Talent Management - December 2008 - (Page 34)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & beneﬁts performance management learning & development succession planning [learning & development] by Ed Cohen Learning Management Systems Mitigate Risk Certain industries require that employees in potentially dangerous work environments comply with federal or other types of regulations. Tracking this type of data can be problematic, and talent managers not using the best methods may subject their organizations to stiff ﬁnes and expose employees to harm. A s regulations across industries continue to grow in number, scope and complexity, an organizations’ ability to comply with all of its industry’s governing rules can mean the difference between business as usual and business disaster. The aviation industry learned this lesson the hard way. AA, for example. To comply with the FAA’s directive, all it needed to do was ensure mechanics servicing the company’s MD-80 aircraft looked into the wheel wells of each plane to determine whether the wires were secured to the designated sleeve at all of the correct points — a process that can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Then, each mechanic’s work would have needed to be double-checked, approved and documented by an inhouse inspector before the plane could be placed back on the ﬂight line. These two tasks were neither completed nor documented. In the absence of a veriﬁable paper trail, FAA regulators had no choice but to shut down a large portion of the air carrier’s route network pending validation of compliance with FAA directives. What Went Wrong? Technology — or lack thereof — is a likely culprit. In AA’s case, implementation of a centralized learning management system (LMS) featuring comprehensive compliance functionality might have made all the difference. Such a system would have enabled the airline’s training department to manage learning needs tied to FAA regulations and automatically cascade targeted training to each line worker impacted by the change. As training took place and aircraft were inspected in accordance with the new guidelines, AA could have used the system to track the process from start to ﬁnish. This would have captured information such as who was trained and which aircraft had been inspected. Companies’ use of LMSs for such purposes is not a new practice, but the LMS’ ability to manage compliance needs is becoming increasingly reﬁned. Many vendors in the LMS space recently have introduced new capabilities that make it easier than ever to effectively manage Southwest Airlines (SWA) was charged with violations for continuing to ﬂy while failing to comply with the FAA’s directive to check on fatigue cracking in its ﬂeet of 737s. The problems uncovered at SWA put the FAA on high alert and prompted the agency to initiate a sweeping review of all U.S. airlines — including more than 100 air carriers — to ensure each was operating in strict compliance with the agency’s airworthiness directives. American Airlines (AA) didn’t escape the FAA’s dragnet either. In 2006, the FAA asked all air carriers ﬂying MD-80 passenger planes to conduct self-inspections to ensure wiring in each of their ﬂeet’s MD-80 aircraft wheel wells was properly protected from chaﬁng, which could result in a short or spark and ignite a ﬁre. During the week of April 8, AA was forced to cancel more than 3,000 ﬂights and contend with disgruntled customers as it ferried mechanics across the country to perform safety checks on all affected aircraft. The Cost of Noncompliance Hundreds of thousands of customers were impacted by the FAA’s newly rigorous inspection process. Bad press followed, and millions of dollars in revenue were lost when companies in the struggling air transportation sector could ill afford another hit to their bottom lines. December 2008 However, the debacle that plagued airlines during this time period might have been avoided altogether. Take 34 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - December 2008

Talent Management - December 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Foundations Recruitment & Retention Assessment & Evaluation Compensation & Benefits Performance Management Learning & Development Succession Planning Insight Dashboard Application Advertiser's Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - December 2008

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