FROM STRATEGY TO PERFORMANCE: ALIGNING A LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Donna Gupton, Vice President, Talent Development Ethan Sanders, Director of Learning

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QUESTIONS THIS PRESENTATION WILL ANSWER •  How do you build a robust Talent Development strategy

that is clearly linked to organizational success? •  How do you develop learning programs that fit within the

strategy, and that engage participants and their managers?

•  How do you integrate Blanchard® content and thought-leadership into larger curricula, while still offering individual courses to those who want them?

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PRESENTATION PURPOSE •  Illustrate how to move from needs analysis, to strategy,

to implementation •  Highlight an innovative learning program (CONNECT)

that uses cohort-based, competency-based, blended learning

•  Demonstrate how AARP integrated Blanchard content and thought-leadership into larger learning programs, and used multiple “venues” to offer Blanchard courses.

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WHO IS AARP? •  AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to

empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. •  38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. •  AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to

families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. •  2,300 employees with an average tenure of 9+ years

–  Tend to be experts in a field related to aging such as housing, isolation, brain health, etc…

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AARP TALENT DEVELOPMENT STORY (circa 2015)

“In the Beginning….” •  New TD Team •  No courses •  No strategy •  Unclear processes and standards •  Limited manager support

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AARP TALENT DEVELOPMENT STORY (today) Multiple Venues for Learning

•  Open Workshops •  Business Unit Development •  Executive Education •  CONNECT •  On-line learning

Pervasive Senior Leader Support •  Executives as faculty •  Sharp rise in BU Development requests •  Advocacy throughout AARP for Learning

ATD BEST Award Recipients (2019)

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An America where 50+ individuals have the financial resources and opportunities to match their longer lifespans.

50+ individuals will have:

Grow Relevance

Grow Impact

Grow Revenue

Fight for and equip each individual to live their best life.

Health Security

WHY: OUR ENTERPRISE OBJECTIVES

50+ individuals will have:

An America where 50+ individuals are seen as an integral and inspirational asset to society.

An America where 50+ individuals have access to the care, information and services to lead healthier lives.

WHAT: OUR SOCIAL IMPACT AGENDA

Multicultural audiences, low-income and vulnerable Americans 50+, and innovation are purposefully incorporated into the design, work and communication of everything we do.

HOW: OUR STRATEGY

50+ individuals will have:

Life-long earning power + A highly competitive 50+ workforce

Financial security + A solvent Social Security

Planning and protection + Workplace savings vehicles for more people + Protection from abuse and fraud

A healthier lifestyle +  Information, products and services that increase health

literacy, empowerment and access to care

Independence and dignity + A reformed marketplace for long-term care + A nationwide network of support for caregivers Healthcare security + A sustainable Medicare and Medicaid

Digital literacy +  Increased digital skills for all 50+

Inclusion and positive self-image + A new mindset: Disrupt aging

Life curricula + Easier navigation of life transitions

Personal Fulfillment Financial Resilience

High-impact, coordinated communications and revitalized brand

A healthy, sustainable, diverse membership

Building a movement of people reimagining their lives

Engaging local communities in new ways

Diversifying our revenue Increasing organizational effectiveness

AARP STRATEGIC APPROACH

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TALENT DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION

Strategy Org Capabilities

Individual Competencies

Learning & Results

Actualizestrategy&buildcompe55veadvantage:

Iden5fy&buildskillsthatma=ermost:

Createaworkforcethatis:

AlignwithAARPStrategy:

• GrowImpact• GrowRelevance• GrowRevenue

• Rightjobs• Rightpeople

• Rightskills• Right5me• Rightenvironment

• Capable• Engaged• Agile

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COMPETENCY PROFILES

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STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS (2015)

StrategyWorkshops

EmployeeEngagement

Survey

HRLeaderInterviews

E-TeamInterviews

L&DStrategies

GlassDoor.com

BestPrac5ceResearch

AARPStrategy

DivergentThinking

ConvergentThinking

LeadershipBehaviors

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHANGE (2015)

•  Align TD goals to Enterprise goals •  Increase the value and impact of training •  Provide consistent leadership development opportunities

across all levels of the organization, business units, and geographies

•  Establish a consistent methodology/approach towards learning

•  Clarify TD’s role within the organization •  Enhance TD reputation

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AARP’S THEORY OF VICTORY •  Deploy some high-value “quick wins” •  Demonstrate that we can provide learning at all levels and

locations •  Define the boundaries and integration points of L&D’s

reach, grasp, and influence •  Build a coalition of support (within HR and beyond) •  Link learning to employees long-term goals, and

management’s priorities. •  Help facilitate a “One HR” approach

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L&D STRATEGY ARCHITECTURE

VISION

MISSION

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GOALS OBJECTIVES

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L&D VISION AND MISSION Vision: An energized learning environment that cultivates talent at all levels and advances AARP’s mission and impact. Mission: Create transformational learning experiences that develop critical skills and engage AARP’s total workforce.

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L&D GUIDING PRINCIPLES: DEFINITIONS •  Relevance – Ensure that all learning solutions are linked to business goals,

organizational strategy, and the needs of AARP employees (and ultimately, our members)

•  Measurement – Hold ourselves accountable by identifying up-front the value of any learning solution and ensuring we have the data, infrastructure, and stakeholder buy-in to objectively assess our success

•  Relationships – Focus on building trust by being responsive, following through on every commitment, listening carefully, and creatively solving problems that are beyond what our client’s expect

•  Management – Run a “tight ship” using proven approaches, leading-edge principles, agile processes, and valid data for decision making in order to provide an effective and efficient L&D function for AARP

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RELEVANCE & MEASUREMENT Strategic Direction

Improve relevance and measurement of learning content and programs

Strategy Create learning programs that directly link to specific business

needs, improve employee performance, drive increased employee engagement, and deepen AARP’s reservoir of talent

Create a comprehensive L&D measurement and evaluation system

Launch a comprehensive leadership development program

Launch “AARP Business Acumen” program that meets current and future business needs

Goals

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RELATIONSHIPS Strategic Direction

Establish, cultivate, and leverage trusting relationships throughout AARP

Strategy Use a data driven, consultative approach for building relationships across AARP, providing expert advice on employee development

and connecting learners to the best learning resources

Goals Establish and manage a learning council

Establish consultative partnerships across the organization

Establish, sustain, and communicate an L&D brand for all programs and content that we manage

Create a robust learning content repository that allows AARP staff to access job-related content

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MANAGEMENT Strategic Direction

Effectively manage the L&D function

Strategy Create and sustain a comprehensive management

and governance system for L&D that ensures efficient use of resources and sustainable practices

for the future

Establish efficient and effective L&D business rules and processes

Improve L&D technology infrastructure

Build an innovative L&D team

Goals

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RESEARCH STUDY #1 Learner Motivation Study (2016) Purpose: To better understand employee motivations for participating in AARP learning opportunities, identify topics of interest for future professional development offerings, identify barriers to attending learning events.

Study Questions •  What topics are employees most interested in learning about? •  What extrinsic barriers prevent people from attending learning events? •  What intrinsic motivators make people want to engage in learning opportunities?

Methodology: •  Literature review of factors that drive learning engagement •  Focus group to validate motivator statements and categories •  Online survey to employees and managers •  Data mining of employee Individual Development Plans (nearly 7,000 records for 2014-2016

were mined)

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RESEARCH STUDY #2 Learner Culture Study (2017) Purpose: Assess AARP’s learning culture along 4 dimensions Study Questions: •  Where are AARP’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of

learning capability, learning environment, learning impact, and learning experiences?

Methodology: •  Employee survey •  Send to randomized sample of employee population

LearningEnvironment

Theenvironmentsupportslearninganddevelopment,andemployeesshareownershipof

thelearningenvironment

LearningExperience

Employeesareabletoeasilyfind,consume,andapplylearningthatishigh-qualitytotheirworkand

career.

LearningCapability

Employeesknowhowtolearn,notjustwhichnewskillsand

knowledgetolearn.

LearningImpact

Employeesareabletoimprovetheirperformanceand

engagementthroughlearningattheorganiza5on.

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RESEARCH STUDY #3: Learning Transfer (2017) Purpose: Assess the degree of learning application occurring within key programs (including SLII & Listening) Study Questions •  How frequently do participants use new skills that they learn in key AARP Learning Programs •  How proficient are participants of AARP Learning programs in applying their skills post-training? •  What can L&D, managers, and participants do to increase the rate of learning transfer? •  What are the best examples of organizational impact that are attributable to specific learning experiences?

•  Proficiencyofskilluse•  Frequencyofskilluse•  Barrierstojobapplica5on

•  Proficiencyofskilluse•  Frequencyofskilluse•  Barrierstojobapplica5on

•  Whatcanwedotoencouragepersonalcommitmentforskilltransfer?

•  Whatcouldwedowithintheworkshoptoimprovelearningapplica5on?

•  Howcanwesupportlearnerbackonthejob?

•  90minuteinterviewsthatfocusontheimpactofskillapplica5on

Par;cipantSurvey ManagerSurvey FocusGroupSuccessCaseInterviews

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WHAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR RESEARCH Learner Motivation Study

(Initial State) Learning Culture Study (Current

State) Recommendations

TOP MOTIVATORS •  General performance

improvement •  Preparing for job

advancement

LEARNING IMPACT •  65% said they have changed

work behaviors based on recent development experiences

•  62% believe the learning they receive is making them a more attractive candidate for other jobs

•  Increase our focus on learning transfer, and improve our ability to measure learning application

•  Expand the use of sustainment activities to encourage the application of new skills

•  Work to ensure development is aligned to long term employability

•  Build off of the Career Development pilot

•  Align with any changes to the performance management process

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WHAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR RESEARCH (cont)

Learner Motivation Study (Initial State)

Learning Culture Study (Current State) Recommendations

Low Rated learning Motivators Building networks from learning (i.e., participating in learning events to meet people and share ideas)

91% said they share knowledge and expertise with others regularly 72% said they rely on coworkers to help learn new skills, processes and concepts

•  Increased focus on social learning

•  Facilitate informal learning by building upon small “pockets” of peer to peer learning that happens everyday and all the time

•  Build the structure for informal learning while also helping employees understand they all have some knowledge or skill to offer others

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INITIAL RESULTS (2017)

OverallIwassa;sfiedwiththeworkshop…

1988 Total

participants Workshops delivered

128 OpenEnrollmentSeatsFilled(80.1%)

0

50

100

150

200

250

ProjectM

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ent

BuildingTrust

Challenging

Cri5calThinkingfor

Decisio

nMakingThat

Effec5veBu

siness

GivingFeedb

ack

Influ

encingSkills

Introd

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LeadingPe

opleThrou

gh

LeadingTeam

sVirtually

Managem

entE

ssen

5als

SelfLeadership

SLII®

SuccessfullyNaviga5

ng

TakeBackYo

urLife

OpenSeats

StronglyDisagree,0.00%

Disagree1.67% Neutral

Agree34.48%

StronglyAgree59.52%

94.0%

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FACING A STARK REALITY (and a glimmer of hope)

•  Relying on open workshops was not our future •  Limited success in getting learning into “every nook and cranny” of

the organization •  Burnout in the L&D team was likely •  However…. Executive education programs were doing really well

–  Well attended –  Active participation –  Enterprise-wide representation –  Strong sense of community

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AN EPIPHANY… •  Needed a “deeper” learning experience •  Needed to borrow the best elements of the Executive Education

programs •  Needed to create stronger ties between specific, high-priority

competencies to the curriculum •  Needed to create a strong sense of learning community (through

cohort-based learning) •  Needed to integrate on-line learning to instructor-led •  Needed to provide experiential, social learning into the curricula

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THE CONNECT STORY What it Looks Like: •  Each curricula will align to one competency (beginning with

“Decision Quality” “Situational Adaptability,” and “Collaborates”) •  80 hours of learning, over 3 modules, in about 3 months (8-9 days

on-site at HQ) •  Cohort-based with 30 participants from across the enterprise •  A “managed lottery” to get in (create overwhelming demand) •  Blended in a big way (ILT, WBT, Social, and OJT support) •  Social learning experiences that will blow their sock off •  A complimentary, on-line curriculum for managers

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CONNECT STRUCTURE Situational Adaptability

Cohort Selection

Orientation

Instructor-Led

Workshops

Self Directed Learning

Community Learning

OJT Application

Graduation

•  Program Overview •  Logistics

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INTEGRATING BLANCHARD PRODUCTS INTO THE FULL RANGE OF AARP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

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THREE CATEGORIES OF OPEN WORKSHOPS & BUSINESS COHORTS

Leading and Managing

Business Acumen

Communication

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LEADING & MANAGING SLII®

TeamLeadership

Self-Leadership

CoachingEssen5als

BlanchardManagementEssen5als®

BuildingTrust

LeadingPeopleThroughChange®*

*-ByRequestOnlyGo To Home Page

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COMMUNICATION Effec5veBusinessWri5ng

MasterfulPresenta5ons

GivingFeedback

Listening

ChallengingConversa5ons

LeadingVirtually*

*-ByRequestOnly

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CONNECT: SITUATIONAL ADAPTABILITY CIRRICULA Orientation Module 1 Module 2 Module 3

Orie

ntat

ion •  Introduction

•  Curriculum Review

•  Emotional Intelligence Assessment

Day

1

•  Self-Leadership (Blanchard) D

ay 1

•  Whole Brain Thinking D

ay 1

•  Polarities Thinking

Day

2

•  Listening (Blanchard) D

ay 2

•  Situational Adaptability Team Simulation D

ay 2

•  Escape Room •  Executive Panel Discussion •  Graduation

•  Emotional Intelligence

•  Improvisation Day

3

•  Peer Learning

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CONNECT: COLLABORATES CIRRICULUM Orientation Module 1

Build your NETWORK Module 2

Build your TEAM Module 3

Build your PROCESS

Day0(3Hou

rs)

•  Introduc5on•  Preparatory

Assignment•  Curriculum

Review•  Prepara5onfor

Module1•  Discussion

Day1 •  Essen5alIngredients

forCollabora5on Day4

•  TheArtofInfluence

Day7 •  TheStructuralSide

ofCollabora5on

Day2 •  Organiza5onalNetworking Day5

•  Experien5alLearningExercise

•  Ac5onLearningSession2

Day8 •  Effec5ve

Nego5a5onforCollabora5on

Day3 •  Ac5onLearning

Session Day6 •  TeamDynamics(that

DriveCollabora5on) Day9

•  Ac5onLearningSession3

•  ProgramReflec5on•  Gradua5on

*All days, except where noted, are 9:00AM-4:00PM

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EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT COACHING Uses •  Imbedded inside of Executive Development Program •  Available to leaders throughout AARP based on need

Benefits •  Reinforces the leadership curriculum we use in all of our programs •  Provides a common language and sustainability around key

leadership topics

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