First-time Managers Development Program at a Leading IT Major

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How we helped an IT Services company deliver personalized learning at scale to support capacity building for first-time managers.

Project Brief:

“How do we equip first-time managers with the right skills and perspectives to support their transition to the people manager role?” This was the central issue that our client, one of the global leaders in IT Services, has been exploring solutions for. Given the crucial role, first-level supervisors play in employee engagement, retention and innovation, helping these first-time managers with this transition was a crucial part of the talent strategy of the Organization.

Any solution to the issue also needed to address the following aspects:

Any such initiative was expected to cover 4000+ prospective participants per year based in 40+ countries
Many of the participants were based out of client offices without access to external sites
The initiative needed to actively engage the primarily millennial audience and yet focus on serious topics like self-awareness
Very tight constraints around logistics and costs

Given these factors, the solution required a more comprehensive and innovative approach than the traditional option of classroom-based workshops.

01

Our Approach

Based on extensive consultations with the client team, we designed an Intervention in which cohorts of 1000+ participants would go through a shared 3-month long learning journey every quarter. Some key highlights of the Intervention design were:

The learning journey for each “batch" extended over 3 months with the participants experiencing the entire process virtually.
While the Program is designed to be delivered virtually, it used a unique pedagogy that combined online self-learning with facilitator-hosted virtual interactive sessions, virtual assessment centers, and other activities to provide a more immersive experience to participants.
The design also leveraged several assessments inventories &learning assignments to provide each participant with personalized inputs & feedback.
The entire program was delivered through the Think Talent digital platform NEXT. Participants could access the entire Program content anytime anywhere. This helped provide a seamless experience & create continuous connect with participants during the program period.
The Think Talent NEXT platform was integrated with the Client IT platform to ensure seamless access for participants as well as to address concerns around user management, IT security and privacy.

02

Success Levers & Outcome

We believe that successful virtual learning programs focus on learner-centric design & leverage technology to craft seamless experiences with a fair degree of personalization for each participant.

Establishing Relevance: "What is in it for me?" – is a key question that needs to be addressed proactively through the Program content and communication plan.
Personalization at scale: Providing personalized inputs to each participant without impacting Program logistics and costs requires a difficult balancing act.
Seamless experience: Providing a seamless & engaging experience across modules and creating a continuous connect throughout the program; allowing participants to learn at their own pace & convenience.

Based on the success of the initial pilot batch, the program is now deeply embedded in the client learning calendar & has already covered participants from across 30 countries in the initial batches. The client team has covered 4000+ employees over the calendar year 2020 through the Program.