Jenny Stoppard was excited about her new position as vice president of human resources at Flotation Ltd., a manufacturer
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 1:01 pm
Jenny Stoppard was excited about her new position as vice
president of human resources at Flotation Ltd., a manufacturer of
life jackets and other flotation devices. However, she knew she had
her work cut out for her.
The president of the company had clearly stated that one of her
first tasks was to take a close look at the training function.
Although Flotation Ltd. had a reputation as a company with a
well-trained workforce, the president now wanted to see some hard
evidence to back up the company’s training investment. The
president wanted to increase productivity per person by 50 percent
over the next three years, and Jenny was expected to spearhead the
effort.
Sam was the company’s veteran trainer and was liked by everybody
in the organization. For 25 years he had been training employees at
Flotation Ltd. He was only two years away from retirement and was
not likely to respond favourably to Jenny and her new mandate.
The president introduced Jenny to Sam as his new boss and the
key player in the drive to increase the company’s competitiveness.
He also asked Sam to do everything in his power to cooperate with
her.
Jenny had to revamp the training function and she had to deal
with Sam, who was pretty much set in his ways. How was she going to
achieve the president’s goals and at the same time get Sam on
board?
After thinking about her situation for several days, Jenny came
across an article on e-learning and how it has saved some companies
millions of dollars a year in training costs. Suddenly, she had an
idea.
“Why not convert some of Sam’s training courses to e-learning
programs on the company’s website?” she thought to herself. “This
would certainly be a whole new approach and I could save the
company money and get Sam involved, since he would be responsible
for preparing his course material for the program. Surely Sam would
be excited to know that his training courses would continue even
after he has retired.”
Both the president and Sam were very excited about the potential
of e-learning at Flotation Ltd. Jenny was given the go-ahead to
begin designing the first course. Jenny and Sam decided that the
first course would be Sam’s sales training program, which was one
of his best. It would be especially useful for the company’s sales
staff who would be able to take the program while they were on the
road selling.
The first thing Jenny did was arrange for Sam to be videotaped
delivering the course. Then she had Sam prepare some text material
and additional information about some of the key learning points.
With the help of the IT people, the video and text were placed on
the company’s website. The program was designed so that employees
could watch the video of Sam, and at certain points during the
video they could click on an icon for more information. The video
would then stop, and the additional information would appear on the
screen. After reading the material they could return to the
video.
When the program was set up and ready to go, the sales staff
received a memo telling them about the company’s first e-learning
program and how to access it on the company’s website. The memo was
titled “Learn how to improve your sales skills on the road” and
“Attend Sam’s best training program anytime and anywhere.”
Everybody was very excited about this new approach to training, and
Sam was thrilled to know that he was the main attraction.
However, although the program was launched with much fanfare,
the results were less than glowing. In fact, after the first six
months very few of the sales staff had taken the course. Many said
that they did not have time to take it. Of those who did, fewer
than half actually completed it.
When asked about the program, some of the sales staff said that
it was not very interesting. Some said they would rather attend a
live version of the course in the classroom, and others said they
didn’t see the advantage of taking an e-learning course. Some
thought it was just a big waste of the company’s time and
money.
The president asked to see Jenny to find out how things were
going and if they were on track for achieving the company’s
productivity goals. Jenny did not know what she would tell him. Sam
tried to console her by telling her that it had only been six
months and the sales staff just needed a little more time to get
used to e-learning. Jenny wasn’t so sure. She began to wonder if
the e-learning strategy was really a good idea or just a big
mistake.
Identification of the case issues Proactive response Hypothesis Further considerations Identification of legislative issues HR impact Risk identification Issue resolution Action Using the above thought cycle as a guide, we are able to consistently analyze the case study Stage Analysis Identification of The pre-existing training materials were transferred into an e-learning the case issues: format. The content for the e-learning program was not modified from previous materials. The e-learning material was accessible to all employees and was promoted with enthusiasm. Employee feedback confirmed that the information was not interesting and no different from attending a live session. Very few staff completed the e-learning program, leaving the perception that time and money was wasted on this initiative. Hypothesis: E-learning content should be modified to adapt within an e-learning context. Identification of In this case there is limited legislated impact if mandatory training legislative issues: requirements are best supported through e-learning. There are possible privacy concerns linked to employee access and personal data collection Risk identification: Some employees may be resistant to any type of e-learning technologies. Sam may not want to change course content as these are "his" programs. If training material content and context does not change, employees will not engage in any e-learning strategies. Action: Use the services of experienced e-learning experts to develop the course content and the appropriate e-learning methodology to provide effective employee engagement. Pilot and test new e-learning models with a small group of employees prior to full implementation. Monitor effectiveness of e-learning training through data analysis and employee engagement surveys, which can be collected through an e-learning platform. Issue resolution: Increased employee engagement with e-learning sessions that have a positive impact on performance and organizational objectives. HR impact: In this case, the VP of HR will have to re-engage with employees to restore credibility and support for not only the training programs, but also the role of HR as well. Further Training content needs to be updated on a regular basis in order to considerations: remain current and relevant. Proactive The VP of HR to implement ongoing employee engagement feedback response: and surveys to assess the need for additional training requirements. Develop and design training programs on a go-forward basis using the ISD model. Adapt training sessions based on both content and modes of delivery.
What are the indicators that Jenny and Sam designed which suggest the training program was not a Question 12: (1 Point) success? Satisfaction scores E-learning interaction metrics High engagement factors and completion rates Low participation and completion rates Low assessment scores ОО If you were Jenny, what would you tell the president and what would you do about e-learning at Question 13: (1 Point) Put plans for e-learning on hold for a bit. Need for detailed evaluation of the training program as well as the messaging around it. Find an outside company to manage e-learning. Invest in better computers None of the above What could be the main reason for the negative reaction to the e-learning program? Question 14: (1 Point) Employees liked the classroom-based training they were accustomed to and were content. A lack of technological fluency. An inability to truly connect with the audience. Employees were always hesitant with training since they saw it as a waste of time. None of the above. Question 15: (7 points) Consider the use of social media and Web 2.0 technologies for the sales training program. What Web 2.0 technologies would you recom and how should they be used part of th raining program? Would social media and Web 2.0 technologies be effective for employee learning? Explain your answer.
president of human resources at Flotation Ltd., a manufacturer of
life jackets and other flotation devices. However, she knew she had
her work cut out for her.
The president of the company had clearly stated that one of her
first tasks was to take a close look at the training function.
Although Flotation Ltd. had a reputation as a company with a
well-trained workforce, the president now wanted to see some hard
evidence to back up the company’s training investment. The
president wanted to increase productivity per person by 50 percent
over the next three years, and Jenny was expected to spearhead the
effort.
Sam was the company’s veteran trainer and was liked by everybody
in the organization. For 25 years he had been training employees at
Flotation Ltd. He was only two years away from retirement and was
not likely to respond favourably to Jenny and her new mandate.
The president introduced Jenny to Sam as his new boss and the
key player in the drive to increase the company’s competitiveness.
He also asked Sam to do everything in his power to cooperate with
her.
Jenny had to revamp the training function and she had to deal
with Sam, who was pretty much set in his ways. How was she going to
achieve the president’s goals and at the same time get Sam on
board?
After thinking about her situation for several days, Jenny came
across an article on e-learning and how it has saved some companies
millions of dollars a year in training costs. Suddenly, she had an
idea.
“Why not convert some of Sam’s training courses to e-learning
programs on the company’s website?” she thought to herself. “This
would certainly be a whole new approach and I could save the
company money and get Sam involved, since he would be responsible
for preparing his course material for the program. Surely Sam would
be excited to know that his training courses would continue even
after he has retired.”
Both the president and Sam were very excited about the potential
of e-learning at Flotation Ltd. Jenny was given the go-ahead to
begin designing the first course. Jenny and Sam decided that the
first course would be Sam’s sales training program, which was one
of his best. It would be especially useful for the company’s sales
staff who would be able to take the program while they were on the
road selling.
The first thing Jenny did was arrange for Sam to be videotaped
delivering the course. Then she had Sam prepare some text material
and additional information about some of the key learning points.
With the help of the IT people, the video and text were placed on
the company’s website. The program was designed so that employees
could watch the video of Sam, and at certain points during the
video they could click on an icon for more information. The video
would then stop, and the additional information would appear on the
screen. After reading the material they could return to the
video.
When the program was set up and ready to go, the sales staff
received a memo telling them about the company’s first e-learning
program and how to access it on the company’s website. The memo was
titled “Learn how to improve your sales skills on the road” and
“Attend Sam’s best training program anytime and anywhere.”
Everybody was very excited about this new approach to training, and
Sam was thrilled to know that he was the main attraction.
However, although the program was launched with much fanfare,
the results were less than glowing. In fact, after the first six
months very few of the sales staff had taken the course. Many said
that they did not have time to take it. Of those who did, fewer
than half actually completed it.
When asked about the program, some of the sales staff said that
it was not very interesting. Some said they would rather attend a
live version of the course in the classroom, and others said they
didn’t see the advantage of taking an e-learning course. Some
thought it was just a big waste of the company’s time and
money.
The president asked to see Jenny to find out how things were
going and if they were on track for achieving the company’s
productivity goals. Jenny did not know what she would tell him. Sam
tried to console her by telling her that it had only been six
months and the sales staff just needed a little more time to get
used to e-learning. Jenny wasn’t so sure. She began to wonder if
the e-learning strategy was really a good idea or just a big
mistake.
- Jenny Stoppard Was Excited About Her New Position As Vice President Of Human Resources At Flotation Ltd A Manufacturer 1 (158.53 KiB) Viewed 65 times
- Jenny Stoppard Was Excited About Her New Position As Vice President Of Human Resources At Flotation Ltd A Manufacturer 2 (79.27 KiB) Viewed 65 times
What are the indicators that Jenny and Sam designed which suggest the training program was not a Question 12: (1 Point) success? Satisfaction scores E-learning interaction metrics High engagement factors and completion rates Low participation and completion rates Low assessment scores ОО If you were Jenny, what would you tell the president and what would you do about e-learning at Question 13: (1 Point) Put plans for e-learning on hold for a bit. Need for detailed evaluation of the training program as well as the messaging around it. Find an outside company to manage e-learning. Invest in better computers None of the above What could be the main reason for the negative reaction to the e-learning program? Question 14: (1 Point) Employees liked the classroom-based training they were accustomed to and were content. A lack of technological fluency. An inability to truly connect with the audience. Employees were always hesitant with training since they saw it as a waste of time. None of the above. Question 15: (7 points) Consider the use of social media and Web 2.0 technologies for the sales training program. What Web 2.0 technologies would you recom and how should they be used part of th raining program? Would social media and Web 2.0 technologies be effective for employee learning? Explain your answer.