Trainer compensation varied widely across department as it became centralized. Inequity was concerning as inconsistent compensation did not attract high performers from line leadership. Reputation of training department was suffering and learning was not happening at levels needed to support business goals and objectives. Trainers promoted from line positions and brought current pay grades regardless of ability as trainers.

Researched trainer compensation plans in other organizations in each of company’s seven major metropolitan areas. Prepared new job descriptions including clearly defined career path (learning specialist, performance specialist, performance consultant, and regional manager) and defined skill requirements, competencies, levels of expertise, and promotion requirements. Developed new compensation structure including portion based on resulting performance of learners and achievement of business goals.

Trainers energized by clarification of expectations and sought learning and career growth opportunities. Reputation of department improved, and services actively sought to provide increased learning opportunities. Business goals were more quickly met.

New-hire error losses running at annualized rate of $7 million. Loss came off bottom line of each branch and negatively impacted company’s overall profitability. Newly hired customer service representatives not consistently being sent to training by branch managers. Branch managers needed pairs of hands and settled for untrained hands when vacancies occurred.

Assembled cross-functional team to develop recruiting and training approach for new customer service representatives. Customer service representatives were hired before vacancies occurred and sent directly to a two-week intensive experiential learning opportunity incorporating practice and feedback in mock customer/customer service representative situations. Used regular assessments during training to terminate employment when necessary. At end of training, detailed report was given to branch manager assessing new customer service representative’s branch-readiness. One week of on-the-job observation by branch manager, supported by learning professional, resulted in either certification or termination of employment.

Program reduced over/short/fraud losses to $2.5 million after first year of new program. Additionally, customer service representative turnover dropped more than 50%. Savings from this single improvement exceeded entire company learning and development annual budget of $4 million.

Financial advisors did not see clear connection between business results and learning opportunities offered. Sales force was not meeting expected sales levels, which reduced individual commissions and overall company profitability.

Used series of assessments (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Sales Potential Inventory, and Selling Skills Inventory) in pilot program with 15 financial advisor volunteers. Coached each financial advisor about assessment results. All 15 financial advisors in pilot program were appalled at low assessment scores. Invited advisors to participate in series of two-hour web seminars focused on consultative selling skills.

Assessment phase created sufficient cognitive dissonance for each financial advisor to readily embrace consultative selling skills web training opportunity following assessment phase consultation. Sales goal performance increased dramatically as did individual commissions and overall profitability. Financial advisors requested additional skills development opportunities to make further changes in practices.

Delivery of technical training including Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Cisco Certified Inter-network Expert (CCIE), Project Management Institute (PMI), Multimedia Telecommunications Association (MMTA), Certified Convergence Technology Technician (CCTT), Computer Telephony Integration Essentials (CTI), Certified Convergence Network Technologies (CCNT), Computer Telephony Integration Essentials (CTI), and A+ certification training was required by 11,000 users in 200+ locations nationwide. Distance learning contract provided for this training. Return-on-investment (ROI) of distance learning contract lower than forecast due to poor system usage rates by employees. Needed to reduce per course-completed cost by increasing use rates.

Created series of employee communication messages and rewards for increased use of system. Worked with managers across organization to encourage budgeting time for each employee to access system and spend time in learning environment. Established clear career paths as additional incentive to encourage employees to prepare for promotions and provide improved customer service in current positions using distance-learning system.

Use of distance learning technology improved to average 200 course completions per month with peak months at 1,000 completions. This reduced cost 40% per course completed.

Mortgage industry was sending jobs offshore to lower costs and increase efficiency. Knowledge transfer for specific roles across cultures was risky and costly.

Directed trainers in preparation of training, reviewing cultural knowledge transfer issues with each trainer. Developed delivery schedule that increased discussion time and held web seminars to discuss unique needs and concerns with specific jobs and created train the trainer process to continue deployment of training.

Successfully transferred job functions to offshore site and level II evaluation measured knowledge transfer consistently above 80% minimum threshold with level III evaluation at conclusion of certification process consistently in the mid-to-high 90% range.

Executive leadership set out to purchase company from owner, offshore construction company headquartered in Paris. Business goals of owner were not in line with where team members wanted to take organization. Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) was introduced to achieve investment of $55 million necessary to purchase company. ESOP required employees to voluntarily move minimum of $15 million from secure investments in 401(k) to new company stock. ESOP approach unknown to most team members, and investment risk of new stock was unpredictable.

At request of CEO, assisted executive leadership in communicating with employees regarding purchase process. Task was to provide sufficient information for employees to make informed decision and voluntarily move average of $10,000 per employee into new company stock option rather than 401(k) plan. Developed communication message “Towards an Ownership Culture.” Facilitated program in 44 locations nationwide. Regularly wrote articles for company newsletter and spent significant time answering individual questions by telephone.

Communication effort was successful. Employees voluntarily moved more than $15 million out of 401(k) investment options into HDR stock and company was purchased in less than one year.

Training department historically filled orders from lines of business. Whenever performance issue arose, managers asked trainers which class the employee should attend to improve productivity. Trainers signed employees up for class thought best. Managers expected solutions to come from training department. Few employee performance issues are due to lack of knowledge. As many as nine out of ten are due to some other cause. Dispensing of training classes as only solution was not making consistent difference in employee behavior.

Moved department to performance consulting model. Learning specialists learned how to apply performance diagnosis tool. Each inquiring manager was asked a series of questions to determine precise nature of performance discrepancy. Based on input from managers, appropriate solution was selected and implemented, usually involving change in management practices more often than training solution. Results carefully monitored for evidence of appropriate behavior change. Made adjustments together as necessary.

Employee behavior changed, performance discrepancies disappeared, and productivity increased with fewer errors and rework. Managers began to seek assistance from learning specialists much earlier in identifying and resolving employee performance issues.

Supervisor insisted computer assisted design drafting (CADD) operator be sent to weeklong, out-of-town training program with estimated cost of $3,000, not including lost productivity. Cost of training including travel, per diem, and tuition not included in annual training budget or CADD department budget. According to supervisor, CADD operator was producing 75% average output compared with peers. Supervisor assumed problem was knowledge issue. Suspected supervisor’s recent promotion and lack of experience may not have found root of problem.

Utilized job task assessment and conversation with CADD operator to analyze cause of performance discrepancy. Operator was spending 15 minutes of every hour adjusting workstation equipment that was not holding calibration and significantly reducing productivity.

New equipment was ordered at 10% cost of recommended training. Operator productivity immediately matched or exceeded that of peers. Task assessment and conversation improved productivity and reduced need for loss of productivity due to unnecessary training.

Senior leaders directed training content, simply listing employee outcomes rather than clearly articulating learning objectives and imparting knowledge during training. Leaders believed listing outcomes would impact how employees worked. Appropriate behavior was not consistently observed at line level because employees were not leaning how to meet outcomes from senior leaders. Knowing about (input-focused learning) does not result in learning to do (output-focused learning) and on-the-job behavior seldom changes.

Directed Learning and Organizational Development department staff to partner with senior leaders using performance improvement model. Identified behaviors employees were not demonstrating and designed output-focused learning opportunities to attain these objectives. Created continuous learning environment that enhanced employee and organizational performance to achieve desired business results.

Senior leaders began to see employees meeting expectations. More senior leaders began requesting partnering opportunities with learning specialists to work on execution of performance improvement training model.

No plan in place to manage succession risks across organization. Position as VP of Learning & Organizational Development had been vacant for some time before being hired. Lack of leadership in mission-critical role had caused department to become fragmented and lose focus as well as respect in organization. No clear successor existed should position become vacant again.

Identified subordinate within first three to six months of tenure as capable of succession, thereby managing future vacancy risk. In order to leverage subordinate as strategic talent, three risks had to be managed: vacancy risk (such as occurred prior to employment), promotional readiness risk by accelerating subordinate’s development, and transition risk by coaching to avoid common problems. Worked closely to accelerate subordinate’s development over next several years while making it clear that at some unspecified point in future, it would be recommended that subordinate become leader of department.

Asked by executive management to take on role of senior organizational development consultant. This involved relinquishing leadership of department to be unencumbered by day-to-day managerial responsibilities to meet unique need for executive coaching within organization. By recommendation, subordinate was promoted to lead department. Continued to mentor subordinate throughout next year to help avoid any potential transition issues. Situation provided positive example to organization in management of succession risks.

Product offerings changed faster than training department’s ability to convey changes to team members. New products available for weeks before sales team members could inform customers. Without new product knowledge, sales force was unable to communicate new products to existing customers. In order to grow number of product relationships per household at rates necessary to achieve company performance goals, product availability information was essential. Traditional paper-based training manual could not be updated in timely, cost-effective manner.

Directed learning architect to abandon printed product knowledge training manual and to create online independent study module available to all sales force team members at workstations. Design needed to clearly highlight recent new products for quick visibility of changes. This included interactivity to allow sales force practice communicating features and benefits of new products using mini objections clinic. Online independent study deployed over new intranet site to encourage use and lay foundation for future, timely training delivery. Forcing intranet as automatic homepage for all team members in workstation configuration encouraged rapid growth in use of new intranet platform and culture shift to electronic communication.

Changes in product availability were communicated to sales force in “real time.” Online independent study could be updated in matter of hours rather than weeks. No incremental cost using new intranet platform, and overall training costs reduced avoiding printing and shipping of paper manuals to 1,500 customer service representatives in 200 locations across seven states. Project set cultural expectation to learn new content at individual workstations in real time. Organizational shift to online paperless culture had begun.

Individuals not communicating or working together cohesively to accomplish group goals. Technical employees highly value technical skills and often see interpersonal differences as wrong, not just different. This was negatively impacting overall productivity.

Profiled 1,000+ employees nationwide using Social Styles Inventory. Conducted four-hour workshop to bring understanding to diversity beyond legal definition of race, gender, age, and orientation. Team members learned that major difference between people is not what they get done but how they get it done. Team members practiced flexing own behavior in direction of needs of other team members to improve interpersonal communication and relationships.

New language emerged in organization. Interpersonal differences were acknowledged, celebrated, and valued. Team members were flexible in how work got done. Productivity and employee engagement increased.

Automation of loan application, processing, underwriting, and funding was critical to efficient response to client expectations. Migration from old system platforms to efficient platforms required time and resources beyond those available.

Developed delivery mechanism whereby trainers provided guidance to key subject matter experts across wholesale, retail, and conduit business channels. Business partners provided learning opportunities for remainder of teams.

Major system change was accomplished within days for nearly 2,000 employees in four locations throughout the U.S. Performance levels following system migration remained high with little lost productivity.