Building Learning Capability Through Outsourcing (In Action Case Study Series)

Merrill C. Anderson

Description

Have you considered how outsourcing can help build your organization’s learning capability?

Organizations in search of solutions to a variety of organizational problems have turned their attention more and more toward outsourcing. The workplace learning and performance (WLP) function seems to be among the first functions outsourced when organizations look to new ways of better managing and lowering fixed costs. It is possible to improve learning in an organization with fewer WLP professionals on staff and reduced training budgets. Outsourcing can help. Advantages of outsourcing include

having ready access to leadership and practical implementation expertise from a wide variety of vendors

reducing dramatically the cycle time for developing learning

having access to greater objectivity for understanding the learning needs of the business client and for developing learning that will meet these needs

reducing fixed costs.

Today, successful organizations use outsourcing to build learning capability while also reducing costs. And, they increase their business value by increasing their ability to learn. ASTD is proud to present the 19th book in the IN ACTION series: 12 cases that provide real-life, cutting-edge lessons from professionals and organizations that have put these truths about outsourcing into practice.

Sujets

• Efficacité professionnelle
• Business
• Economics
• Training
• Employabilité, métiers et formations

Informations

• Publié par: Association for Talent Development
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607288688
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

T WELVE CASE STUDIES FROM THE

REAL WORLD OF TRAINING

I N

A C T I O N Building Learning Capability Through Outsourcing

J A C K J . P H I L L I P S S E R I E S E D I T O R

M E R R I L L AC . N D E R S O N E D I T O R

© 2000 by the American Society for Training & Development. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to ASTD, Publications Department, Box 1443, Alexandria, VA 22313-2043. Ordering information for print edition:Books published by the American Society for Training & Development can be ordered by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100, or via ASTD’s website at www.astd.org. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-104275 (print edition only) Print edition ISBN: 978-1-56286-135-3 PDF e-book edition ISBN: 978-1-60728-868-8 2000-1

Table of Contents

Introduction to theIn ActionSeries ............................................................v

Preface ...............................................................................................................vii

How to Use This Casebook ...........................................................................xi

Outsourcing as a Strategic Tool to Enhance Learning .........................1 Mer rill C. Anderson

Making a Difference Together: Collaboration Between Internal and External Resources ............................................................................11 A Large Multinational Corporation Dick Richards

Client Traps......................................................................................................17 Consultant-Client Relationships Eric K. Hatch

Learning and the Politics of Working with External Consu ltants...................................................................................................39 A High-Tech Firm and a Major Oil Producer Miriam Y. Lacey

When Training Professionals Begin to Manage Vendors ....................57 Lessons from Apple Computer Jim Everett

Who Needs Creative? A Training Manager’s Guide to Buying Creative .........................................................................................................75 Lockheed Martin Stephen J. Cohen

Creating Organizational Culture While Integrating Two Health-Care Organizations .............................................................87 Deaconess Billings Clinic Ter r y Radcliffe, Kristianne B. Wilson, Carlene DeVeau, Ann B. Oglesby, and Scott Lillie

Creating a New Culture of Teamwork: Navigating Change in the Newspaper Industr y .........................................................................107 Newspaper Publishing Company Lunell Haught

Optimizing the Use of Consultants in the Development of Executive Leadership ..............................................................................119 Global, Research-based Ph armaceutical Corporation Janice L. Simmons, Laura Dorsey, and Lisa Cheraskin

Partnering for Success: From “Old Game” to “New Game” in the Automotive Industr y ........................................................................133 Global Supplier of Automobiles Paul Swinscoe and Gwendolyn G. Ber thiez

Learning Fields: Engines for the Learning Organization ................149 Medical Products Manufacturer Mer rill C. Anderson and Dar r yl Strickler

Implementing Workplace Learning Systems: An In novative Case Histor y ...............................................................................................163 Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Ray Svenson and the Boeing Company Employee Training and Development Group: Ter r y L. Lott and Rober t D. Clarke

Running Training Like a Business: A Look Ahead ............................181 The Corporate Learning Alliance Edward A. Trolley and David van Adelsberg

About the Editor...........................................................................................193

About the Series Editor ..............................................................................194

Introduction to the In ActionSeries

ike most professionals, the people involved in human resource to L their field. In recent years, practitioners have developed an intense development (HRD) are eager to see practical applications of the models, techniques, theories, strategies, and issues relevant desire to learn about the first-hand experiences of organizations im- plementing HRD programs. To fill this critical void, the Publishing Review Committee of the American Society for Training & Develop- ment established theIn Actioncasebook series. Covering a variety of HRD topics, the series significantly adds to the current literature in the field. The objectives of theIn Actionseries are •To provide real-world examples of HRD program application and implementation. Each case describes significant issues, events, actions, and activities. When possible, actual names of organizations and individuals are used. Where names are disguised, the events are factual. •To focus on challenging and difficult issues confronting the HRD field. These cases explore areas where it is difficult to find information, or where processes or techniques are not standardized or fully de- veloped. Emerging issues critical to success are also explored. •To recognize the work of professionals in the HRD field by presenting best practices.Each casebook represents the most effective examples avail- able. Issue editors are experienced professionals, and topics are care- fully selected to ensure that they represent important and timely issues. Cases are written by highly respected HRD practitioners, au- thors, researchers, and consultants. The authors focus on many high- profile organizations—names you will quickly recognize. •To ser ve as a self-teaching tool for people learning about the HRD field. As a stand-alone reference, each volume is a practical learning tool that fully explores numerous topics and issues. •To present a medium for teaching groups about the practical aspects of HRD. Each book is a useful supplement to general and specialized HRD textbooks and ser ves as a discussion guide to enhance learning in formal and informal settings.

Introduction to theIn ActionSeries

v

These cases will challenge and motivate you. The new insights you gain will ser ve as an impetus for positive change in your orga- nization. If you have a case that might ser ve the same purpose for other HRD professionals, please contact me. New casebooks are be- ing developed. And if you have suggestions on ways to improve the In Actionseries, your input is welcomed.

Jack J. Phillips Series Editor Per formance Resources Organization P. O. Box 380637 Birmingham, AL 35238-0637

vi

Building Learning Capability Through Outsourcing

Preface

n recent years, companies in search of solutions to a variety of I organizational problems have tur ned their eyes more and more toward outsourcing. The training function has felt this shift per- haps more strongly than most other corporate functions. Training and development seem to be among the first functions outsourced when companies cut fixed costs. However, these companies often are focused so intently on meeting their bottom lines that they fail to realize the vast opportunities outsourcing can present. In fact, if they will take advantage of the inherent lear ning value of outsourcing, they will gain long-term knowledge benefits, not just short-term bud- getar y ones. In today’s business world, knowledge is power. Therefore, busi- nesses can increase their value by increasing their ability to learn. Accordingly, instead of outsourcing simply to cut costs, companies must realize that outsourcing provides an effective way to build a re- markable amount of learning capability, thereby increasing the val- ue of their business. In these days of reduced staffs and reduced training and devel- opment budgets, some organizations may view learning as an “extra”— a worthy endeavor, but only to the extent their budgets will allow. This critical mistake will lead their competitors, whoareusing out- sourcing to build learning capability while also reducing costs, to sur- pass them. This casebook provides examples of professionals in the field who have attempted to put these tr uths about outsourcing into practice, in various forms. Their journeys often have been replete with seem- ingly insurmountable obstacles, yet have been defined by these pre- sentors’ creative solutions to bypass such obstacles. Their efforts are inspiring and represent the cutting edge of building learning capa- bility through outsourcing.

Target Audience The primar y audience for this casebook comprises the learning and organization development practitioners who want to improve how

Preface

vii

they use outsourcing. For this group, the book will ser ve as a valu- able tool for examining outcomes of real-world outsourcing efforts, introducing new ideas about the connection between learning and outsourcing, and probing the intricacies of this topic. On a broader scale, this book will interest anyone involved with training and development, HRD, human resources (HR), performance improvement, or various combinations of these. This includes, but is not limited to, the following people: • Vendors to whom the HRD function may be outsourced. This book will inform them about how they can use their ser vices to give cus- tomers the greatest learning value possible. • Senior executives and business owners who want to grow their com- panies on a fixed budget. This book will teach them how they can lead their companies through these times of downsizing and low fixed costs to emerge with increased knowledge-power. • College and university professors, who can use the cases as illus- trations and examples of real-life outsourcing challenges and as mean- ingful lear ning examples. This casebook can also be used to supplement a standard text in business management or adult and continuing education and as a reference source for term papers, theses, and dissertations. I hope each audience will find the casebook entertaining and engaging reading. The questions at the end of each case are to stim- ulate additional thought and discussion. One of the most effective ways to maximize the usefulness of this book is through group dis- cussions, using the questions to develop and dissect the issues, tech- niques, methodologies, and results.

The Cases The most challenging part of developing a publication of this sort is selecting the appropriate cases. Each had to meet specific guide- lines and offer methodologies that proved unusually successful. From the many cases submitted, we selected those that we considered both the most compelling and the most useful to people looking to this book for guidance. Because each author’s method of presentation is individual, the style and content of the cases are not all str uctured in the same man- ner. It is important for the reader to experience each situation as it actually developed and to identify the issues involved in each setting. The result is a variety of presentations with a variety of styles.

viii

Building Learning Capability Through Outsourcing

Because it is helpful to readers to be exposed to a wide range of approaches, there was no attempt to restrict cases to any particu- lar type of methodology. We also have resisted the temptation to pass judgment on the various solutions, prefer ring to let the reader eval- uate the different techniques and their appropriateness for each par- ticular setting. In some cases, the organization is named, as are the individuals involved. In others, the names of the organization and the people may be disguised at the request of the case author.

Case Authors By reading the biographies at the end of each chapter, you will see that all the case authors have one thing in common—their vast experience with and knowledge of building lear ning capability through outsourcing. In this book, you will find the research, opin- ions, data, advice, and real-world experiences of these leading-edge professionals. Their qualifications are rivaled only by their range of expertise. The case authors’ cur rent and past occupations—from consultant to HR executive, practitioner to educator, speaker to writer—span a valu- able cross section of those involved in HRD. Some have names that spark immediate recognition in the HRD field. Others have made their marks quietly, contributing greatly to their organizations and the lives of others, but with a lower profile. Working with each one of them has been a tremendous honor.

Suggestions We welcome your input. If you have ideas or recommendations regarding the presentation of the cases in this book, the case selec- tion, or the quality of the cases, please send them toIn ActionSeries Editor, P.O. Box 380637, Birmingham, AL 35238-0637. All letters will be appreciated and acknowledged. Your opinions about this volume will help improve others in the series.

Acknowledgments Many people have contributed to this casebook, but first and fore- most, thanks must go to the case authors. Without their willingness to share their experiences, this book would not exist. Through the long process of bringing this book to print, they stuck with it. I am grateful not only for this but also for their professional contributions.

Preface

ix

I also wish to thank the organizations that allowed us to use their names and programs for publication. I hope this casebook portrays them as the progressive organizations they are, always seeking to improve themselves by tr ying new processes and techniques. Additionally, I thank Patti Phillips of Per formance Resources Or- ganization, who oversaw the entire casebook process. Thanks also to Don Milazzo and Kelly Perkins, who worked with Patti to prepare the manuscript for publication, and to Ruth Stadius from ASTD, who co- ordinated the final manuscript production. Finally, thanks to Jack Phillips, the series editor, whose contributions to the training and develop- ment field are an inspiration to many. May the cases in this book sim- ilarly inspire you to explore new methods and ideas throughout your professional career.

Mer rill C. Anderson Des Moines, IA July 2000

x Building Learning Capability Through Outsourcing