As part of an initiative to create broad cultural change, a Fortune 100 company with over 70,000 leaders wanted a learning solution that would help create a real culture change.
They were also seeking to accomplish this effort during a global pandemic where the delivery of training changed from in-person classes to virtual training almost overnight.
That is the challenge a client of ELI faced as its new leadership team worked to transform the way it does business in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
How did the ELI team deliver a first wave of training to almost 20,000 leaders, virtually, in the middle of a pandemic and earn the highest satisfaction rates the company had ever seen? Here’s the story…
Making the Selection
After partnering with the client for just-in-time training based on ELI’s flagship Civil Treatment for Leaders® program, the client asked ELI to serve as a foundational partner for a broad-based cultural transformation.
The initiative was to equip managers and leaders within the Fortune 100 organization to proactively build a positive environment minimizing the risks of lawsuits and settlements, as well as other unprofessional interactions that damage employee morale, productivity and results.
Once the decision was made to implement the program, a plan was put into place: 70,000 leaders from all over the country would be trained in under six months using traditional live person classroom deliveries. ELI adapted its content, learning models and methodology to meet the specific needs and issues of the organization — collaboratively and cost-effectively.
ELI provided trainers, training material, and a schedule to ensure that each leader had the opportunity to learn, regardless of role, location or shift. It was an ambitious goal and ELI’s training team was prepared to deliver.
Then the world shut down.
A Logistical Challenge
As the training rollout was due to start, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the entire plan. Shelter-in-place orders and workplaces being shuttered meant that bringing people together for in-person sessions was no longer feasible.
ELI was now faced with completing a national training program for team members, some of whom couldn’t even leave their homes.
For some groups, this would have been the point to call it quits. With a slate of unexpected challenges, wouldn’t it make sense to wait until the pandemic was over and everyone could attend the training as planned?
For this motivated, committed client and ELI, that wasn’t good enough.
Leadership at the organization recognized the importance of creating a workplace that celebrated civility and professionalism, and they were determined to make it happen.
So, as COVID-19 began to impact the United States, ELI’s client and the ELI team quickly pivoted to make a new plan.
Taking Virtual Learning and VILT to the Next Level
To deliver the training in a safe and efficient format, ELI turned to its virtual instructor-led training (VILT) platform. After years of experience and successful delivery to other clients, ELI had learned how to use VILT to combine the best elements of in-person training with this new technology. This allowed ELI’s team to deliver a virtual learning experience ready to meet the client’s demanding training schedule and provide a meaningful learning experience adapted to the client’s needs and workplace environment.
Particularly with the explosion of video calls and digital conferences, ELI’s team knew that many employees would not be looking forward to spending their time passively staring at their screens and that the content and the actual on-screen experience had to be engaging and relevant. And, in this environment, too many would dismiss the learning content if it seemed like once-and-done, check-the-box compliance training.
To maximize the quality and impact of the training experience ELI equipped each session with an instructor and producer, and certified and trained the client’s internal facilitators.
Then the training began, bringing together team members who had never met, much less worked together before.
And the results speak for themselves.
Stunning Results for Virtual Learning
By December of 2020, the project’s first phase was complete, and two-thirds of the leaders had completed the virtually delivered, custom learning experience.
After investing in such a significant effort, the client wanted to know what the leaders thought about the virtual learning, whether the new skills were being applied and if there were signs that the initiative was having the desired impact. ELI conducted a survey to gauge the efficacy of its virtual training program to see what they thought. The results were stunning.
Over 99% of those who responded in post-session surveys said they gained knowledge and skills essential to their role at the company. Respondents almost unanimously said that they were engaged by the training and would use it in their jobs. Words like “amazing,” “extremely interactive,” and “outstanding presentation and content” were used by the participants to describe their ELI training experience.
How did this collaboration between a Fortune 100 company and ELI achieve such a dramatic result?
Achieving results of this caliber required a unique combination of factors that include:
- A full understanding of the needs of the business
- Award-winning learning content customized to meet the client’s needs and environment
- A dynamic, tested virtual learning platform
- Delivery by an expert team of facilitators and producers
- Solid logistical and project management support
Due to the success of the program, the client began the new year knowing that their team was equipped, engaged, and committed to creating the cultural change that originally sparked the initiative.
