Learn Elliott Group’s “magic” formula for creating a blended training program that develops highly trained managers who deliver super-performing employees.
Introduction
With corporate training budgets on the rise, many organizations are rapidly expanding their management orientation programs. For Elliott Group, this meant moving from classroom-based training to the world of blended learning. If you’re considering a similar move, read this real-life case study to learn from their challenges, solutions, and best practices.
Challenge
Elliott Group needed a faster, easier, and more cost-efficient way to train their global managers. They had an effective four-day classroom leadership and management skills training program in place, but it had four key disadvantages:
- To make it cost-effective, it could only be held a few times a year. Which meant some new managers could go up to six months without critical training support.
- The program was condensed to meet the four-day timeframe. This was not optimal for content retention, and it was especially challenging for managers who spoke English as a second language.
- Some teams experienced hardships because their manager was removed from their job for four days.
- The program was not available to established managers and supervisors who had not previously received this training. That the LMS was built in the cloud, not retrofitted with a website interface.
Solution
After extensive research and planning, Elliott purchased the ExpertusONE LMS platform and relaunched Elliott Turns to You as a blended eLearning, mobile and ILT solution.
Designed to give new managers “the knowledge, confidence and competence to do their job well”, it was based on the flipped classroom pedagogical model where the lecture and homework elements are reversed.
Here’s the breakdown…
- 12 eLearning modules (on desktop or mobile), each with a multimedia presentation of key points, short reading, and a quiz.
- A two-day in-person skills practice workshop where managers review eLearning materials and set goals for behavior change.
Program Design—An Emphasis on Engagement
Elliott chose a blended learning approach for three critical reasons:
- New managers are hired or promoted into their positions on a regular basis. Waiting for the next available traditional session left them without support.
- Making the lecture content available 24/7/365 ensured new managers could review materials at a pace and during times that fit their busy schedules. It also enabled them to repeat it as many times as necessary, which was especially helpful since Elliott’s a global company and has many English as a second language learners.
- Because the ExpertusONE LMS platform has an excellent mobile LMS app, the manager-learners could also take eLearning modules on their phones or tablets—a huge advantage for frequent travelers.
To make the training’s content best resonate with our audience, we broke it into small topic ‘chunks’ making it easier to consume (fit into their busy schedules) and giving them the ability to complete sections at one sitting—so the managers had the feeling of accomplishment and progress. This, paired with our flipped classroom model, empowers learners to make the most of the two-day workshop. With a deeper understanding of the content, they can better discuss and practice what they’ve learned and implement it correctly on-the-job.
BEN BUTINA, ELLIOTT GROUP
Sr. Manager, Global Training & Development
Elliott also heavily emphasized engagement in the program’s design. They started each section with a relevant introduction—showing learners a real-world application of the practice and why it’s needed, then supporting this with engaging stories, instructional bullet points, and as many specifics to their jobs as possible.
Another way they built engagement was by getting buy-in from other teams. They:
- Socialized the program with HR managers, explaining what it was and why it was important, and then the HR team talked it down through their people
- Talked it over with executives so they could get their people invested and set expectations
- Promoted the program in leadership development courses to set the foundation (anticipation) for what was ahead
Program Delivery—Technology with a Personal Touch
Here’s Elliott’s three-step delivery process…
- The Training Manager receives a weekly report from Elliott’s HRIS system with newly-hired or promoted managers
- He enrolls them in the program via the LMS
- After 30 learners have completed their eLearning, he schedules a two-day, on-site skills workshop
As for keeping learners engaged and progressing through the self-directed eLearning phase, the Training Manager or the learners’ managers reach out personally.
Throughout the eLearning stage, the learners’ managers and the Training Manager get LMS-based reports on what classes have been completed, learner progress/timeframe, and the training program as a whole.
Learners can also quickly see their progress and what’s next in the queue whenever they log in to the LMS from their personalized ‘My Learning’ page. Both the reporting and self-tracking help speed program adoption and completion.
Impact
The reception and evaluation of Elliott Turns to You has been largely positive. Here is a sample of the program’s participant feedback.
I thought the course material was good and very relevant. It was probably the best material I have received regarding diversity from a management perspective.
– Safety Manager, USA
The role-playing is good and reinforces what we have learnt during the training. Topics like ‘Effective Job Interviewing’ and ‘Performance Management’ are very important for managers. I feel that most of us may not have given enough priority to these activities. Definitely an eye-opener for me. Thank you!
– Sales Manager, Singapore
The mobile app made it easy for me to take training when I was on the road.
– Manager, USA
Group/team activities after the modules were a very clever idea. I think this involvement reinforced some of the ideas.
– Sales Manager, USA
It was good to set a personal learning commitment so that what is learned can be taken back to the job.
– Project Manager, USA
As I am new to management, I felt like I took something positive away from each course. Based on my experience, I did not see where I would have benefited by changing anything.
– High-Potential (Manager Candidate), USA
We were well coached on how to be a qualified manager. Also, we’ve learned from the course how to handle management tasks in detail.
– Shop Manager, China
Results
Elliott used the Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate the effectiveness of Elliott Turns to You.
For their Level 1 evaluations, they used ExpertusONE’s built-in surveys, which “made it much easier to collect, report on, and analyze feedback. Our learners also favored the speed and convenience of completing the surveys online.”
Some of the Level 1 findings were:
- Learners appreciated both the content and blended format.
- Learners were able to immediately put what they learned into practice, which was Elliott’s #1 program goal and wasn’t always achieved with their previous standalone ILT program.
The Level 2 results were also very encouraging, with most learners’ scores indicating a high level of learning, retention, and application. These evaluations were conducted as end-of-unit quizzes for the eLearning portion and as skills competency assessments during the two-day workshop.
Low Cost, High ROI
Given the low cost of developing and implementing the program, Elliott has experienced a tremendous ROI. Here are some of their preliminary success statistics (the program was launched in September 2016):
- 100% of employees hired or promoted into management roles were enrolled in the program
- The average time from a manager’s hire date to program start was reduced from 3.5 months to 1 week
- 52% of established managers have voluntarily completed one or more courses in the program
A MAGIC FORMULA
Elliott’s larger competitors can afford to spend more on their management orientation training. However, Elliott’s known for their outstanding people and service. So, they believe they’re onto a “magic” formula. Their eLearning/mobile/ILT training mix is the perfect solution for developing highly trained managers who deliver super-performing employees.
Meeting Learning & Business Needs
“The blended learning format has been highly successful and meets both our learning and business needs,” Butina remarked. “It’s ideally suited to a medium-sized company with a global and mobile workforce, because of the minimal budget that’s required and the small impact on pulling learners from their jobs.”
As for lessons learned, he offers this advice:
- Involve the learner’s direct manager. They want to be involved and know what’s going on. They’re also key to learners’ successful training completion.
- Get SME input as early as possible in the program’s design. This will save a lot of time and eliminate costly revisions.
- Communicate with your HR team to improve program success. They can promote the program to employees and gather feedback on its impact.
- Separate your knowledge and skills development training. Knowledge training is best understood in an online, self-paced format. Skills development, on the other hand, is more impactful in person.
