CASE STUDY:
Targeting the Middle Level at P&G
The Early Results
The first pilot was delivered September 2003 to a class of 54 participants with some 35 trainers coming in and out during the week. The R&D VPs nominated the participants, keeping in mind the request for a wide diversity of participants to represent the normal demographics of the R&D organization. Highly rated Band 3’s (ready for promotion) were nearly excluded because they represented a small part of the organization. The demographics of this class was fairly close to that of the R&D population , and represented 15 technical centers from six countries.
The pilot was successful in that it was fully attended, and provided much learning for the Directors, VPs and SMEs on how training is different from presenting. However, participants rated this first session 3.8 overall, a rating that did not meet the task force’s goal of a 4.0 or better (5-point scale, Kirkpatrick (1998) Level 1 Evaluation).
Feedback clearly showed that the program was too full of content and lectures, with insufficient breaks for the class as trainers attempted to squeeze in more content. Further, the RDU administrator was not adequately prepared to handle the program smoothly, starting with glitches like a 45-minute waiting line for Sunday night registration.
Yet, many participants said the pilot College was one of the best training experiences they had ever had. The task force knew they were on the right path. Open-ended questions revealed that the pilot participants truly valued the learning, the relationships developed with senior leaders in this small group setting, and the opportunity to expand their network of colleagues.