Barry Callebaut AG

A world-class learning & development program

Situation:
The senior leadership of this global food manufacturing company (US$4.0B) wanted to establish first-rate learning & development for executive, management and professional personnel worldwide.

Challenge:
Historically, the company had run one mandatory, generic ‘management development' program that had become low-value for repeat participants, and created a negative atmosphere for corporate training.

Solution:
We worked closely with senior regional and business unit leadership, functional heads and line managers to assess goals and requirements. As a result, we introduced the Marbach Management Development Programs, a 9-program offering attended on a voluntary basis. The programs include a management sequence (high-potential program, 2 levels of management development, and an executive leadership seminar), and functional/skills workshops in project management, marketing, negotiation and communication.

Result:
Registration increased by 40% year over year for the first 3 years, with demonstrated results in employee retention and advancement, and impact on the business. The programs were consistently rated at 4.5 of 5.0 for quality, relevance and value to job performance. The overall program was benchmarked by two leading European corporations with revenues and headcount ten times those of BC.

"A customer-focused organization must develop a learning culture that continuously responds to changing needs, and constantly asks the right questions. In learning together to develop our talents as an organization, we are learning to better serve our customers and build our lead in the industry. Jerry Murphy has been indispensible in leading the development of that learning culture in BC."

Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO, Barry Callebaut AG

Lucent Technologies

Customer training program design...and more

Situation:
A key Lucent product line was losing market share, and worse, losing current customers at upgrade time. Lucent was also receiving poor feedback on its customer training programs. They saw the potential link, and realized that a new training approach could positively impact customer loyalty.

Challenge:
Lucent's prime contractor, Asymetrix, needed consulting/design leadership in creating the new customer training program, including the integration of e-learning, classroom training and instructor development.

Solution:
Working with teams of instructional designers, graphic artists and programmers, we provided key creative contact to the client for the design of 30+ hours of multimedia training. We designed the week-long instructor-led training module, wrote and designed the classroom materials (including a suite of "electronic whiteboard" presentation tools for instructors), and led train-the-trainer sessions in several cities.

We also led the change program and skills development for Lucent instructors, coaching them during their conversion from "sage on the stage" (a comfortable position of technical expertise) to "guide on the side" (a consultative, customer-focused role).

Result:
The project successfully achieved its purpose, contributing to improved market share and customer satisfaction for Lucent, follow-up business for Asymetrix, and a Brandon Hall of Fame Award for excellence in learning design.

Thomson Financial

Product rollout training & communication program

Situation:
Thomson's Sales & Trading Group was a few months from the rollout of a major new product release for the trading & brokerage market. The ‘ATR' project introduced a new industry protocol, integrated two of Thomson's major trading platforms, and combined the sales, marketing, technical and support organizations previously dedicated to each.

Challenge:
Thomson needed a training and communications solution…and fast. Plus it had to support the integration of two product cultures and present a unified value proposition to customers.

Solution:
We designed and developed a comprehensive new program to support the ATR rollout. The overall engagement included needs analysis, design and development of learning and marketing materials, primary training of key salespeople, and a train-the-trainer program.

Result:
The ATR rollout was executed on schedule, and a well-prepared Thomson sales and marketing team won wide acceptance in the marketplace, both for the new products and the new protocol.

"The readiness of the integrated ATR sales & marketing team was a critical element of the rollout's success. Jerry Murphy clearly understood the project's strategic intent, as well as the key marketing and technical milestones along the way. He created a training program that amply supported a unique and diverse audience in communicating the new product's benefits to their clients."

Nick Haddon, formerly Senior Project Manager, Thomson Financial