Chief Learning Officer - June 2008 - (Page 54) CASE STUDY Thinking Globally, Learning Locally at Mercer BY DREW DARNBROUGH Global consulting firm Mercer has turned to a learning platform to better manage workforce performance, deliver employee development programs and capture knowledge worldwide. W hen asked what their most important asset is, most companies will respond that it’s their people. And accordingly, these companies invest hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars into learning, performance management and talent management programs to nurture and develop the employee expertise that ultimately leads to competitive advantage. When a company specializes in consulting, among other things, the pressure is on to use the same tactics, programs and initiatives internally that it advocates to its customers. That’s exactly the challenge that Mercer, a leading global provider of consulting, outsourcing and investment services, encounters on a daily basis. With more than 17,000 employees in multiple lines of business located in 40 countries around the world, Mercer’s global talent management organization is responsible for promoting consistency through a single way of doing things and supporting behavioral competencies across their core disciplines and across the world. In 2000, Mercer implemented Mzinga’s KnowledgePlanet global learning management platform. That enabled the company to launch Partnering for Success (PfS), Mercer’s worldwide performance and development program. PfS provides one way to help Mercer employees around the world set goals, receive feedback, AT-A-GLANCE With more than 17,000 employees in multiple lines of business located in 40 countries around the world, Mercer’s global talent management organization is responsible for promoting consistency through a single way of doing things and supporting behavioral competencies across their core disciplines. plan their careers, identify learning and development opportunities and achieve appropriate rewards. “We had a global learning group for a number of years, along with a global approach to performance management, but having it and having people use it are two different things,” said Deborah Wheelock, leader of Mercer’s Global Talent Management Center of Expertise (COE). “Having a global learning and performance infrastructure in place has enabled us to reach a wider audience with consistent learning, messaging and processes. We became truly global with the advent of PfS online, and we now have an enterprise-wide process and approach to performance management that enables us to report across all global businesses.” As a company that is dispersed both geographically and functionally, Mercer needed a learning platform 54 Chief Learning Officer • June 2008 • www.clomedia.com http://www.clomedia.com
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