eLearning - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 27) Learning Leaders 2008 BERSIN COMPETITION BECOMES A TRUE GLOBAL EVENT THIS YEAR. BY DIANE SIROKY The 2008 Learning Leaders hail from far and wide — including Denmark and Australia — and represent a wide range of innovative solutions to training and business challenges. The 26 winners of this annual program from Elearning! magazine and Bersin & Associates include 16 organizations from across the telecommunications, technology, military, manufacturing, consulting and retail segments and 10 providers of training and development solutions and services. “Once again, we were amazed at the creativity and business focus of the Learning Leaders winners,” says Josh Bersin, president of Bersin & Associates. “Despite the worsening economic climate over the past year, these organizations understand the need to continuously invest in the development and readiness of their people. These innovative and high impact programs demonstrate the results of this investment.” Read on for highlights about each winner and observations from the Bersin & Associates team of judges. Throughout 2009, Elearning! will bring you stories and Summit events featuring winning programs, technologies and initiatives. Also, for a collection of proven best practices compiled from the winning applications, download the Bersin & Associates report, “Learning Leaders 2008,” at the Website www.bersin.com/llreport2008. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Operational programs make up the foundation of all corporate learning. “This year’s applicants offered outstanding examples of success, focused on building deep levels of expertise in sales, customer service, manufacturing, accounting, and other important disciplines,” notes Bersin. “In today’s highly networked businesses, nearly all these programs are built on blended strategies and use competency-based learning, coaching, and mentoring to drive high levels of impact.” Beers+Cutler: This accounting and consulting firm serving the Washington, D.C. region assigns college interns to team leaders and immerses them in client work. By building on intern competencies and expanding learning opportunities, the company provides a much higher quality internship experience. The onboarding program has provided the firm with a better means to assess and develop interns and ultimately make better selection decisions. ROI has been high, including more efficient production, improvements in client service, and additional revenues generated by several intern projects. Boeing: One of Boeing’s most strategic capabilities is its ability to implement a total systems engineering approach to its development, manufacturing, and customer service. The company’s comprehensive Systems Engineering Leadership Program (SELP), developed as a blended, experiential learning program with support from top level Boeing executives and learning partner Vangent, Inc., has been instrumental in its continued success as a commercial and defense aerospace contractor. CA: Faced with turnover in its sales force typical of the technology industry, CA, the IT management software company, implemented a continuous learning program for time-constrained sales managers. The blended program, designed for managers’ specific needs and preferred learning methods, included on-the-job coaching practice and an online coaching support community. ROI has included Elearning! December 2008/January 2009 27 http://www.bersin.com/llreport2008
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