The Business Partnership Award is for learning departments that have partnered in a progressive way with business partners or external organizational divisions and functions such as the sales and marketing department or external customer groups to develop and deliver a targeted employee development program that supports the partner’s goals.
by Kerry Snider
March 18, 2020
The Business Partnership Award is for learning departments that have partnered in a progressive way with business partners or external organizational divisions and functions such as the sales and marketing department or external customer groups to develop and deliver a targeted employee development program that supports the partner’s goals.
DIVISION 1: For companies with 10,000 employees or more
GOLD
WarnerMedia
Transitioning from a regional service delivery model to a global business services model is not one-size-fits-all. That’s why WarnerMedia’s Account Business Services partnered with their People Development team to implement the six-pronged One World, One Team strategy.
With interconnected sub-projects spanning 12 countries, One World, One Team aimed to expand onboarding new business, while building on their learning program. Three-hundred-seventy-five employees in four global regions participated in the new-hire orientation, manager and mentor development and leadership programs.
While the final goal for One World, One Team is a cohesive strategy aligning core values across departments, assessment of individual sections was key for overall achievement. By looking into the strengths and weaknesses of each team, be it energy management or change agility, starting each program from scratch was found to be unnecessary. Addressing individual teams with their own workshops also proved to be an efficient way to solve problems with collaboration.
One World, One Team worked so well for Account Business Services and People Development that Finance and Accounting has decided to adopt the strategy as a model for future onboarding.
SILVER
Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of Training and Development
Amid the opioid epidemic, there’s greater pressure on U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to detect and seize illegal drugs. Previously, there was no process for detecting fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, for both officers and canines. Fentanyl was a particularly difficult substance to train officers and canines to detect because there was no safe placebo and nationwide law enforcement agencies were still looking for safe ways to handle the substance.
To help combat the nationwide crisis, the Office of Training and Development produced a fentanyl-training program for CBP, U.S. law enforcement agencies and international partners through resident-based canine training and an award-winning safety video. This new training program has resulted in 1,214 pounds of fentanyl seized with a street value of $204 million.
BRONZE
AT&T
With continuous learning and reskilling a top priority, AT&T launched its Future Ready initiative back in 2008. During one of their most transformative evolutions yet, moving from cables and hardware to the cloud, AT&T needs a workforce equipped for the next age of technology. They are currently working to virtualize 75 percent of their network by 2020.
AT&T employees have access to AT&T University, which delivers its flagship training program, and the company invests $200 million a year in internal training programs providing about 16 million hours of training a year. They’ve also worked with external partners to create additional opportunities leading to degrees or certifications in specialized fields. AT&T also implemented an online tool where learners can track their progress and plan their own reskilling called the Personal Learning Experience, which had 7 million logins in 2018.
DIVISION 2: For companies with less than 10,000 employees
GOLD
Herman Miller
Sales readiness and sales leadership teamed up to implement Conversational Coaching for Sales Leaders, a strategy designed to teach leaders to demonstrate problem-solving to their team members rather than solve the problems for them.
When the teams met to discuss the best way to implement learning initiatives, coaching became their key to success. Aligning themselves with human resources, they found an excess amount of time was being used by sales leaders to effectively develop and lead their teams. They also found the majority of sales leaders were more focused on solving present problems, without thinking about future horizons or improvements.
The Conversation Coaching for Sales Leaders consists of a three day, in-person workshop, followed by ongoing opportunities for practice online with the company’s learning community. Instead of forced attendance for the workshop, participants of previous workshops were encouraged to promote to their peers, resulting in 100 percent of sales leaders completing the course.
One of Herman Miller’s area vice presidents attributes 75 percent of their revenue growth to the Conversational Coaching for Sales Leaders initiative, seeing a gain of $66 million in revenue after the workshop’s implementation.
SILVER
Sidley Austin LLP
Reaching far and wide for input and collaboration, Sidley Austin created the Sidley Trial Academy for further courtroom training and teambuilding for their lawyers. Researchers asked litigation experts across the country which skills were the most beneficial in the courtroom to implement in the workshop.
The Sidley Trial Academy ultimately became a three-day, in-person workshop where seasoned lawyers serve as coaches for newer team members. Participants received masterclass sessions, leading up to a two-day mock trial to test out skills taught in the sessions. All but one of the Sidley Austin Trial Academy participants met up later at the firm’s annual partner meeting to compare their experience in the courtroom after their training.
BRONZE
Procore Technologies
To bridge the knowledge gap for new general contractors, Procore created ConEd, a construction education program that teaches learners how construction works and how their company helps.
ConEd started initially as a 14-hour course for account management and support teams so they would have a basis of understanding in construction to better serve clients. The workshop was picked up by a number of departments, from engineering to sales. To better accommodate the amount of people with different baseline understandings, ConEd became a 40-hour orientation followed by a 14-hour construction bootcamp.
