The client challenge
Our client from the extractive industries a 55,000 employee strong organisation, identified that their global training budget exceeded $200m annually - a level 3 times higher than the industry benchmark practice for training spend.
The corporate Learning & Development (L&D) function was perceived a ‘Corporate Ivory Tower’ with little operational knowledge of the business and unable to communicate in business language. As a result, the ‘business’ had simply gone and managed their own training themselves resulting in over 550 trainers within the business. Significant inefficiencies were evident due to the semi-autonomous operating units driving their own silo-based training strategies. Often with little or no available reporting information on how much the business was spending, training investment decision making was virtually impossible.
To address such a critical area of the business ‘operating needs to ensures the lives, health and welfare of its employees working in hazardous and dangerous environments required a new approach.
The blackswan solution
blackswan brought together a unique combination of people, process and innovation expertise to develop a solution to deliver training within an annual budget of $60m.
To avoid the familiar project challenges of running out of time/budget/resources/energy/passion etc, blackswan used its innovation expertise to identify what the end result should look like. With representation from across the business, a shared vision and target solution strategy was created with a corresponding implementation plan for swift execution.
The solution strategy was further strengthened using ‘Lean’ enterprise principles. Entire end to end business processes were re-mapped and documented to ensure the right training course ,at the right time, via the right delivery model and at right cost to the business were met.
Through clear and consistent communications and engagement, stakeholders were made integral to the process to warrant high levels of customer participation and ownership.
The client outcome
The result of the Hyper Lean process is an organisation that leverages its global reach, knowledge and expertise across the entire Learning & Development community.
A single, world-class technology platform facilitates best practice design and delivery and a corresponding cost model aligned to global benchmark levels having achieved significant cost savings and operational efficiencies.
The results for our client have been
- Direct positive bottom line impact
- Right time, right place, right cost delivery
- World-class technology platform
- Powerful management information on activity, costs, and impact.
Significant levels of re-use of training courses were achieved using the core course content with the ability to customise specific needs according to local requirements.
