BBVA Compass charts a new course for talent development with ecornell

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1 charts a new course for talent development with ecornell is a Birmingham, Alabama-based financial institution operating 717 branches with more than 10,000 employees. Today, ranks among the top 15 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share, and among the largest banks in Alabama (3rd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). But in 2010, the newly realigned Talent Management and Training (TM&T) group was sailing in uncharted waters. Compass Bancshares had been acquired in 2007 by Spain-based BBVA Group, and the entire HR department was involved in the daunting task of integrating human capital, talent, and culture across multiple affiliate banks, while aligning with corporate priorities. Talent Management and Training added a new department to ensure that leadership development was a central theme. Structured, company-wide leadership development was extremely limited prior to the creation of the leadership development department in 2010, said Eric Simpson, Director, Leadership Development for. The Challenge: Big impact with small-scale resources To support the business, leadership development needed to align its work with BBVA s corporate competency model and global talent management process. But significant challenges existed: a limited budget, a staff of two people, competition from multiple corporate change initiatives and a multi-million dollar banking platform technology upgrade. Given the situation, the decision was made to target development options for highpotential employees (HIPOs), starting with the firm s junior top talent. A needs analysis found a large gap in essential management skills in this group, and closing the gap would ensure had a solid first string and leadership pipeline for the future. The bottom line: needed a high-quality, high-touch learning solution to target 300 junior HIPOs that minimized cost, maximized application, improved retention and made an immediate business impact.

2 The Solution: Blended curriculum at its best After researching several other e-learning vendors and instructor-led development options, chose ecornell. Given our wide geographic footprint, we liked the program s asynchronous options, and the ability to use private cohorts allowed us to be more targeted. We also wanted to have sufficient options to adapt to changing needs and align with corporate global offerings. In the end, ecornell was the best high-quality vendor that could do what we wanted, said Simpson. Three programs run in 2011 tested the strategy and confirmed the methodology, but the approach came into its own in 2012 when launched seven programs in its ecornell Leadership Development Series. Co-facilitated by ecornell, each program included 22 members of the junior talent pool for a total of 150 participants across the seven programs: Facilitating Group Decisions Tactics and Skills for Negotiating Influence Without Authority Impact of Personality Styles on Communication Understanding Team Dynamics Leading People to Higher Performance Leading Through Creativity Each six-week program represented roughly 18 hours of training, including: Pre-work online articles, videos and discussions, as well as providing a brief bio and photo for a virtual roster. One ecornell online course. An action-learning project crossfunctional teams worked over four weeks to analyze and respond to a business-relevant case study. Three live WebEx meetings used for an interactive, team-building program kick-off; ecornell course debrief and case study setup; and final case study presentations and program wrap-up. Insights and Action participants set goals (and recorded them) for implementing program learnings.

3 The Results: Impactful and in demand: New program leaves managers, participants eager for more In its first full year, the /ecornell program has created serious internal buzz. Simpson and his team were thrilled with post-course evaluations, which yielded stellar feedback on all ecornell metrics; the average rating across 12 questions was 4.33 out of 5. And most importantly, participants managers assessed the program as having a significant positive impact on their employees behavior. My employee, Kent Seacat, said that if he were to give the [ecornell] program a letter grade, he would give it an A. Kent had not previously been exposed to online courses, but he was very positive about the format. He has also been able to integrate a best practice he learned soliciting the involvement of the employee he is coaching in the resolution process so they feel some ownership. Again, it [the ecornell program] was a wonderful experience for Kent, said David C. Latshaw, SVP, Regional Investment Sales Manager for BBVA Compass Investment Solutions. Latshaw s experience echoes what Simpson is hearing from participants. He said most past participants, as well as those in the junior talent pool not yet selected, want to attend additional sessions. For Simpson, who has limited capacity to deliver training, this high demand for limited supply is a good problem to have. The /ecornell learning partnership continues today. Programs for the junior talent pool are chosen to consistently align with desired business outcomes and the competencies the talent pool needs to make them a reality. Without ecornell s adaptability, world-class content, and turnkey solutions, none of this would have been possible for. We re a small department with limited budget, so having support from a vendor on delivery made sense. We have a great relationship with the ecornell staff. The initial setup and relationship was smooth, and we ve had great ecornell instructors, said Simpson.

4 UNITED NATIONS Department of Field Support The United Nations Department of Field Support (UNDFS) manages personnel, finance, logistics, and other support for UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Among other things, the UNDFS provides human resources training and certification for 600 United Nations HR personnel. Target Audience: Learning Needs: 600 HR staff worldwide HR management best practices for the UN, consistent HR business practices, common HR language The Challenge: Dates of Service: October 2010 September 2013 The UN had discovered core-skills competency gaps in a large contingent of global HR practitioners, and specific deficiencies in leadership and strategic management skills among higher-level supervisors and managers. Because HR practitioners and supervisors face all manner of social, political, and physical challenges in the field, establishing UN-standardized practices and protocols for human resources is particularly vital. Reaching a uniform HR training standard for all UN missions everywhere was proving difficult, however. Because our units are spread across the globe, providing training consistent with UN organizational policies was challenging not to mention astronomically expensive, explains Eran Schweiger, Chief of DFS s Quality Assurance Unit. We never want our Field Managers out there operating without proper HR training. It can open up a whole world of liabilities and legal setbacks and have adverse managerial and financial implications. UNDFS urgently needed a cost-effective solution for global HR training. In 2010, they turned to ecornell. The Solution: From the outset, ecornell s online delivery platform met the UN s stringent standards for training and development. It provided a problem-based, collaborative learning environment. UNDFS staffers in the field only needed access to a computer and the Internet. They had round-the-clock access to courses and ecornell support from expert HR facilitators. Completion times were flexible, within reasonable limits, and all participant information was strictly confidential. ecornell then created a custom nine-course certificate program to address competency gaps among HR practitioners. A similar program contained four additional high-level HR courses for more senior

5 HR practitioners and managers. By completing the same core courses as their HR practitioner subordinates, HR field managers and supervisors assured that there was continuity in processes and staff field missions. Both curricula are closely aligned with specific training needs of both DFS contingents. By completing the same core courses as their HR practitioner subordinates, HR field managers and supervisors can ensure continuity in processes and staff field missions with assurance and complete confidence. The Results: Since the program s launch in December 2010, over 400 UNDFS staff members (260+ HR practitioners and 150+ managers) have completed more than 1,700 ecornell courses. ecornell surveyed field managers at critical points, allowing ecornell and the UNDFS administrative staff to refine services and tailor business practices to meet learners needs. The UNDFS survey data show high satisfaction and relevancy scores. On a 5-point scale, students rated their experience as follows (average of all respondents): The content met my expectations of high quality: 4.4 Overall rating of the instructor in this course: 4.3 The skills and knowledge presented in this course transfer directly to my workplace responsibilities: 4.5 Overall rating of the online learning experience: 4.2 The most important results don t come from surveys, however they come from workplace outcomes. The UN s principal expense and greatest asset is human resources. By providing higher-quality HR training to our field support staff and delivering it globally through ecornell, we ve definitely seen a compounding effect on the competence and quality of mission personnel. People are more motivated than ever before, which has unquestionably led to improved delivery of the missions mandate. I ve heard firsthand from participants that the credential from Cornell University gives them extra motivation to complete the certificate program. The Ivy League name adds value to the certificate earned, and ensures a high standard of quality. Eran Schweiger Quality Assurance Group Director UN Department of Field Support Visit ecornell s UNDFS Case Study to watch video clips of UNDFS stakeholders discussing how they used custom Cornell University HR certificates: