Success Measures
It was almost a year from the first task force meeting in August of 2002 and the first pilot of the week-long residential program in September 2003 (Owens and Klein, 2007). By March 2006, less than three years after that pilot, the R&D University was fully established across five levels of the organization. Table 4 shows excerpts from R&D University's 2006/2007 Score Card published annually.
The success of the college is well accepted throughout R&D. The program was intended to increase networking with the expectation that networking would lead to greater innovation. In end-of-course feedback evaluations (Table 4), the number one comment from participants is that they highly value the opportunity to meet so many people and network across such a broad range of the company. R&D University staff and deans have dozens of stories of people saying they made breakthroughs in their work due to relationships that formed during the R&D University College experience. Even the trainers value their time at an R&D University College because of the networks established with participants and other trainers.
Table 4: Success Measures
| Excerpts from R&D University's 2006/2007 Score Card published annually | '05/'06 | '06/'07 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Colleges held | 16 | 19 |
| Number of employees trained | 996 | 1370 |
| % of available seats filled | 93% | 83%* |
Participant written feedback at end of College:
|
4.4 4.6 4.4 |
4.4 4.5 4.4 |
| *(drop caused by organizational restructuring) | ||
As for re-tooling the workforce to meet the challenges of the future, when asked if they did anything different when they returned to work as a result of their Colleges, participants said “YES”! Some apply the latest corporate model, others explain that they now understand the expectations from management at a deeper level than before, and feel that they have the tools to meet those expectations. Others say they were re-energized for weeks and even months after the program, and felt re-connected to the larger organization and its goals (see Owens & Klein, 2007).
R&D University has succeeded in renewing the tradition of P&G managers and experts passing on their knowledge and experience to those coming up the ranks. Nearly 75 percent of all trainers are either two levels above the level of the participants or recognized corporate experts in the subjects they teach. One vice president said, of his week as College dean, that his greatest pleasure was establishing a formal long-term mentoring relationship with three participants. Other trainers and deans tell stories of the communication channels that have been opened due to interaction with the participants.
Each College has gradually led to a greater acceptance of the R&D University as an integral part of the R&D organization’s culture. The R&D University program today reaches 1000 R&D people annually, with 300 R&D leader-trainers. There are roughly 17 weeks of programming per year, and the programs garner rave reviews by trainers and participants alike. As an indication of the program’s organizational acceptance and success in meeting business needs, funding and plans are already in place to continue the program through fiscal 2011/2012.