Ericsson
The Challenge
As a leading managed service organisation, Ericsson have to provide truly value added service as their key competitive advantage. Working in a fast paced, high tech sector, learning and skills development needs to happen quickly, in context and with a speedy transition from skills development to application.
The Solution
Willow devised a blended modular programme, comprising 20 modules, enabling learners to create their own bespoke learning path. At the heart of the programme is self directed learning – which fits really well with the working life of a customer facing employee.
Each module is designed around a Learning Path. This approach makes full use of internal resources that already exists on the module subject within Ericsson. The programme involves workshops, reading, e- learning modules, videos and coaching from and for managers on work based assignments.
The Results
Delegate feedback reflects the close connection between learning and applied benefits from the programme. The Learning Path design is ideal: "the flexible Learning Path approach really helps fit learning into busy schedules", "response to the programme is highly impressive".
Telenor
The Challenge
Being a multinational provider of mobile services with over 129 million subscribers, collaboration and innovation are vital to Telenor’s ongoing success. Like many organisations working across geographical, cultural or organisational boundaries, virtual teams are now commonplace. The challenge is how to achieve attention from these incredibly busy, bright people and support them in working better, together.
The Solution
WillowDNA utilises a combination of asynchronous e-learning, wiki, forum and blog features in SharePoint and online workshops using Live Meeting. To make the approach very appealing to the very technical staff, an animation approach with interactive questions and games features as a main part of the design.
This all sits within a Learning Path structure, taking people through a series of experiences over the course of a 3 week period without taking them away from their workplace, wherever it is in the World!
The Results
Watch this space! Roll-out is planned to commence shortly.
Unilever
The Challenge
‘150 million times a day, someone somewhere chooses a Unilever product.’ With a truly global footprint and offering some of world’s best known home, personal care and food brands, Unilever relies on the success of its expertise dispersed across the globe to continue to be a world leader.
The Solution
Willow developed a multi-dimensional assessment questionnaire that was used to interview both virtual team leaders and members and provide a detailed measure of current performance. Willow provided tools to collate and interpret these findings in such a way that virtual team leaders could be supported in those areas of development that would have most business impact.
The Results
This virtual assessment enabled HR and Learning support functions to work with insight with the Leaders and the virtual team members. Using the material, future ways of working have been developed for each team, driving up performance and getting results through to the marketplace.
Orange
The Challenge
The World of Telecoms is a highly unpredictable and rapidly changing environment. Orange Group was formed after the purchase of Orange UK by France Telecom and created a much larger, united group of mobile companies. The challenge was to create a way of learning and working together where the exciting Orange brand was common not just on the outside, but in the way the company worked together.
The Solution
The people at Willow conducted the analysis and creation of the Learning strategy for Orange Group of companies, maximising the impact of the intellectual capital of the organization, reducing duplication, establishing best practice sharing and increasing innovation. The role covered 14 operating companies primarily across Europe, some 38000 people.
The Results
The results included the establishment of training team across Orange Group, overseeing governance and direction in support of the company strategy. The team also established communities across key business areas and provided both the facilitation skills training and technology to ensure their success. As part of their global learning strategy, the team developed comprehensive learning programmes in key skills including virtual working, collaboration, key facilitation techniques for learning professionals, creating and sustaining communities and using collaborative technology.
Oracle
The Challenge
Oracle is a company with very many products and services growing rapidly through a strategy of acquisition. Oracle people have to represent the many possibilities that all this capability can be to their clients, wherever they are in the World.
The Solution
Willow worked with the Oracle team to create a very dynamic, Learning Path approach to skilling up the partnership programme. Using a variety of interactive techniques, leaders and partners have the opportunity to explore their core professional expertise in a virtual learning environment.
The Results
Karen Eden, Senior Knowledge Development Manager : The Action Learning approach “gave our leaders the opportunity to really explore this material and extract their own insights and learning.
AOL
The Challenge
AOL launched an ambitious programme to rollout its local loop network, enabling AOL to deliver its broadband service on its own core network. As well as creating a great opportunity to deliver a cost effective internet service and explore new product offerings, it also created a knowledge challenge. Building and maintaining their own network is a new challenge and AOL were keen to identify the vital knowledge and learning that would need to be transitioned into the new operating business.
The Solution
Willow worked with the organisational design team, key subject matter experts and the management team to highlight their most pressing knowledge through workshops, interviews and detailed analysis, Willow identified the key knowledge areas. This enabled AOL to prioritise and focus on the transition of key knowledge areas into a new organisation. These areas then took part in a far reaching knowledge audit, which became the basis of the knowledge and learning strategy for AOL, developed by Willow.
The Results
AOL now have a knowledge base with input into organisational design, job role definition including knowledge ownership, key collaborative behaviours, personal development paths, mentoring programmes and maturity models for key knowledge areas. Willow also conducted knowledge retention interviews for key staff to transfer knowledge between leavers and new staff. Addressing their knowledge and learning needs at this stage in the organisation’s maturity is challenging but enabled AOL to leverage and mobilise their knowledge to deliver efficiency and innovation quickly in this highly competitive market.
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
The Challenge
The IPA has one of the most demanding audiences of learners you could wish for. Graduates going into the world of advertising have high expectations of their learning experience. Patrick Mills of the Institute of Practioners in Advertising and the team at Willow worked together to achieve the right combination.
The Solution
WillowDNA have worked with the content experts and the Professional Development team at the IPA to come up with the best learning combinations for their delegates. The subjects are complex and could be tedious if not presented in an engaging and attractive way. The significant advantage that Willow has is their experience in creating learning journeys through different mediums, their ability to take even very challenging subjects and create an engaging experience and their pragmatic approach in repurposing materials very cost effectively. This included the ability to train cohorts of learners and have an online tutor.
The Results
The Certificate is aimed at those in their first year of employment and takes a wider perspective by focusing beyond Google. The course and examination is available online covering 19 core modules including PPC campaign build, SEO compliance and how to integrate search with other media.
Says Mark Fagan, Chair of the IPA Search Group and Digital Media Director, Golley Slater, "This is a very welcome and important milestone for the search professional community in the UK. The core objective of the IPA Search Group is to raise best practice and standards of search marketing to a higher level. The development of this qualification will be a key tool for IPA member agencies both now and in the years ahead."
Conoco Philips
The Challenge
ConocoPhillips rely upon great project management expertise to achieve their stretching goals and manage their demanding programmes of work. This is made more challenging by the dispersed nature of their teams working across oil fields, off-shore and headquarter sites in different countries. How could they work towards excellence in their skills and competencies in project management?
The Solution
Willow worked with some of the team in Stravanger, Norway. The objective was to assess the skills required in project management practice and to examine the ways to embed learning and knowledge sharing in their project management practice. Through discussions and exercises, the group explored the key knowledge areas for their professional practice, which will become the foundation of a project management community.
The Results
ConocoPhillips now have a method of assessing the skills at different levels in project management practice. They have a methodology to follow which will help new starters to the company understand what is required. They also have an approach to compare knowledge and share understanding of problems and possibilities across different parts of the company and in different countries.
Nvidia
The Challenge
NVIDIA is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. The company employs over 5000 people Worldwide and is truly international. This leads to challenging skills and competency requirements of a very dispersed workforce.
The Solution
Willow supported NVIDIA in the composition of a multi cultural learning programme for NVIDIA staff in many countries. NVIDIA people are time short and under considerable pressure. The training had to be highly pragmatic, very relevant and very focused on their World. The range was considerable, and required experienced trainers familiar with the demanding lives of these people.
The Results
The style of learning adopted and the approach taken gave a demanding group of people a highly relevant and focused experience that was directly applicable to their working environment. Using trainers and learning architects with a relevant business background gives a depth of insight not possible with a more generic approach.
