Elearning - Winter 2005 - (Page 42)

casestudye-performance markets for Internet, data and wireless communications. However, this change in business focus would also require team members to develop new skills and knowledge. The company also recognized the need for a cultural change that would promote a more entrepreneurial, market-oriented spirit. THE SOLUTION: FOCUS ON VALUES AND STRATEGIC COMPETENCIES TELUS took a comprehensive approach to change that involved all team members from the CEO down. Working with e-learning vendor Skillsoft, the company developed an “ePerformance Model,” a fourstage management framework based around four key company values (see sidebar). Within the e-Performance paradigm, training programs were focused on competencies that were classified as either “strategic” or “mission critical.” Strategic competencies were those that would allow the company to flourish in new markets. “Mission critical” competencies were related to operational and service excellence aspects in day-to-day operations. By limiting their learning activities to those that met these criteria, the company found that it could produce a higher level of results, with more impact on the business. “This is a much more focused way to develop learning programs than what we once had,” said Duane DeJager, Manager of e-Learning in the Enterprise Learning group. “It used to be that we would run classes and people would sign up. Now we only run courses where there is a specific need within a specific timeframe.” The skills are mapped to job roles and the values competencies are derived from the TELUS four core values. When a development opportunity is discovered, the employee is entered into a Training Path — a blended learning program built around a specific role that may involve activities such as classroom training, e-learning courses or job shadowing. At the same time, the company looked for ways to refine existing processes to allow for cost-savings. These savings were then reinvested into areas that would drive growth. This had a dramatic effect on the training department, which at that time was TELUS Core Values Four core values guide TELUS team members. “We want our values to be more than just something that is posted on the wall,” says Duane DeJager. “When we say ‘embrace change,’ we help managers and team members understand what that really means in terms of day-to-day behavior and how their compensation is linked directly to those behaviors” The four core values are: • Embrace change and initiate opportunity • Passion for growth • Spirited teamwork • Courage to innovate SkillSoft business skills courses and other learning resources are aligned with the values. When an employee has development opportunities associated with the value of “embracing change,” for instance, he or she is able to take a course that teaches specific skills for tolerating ambiguity, remaining flexible and leading the change process. Currently, there are seventy-five SkillSoft courses mapped to competencies. Team members also have access to the complete Desktop Collection and 5,000 technical team members have access to the IT Professional Collection. TELUS uses SkillPort to host and deliver all of the SkillSoft courses and they use an internally-developed learning management system. based primarily around instructor-led training. Today, while ILT still accounts for a significant portion of the learning programs, an even greater portion of the offering is Web-based. THE RESULTS: 250,000 COURSES AND COUNTING TELUS measures their program in a number of ways, with TELUS E-Performance Solutions Challenge Solution Key Benefits >>Help team members to develop new skills and knowledge >>Expedite cultural change to promote a more entrepreneurial, market-oriented spirit >>Expand nationally and into the growing markets for Internet, data and wireless communications. >>TELUS took a comprehensive approach to change that involved all team members from the CEO down. >>Management model was developed based around four key company values >>“Strategic” or “mission critical” competencies defined for all job roles >>Extensive catalog of training, including SkillSoft courseware, was made available to meet individual employee needs. >>TELUS team members have completed over 250,000 >>E-learning courses >>Internal support for the program has grown as it has been recognized as one of the key factors enabling consistent growth and bottom-line results. course completion as a starting point. In three years they have had over 250,000 online courses completed. Because there are certain courses, such as ethics training, that are required for all team members, they expect a minimum of 50,000 course completions per year. TELUS also collects student evaluations of courses. All courses, including vendor-provided and internally developed, are achieving positive satisfaction ratings from 75-80 percent of the team members. In 2003 and 2004, TELUS won an ASTD Best Award, ranking seventh and sixth respectively out of the top 25 companies recognized for training worldwide. They were the only Canadian company recognized. Internally, support for the program has never been stronger, from the CEO down. Today the company commits 2 percent of payroll to learning. For more information visit www.skillsoft.com. 42 Winter 2005 Elearning! http://www.skillsoft.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - Winter 2005

Elearning - Winter 2005 Contents Editor’s Note News & Analysis Witness Buys Blue Pumpkin Deals in the Making People on the Move Trendline Executives Rate Importance of Training Requirements for Support Put Pressure on Tech Companies Hiring Trends: Small Companies, Big Plans Measuring the Return on Your E-earning Investments Building Interactivity into E-learning Partnering with Colleges and Universities for E-learning Content Strategy VoIP Voice Over IP Case Study: LMS Content Development & Collaboration Tools Case Study: ePerformance Last Word

Elearning - Winter 2005

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