Laurie Torres | Vice President of Human Resources | PDL BioPharma, Inc.
Background:
PDL BioPharma, a rapidly growing Biotech company that pioneered the humanization of monoclonal antibodies, had grown to over 2,500 employees. They had no internal learning and development department/function to support the increased demands of their growing employee base.
Goal:
Quickly and cost effectively establish a:
- Performance-based learning culture
- Learning and development department with an outsourced partner who could provide a turn key/one-call-access for their organizational learning and development needs
- Common baseline of “foundational” new manager and employee skills across the organization
Challenges:
- Desired a broad curriculum for all employees and all levels
- A lack of consistency combined with considerable redundancy in current “training opportunities” with contradictory and often competing models and language
Approach:
- Assess & Design
- Identified “foundation skills” across the organization to strengthen employee satisfaction and retention
- Designed company-specific role plays and case studies
- Created a simple and clear marketing and registration system that automated training setup, delivery, tracking, reporting, billing, measurement, and follow-up
Pilot:
- Successfully implemented a core group of 10 customized skill-based programs focused on: communication skills training, coaching, retention of top talent, performance management, delegation and influence, goal setting and smart objectives, teamwork, transitioning to management, conflict management, and career development
- Provided a clear picture of Learning and Development expenditures, activity, and results across the company
Results:
- Training Outsourcing Scale: Delivered over 100 customized programs across North America to over 2,000 employees
- Training Outsourcing Client Satisfaction: Overall satisfaction score 96%
- Training Outsourcing Consistency: Created consistency of language, competency, process, values, and approach across all locations
Training Outsourcing Efficiency, Time, and Money Savings:
- Created a simple and clear marketing, registration, setup, delivery, tracking, reporting, billing, measurement, and follow-up system for both participants and the HR department that “ran by itself”
- Saved time and money with one point of contact, one invoice, and one contract
- Provided access to unmatched quality and expertise through LSA’s proven portfolio of over 2,500 experts in the areas of Leadership, Management, Sales, Customer Loyalty, Project Management, Assessment, and Measurement
- Estimated outsourcing cost savings of $375k over 3 years
Compelling / Interesting Design Features:
- 100% turn-key learning and development outsource partner
- Dedicated external account team with a combined 40+ years of experience to handle outsourcing of strategy, planning, and day-to-day operations
- Only weeks to design and implement proven curriculum/solutions
- Designed client-specific role plays and case studies with tailored approach to fit seamlessly with the company’s leadership practices and values
- Custom Learning & Development Portal to market programs, register participants in workshops, and track attendance
- Provided all reporting, logistics, tracking, and administration
