for 2,100 employees to empower them to take control of their own safety by raising awareness of destructive behaviors and encouraging senior employees to lead by example.
Gold Fields saw a significant improvement in workplace safety and employee satisfaction. Total recordable injuries fell from 115 to 71 in 16 months, and some sites saw their injury rates reduced by as much as 60 percent. Perceptions of leadership also improved; 70 percent of employees now feel that management values safety over production.
—Nidhi Madhavan
Patricia Winchester, Director, Learning and Development, USA Today Network
USA Today Network has expanded its sales portfolio quickly in recent years, but the employee onboarding process hadn’t kept up. The training content for sales representatives was outdated, lengthy and difficult to schedule across the workforce, which spans more than 10 U.S. markets.
To modernize the program, the organization worked with InfoPro Learning to develop a new e-learning course that reduced onboarding time and costs. The new LMS was designed to be easily navigable by module and product line. It used a mix of digital content including videos, lectures and games, which were supplemented by case studies and situational experiences.
The new learning program reduced onboarding time from three full workdays to just 9.5 hours spread across several weeks, allowing the company to train more sales representatives more efficiently. It reduced annual training costs by $306,000.
—Nidhi Madhavan
Blaire Bhojwani, Director, Learning Technologies, Hilton
When Hilton Hotels introduced digital check-ins at its 4,400 global locations, it meant preparing more than 80,000 employees for a radical shift in guest interactions — one marked by increased use of technology. Blaire Bhojwani, director of learning technologies, led a successful, companywide training effort to manage the transition.
—Nidhi Madhavan
DIVISION 2
Adri Maisonet-Morales, Vice President, Enterprise Learning and Development, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Insurance companies face critical challenges as the industry becomes more regulated and complex. To adapt to the changes and stay competitive, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina needed to update its infrastructure and strengthen employee skills and knowledge.
Vice President of Enterprise Learning and Development Adri Maisonet-Morales found an efficient solution that invited employees from all levels of BCBSNC to join the department as partners in that endeavor. The three-month Enterprise Learning and Development facilitation program builds skills in employees interested in teaching others in the organization. Through workshops, individual coaching, online courses and teach-backs, participants showcase their expertise and gain experience they can bring back to their teams. High-performing employees who complete the program can gain adjunct faculty certification within the department and be recertified each year.
The EL&D facilitation program helped BCBSNC adopt standard learning practices and instill its central business vision, with participants serving as ambassadors to their respective departments. It also developed a pipeline of individuals with leadership capabilities and enterprise expertise. In fact, two participants found career opportunities within the organization as full-time facilitators after completing the program.
BCBSNC invested more than $50,000 in the program, but the estimated cost savings and avoidance after the first year totaled almost $445,000.
—Nidhi Madhavan
Lori West-Worland, Director, Global Education Services, Interactive Intelligence
Companies today continue to float away from hosted services to the cloud. So when Interactive Intelligence Inc. introduced its new PureCloud offering, leaders knew it would become the future of their business.
To speed service adoption, the software company wanted its partners to be autonomous when implementing and supporting PureCloud for customers. This meant making sure they all had comprehensive product expertise.
Lori West-Worland, director of global education services, recognized that flexibility would go a long way to meet this demand. Interactive Intelligence developed the PureCloud Core Learning Plan training program, its first self-service learning model for partners. The 17-hour curriculum is entirely self-paced, allowing users to progress through a storyline supported by videos, games and quizzes. The ExpertusOne delivery platform also accommodates frequent content changes to match product updates.
The training model helped Interactive Intelligence exceed its yearly certification goal for 2016.
—Nidhi Madhavan
Jessica Melo, Director of Sales Training, Paycom
Paycom’s sales representatives needed additional technical knowledge to keep up with frequent product updates. To efficiently provide this training to all 42 sales teams across the U.S., Director of Sales Training Jessica Melo designed a product certification program that offered employees multiple learning methods and led to history-making results.
—Nidhi Madhavan
