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Case 1: Black & Decker Corporation
Company Facts and Figures
Industry: Consumer/Commercial Products
Scope of Services and Products: Manufacturer and marketer of consumer grade and professional-grade brand power tools and accessories
Estimated Number of Employees: 22,700
Year e-Learning Introduced: 1998
Offices and Locations: Products and services marketed in more than 100 countries; Manufacturing operations in 11 countries
Estimated 2002 Revenues: US$4.3 billion sales
Web Site: www.bdk.com
Number of e-Learning Courses in Entire Curriculum: 100
Introduction
The Black & Decker Corporation is a leading manufacturer and marketer of power tools and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and technology-based fastening systems. Their commercial (professional- grade) brand, DEWALT is sold through major building product suppliers and retailers, such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Sears. Each year Black & Decker’s Power Tools and Accessories business in the U.S. hires about 150 new sales representatives for their commercial product line. Traditionally, these new employees would spend two weeks attending classroom training at Black & Decker’s headquarters in Towson, Maryland. In 1998, Black & Decker University (BDU) created a Web-based course that according to Matt DeFeo, Vice President of Training and Recruiting, demonstrated that “e-learning is very powerful, even with a fairly modest course design.” In 2001, BDU decided to remodel their new hire classroom-only program to a blended learning program. The DEWALT Field Marketing Training Program now combines 16 e-learning courses with both on-the-job training and classroom instruction. The team that designed the DEWALT Field Marketing Training Program is part of the Sales and Marketing group, which is responsible for the development of sales and marketing employees from the time they join the company through promotion to senior level positions. Other groups are responsible for delivery of training to employees in areas such as manufacturing and business administration.
Why e-Learning?
Black & Decker selected an e-learning approach to:
Provide self-study courses for new employees to complete within their first 60 days with company
Provide base knowledge for learners prior to attendance of hands-on training in the classroom course
Invest in employee development because this will translate into higher retention and better earnings
Reduce travel expenses associated with classroom courses
How Was the Program Aligned with the Business?
This e-learning program is aligned with four significant business objectives for the Power Tools and Accessories business. These objectives:
Provide product knowledge and sales skills
Integrate new hires rapidly into the sales force
Develop leaders
Increase skill sets faster to drive market share and profits
The alignment with the business is best explained by Jeff Davis, Director of e-Learning at BDU. “We select bright college graduates who can be future leaders within the organization,” says Davis. “We then teach them not to be the best carpenter, but to have the confidence and credibility to convert one of our targeted end users over to the DEWALT brand.” Many new hires have never used commercial power tools and have little experience with the building trade. This program teaches not only the features and benefits of DEWALT tools but also the application of the tools in the accomplishment of various activities on a job site. This may include the cutting of rafters, the framing of a house, or the installation of drywall. It is important that new sales people know the technical specifications of the tools (knowledge) and how customers may use the tools more effectively than competitors’ products (application).Another goal is to move people quickly from learning to doing. With the original classroom program, Black & Decker would wait until a large number of new people were hired before scheduling a course. Often this would delay training for new employees as much as three months. By implementing e-learning for much of the fundamental knowledge, the business was able to begin training sales people during their first week on the job. Some benefits of moving fundamental knowledge to a blended learning course include reducing the time in the classroom, reducing travel costs, and returning sales people to the field sooner. Many people who participate in this program will be the future sales and marketing leaders of Black &Decker. It is critical to long-term company success that new hires are well grounded in the company’s products, and that they understand how Black & Decker goes to market. Says Davis, “We need our new hires to be knowledgeable about our users, their needs, and how DEWALT products meet their needs.”
Key Business Drivers
Drive sales for the organization
Reduce time-to-market and rapidly make new sales people effective in the market
Rapidly develop new hires for management positions in the company
Become a world-class sales and marketing university
How Was the Program Designed?
The original classroom-only program consisted of a binder with reference materials that was sent to new hires when they joined the Power Tools and Accessories business. Within their first three months, each new sales person attended a two-week classroom course at BDU. Often the new hires would show up for the class not having opened the binder. Says Davis, “The new hires may have never even touched a power tool in their life, and many do not know the difference between a jig saw and a reciprocating saw.” This original classroom course was 80 percent instruction using PowerPoint presentations, to go over facts, figures, and market information, with the remaining 20 percent actually spent using some tools. The new blended program contains four distinct components:
e-Learning, which consists of a pre-assessment, 16 self-paced e-learning courses, and a post-assessment
On-the-job training, which involves field experience, such as meeting customers at job sites under the guidance of experienced sales people
Classroom training, with one week of hands-on application training and a final exam
Mentoring, which involves the application of knowledge in the field with one-on-one mentoring, followed by a final online assessment
The new program expertly blends e-learning, practical field experience, classroom training, and manager feedback. This combination helps to quickly develop effective sales people. Today, when a person joins the business, they immediately receive a welcome packet with their user ID and access instructions to the BDU Learning Portal. This packet also directs them to logon to the university and begin the program.The first two components of the program, self-paced e-learning and on-the-job training, are completed simultaneously. For the e-learning component, learners first complete a self-paced course that orients them to the learning program and other online resources, such as the knowledge management system, the product information database, and links to the company’s Web sites. The learners then complete a pre-assessment that tests them on fundamental knowledge covered in the program. Then over the next 30 days, learners complete 16 self-paced e-learning courses, augmented with work completed in the field with their managers. At the end of the 30 days, learners complete a post-assessment. Participants must complete this e-learning portion and pass a post-assessment before attending the classroom learning.In the second step, on-the-job training continues with two to four weeks in the field, so that learners can apply their new skill sets at job sites. “They become more knowledgeable about our customers, what their needs are, and how we can impact that customer,” says DeFeo. “DEWALT has a method of growing the business. We want to be where contractors buy, work, learn, and play.” The first two steps of the DEWALT Field Marketing Training Program prepare new sales people for the third part of the program—classroom training. When new hires arrive at BDU’s training facility, they have gained foundational knowledge and customer experience that helps strengthen their learning in the classroom. Each part of the program builds on the previous part and is evaluated by testing and personal feedback.
The redesigned classroom training is a total reversal of the old program. Eighty percent of the time is spent discussing and using the tools to build real-life applications. Participants now cut a rafter and then fasten the rafter to a truss system. Each activity is now an example that reflects how a customer would use a DEWALT tool on a job site.The remaining 20 percent of the course is spent in the classroom, reinforcing the hands-on activities though interactive discussions with the instructors. Game shows, quizzes, and other activities are used to reinforce key concepts, terminology, and facts. The implementation of e-learning for knowledge delivery allows the classroom instruction to focus on the application of the knowledge, which greatly improves retention and creates time for skill development.In the fourth part of the program, learners go back out to the field and apply concepts from the classroom. Field managers reinforce what was studied in the classroom. After approximately 30 days, the new hires complete a follow-up assessment, which covers the key learning points from all four components of the program.
How Was the Program Developed?
To build this blended program, the Power Tool and Accessories business selected a full service vendor, Vuepoint, which provided key capabilities such as:
Content development tools and services
Learning content management system
Implementation services
Instructional design
Standard proven design methodology to rapidly develop programs with consistent quality
“BDU was able to create 16 e-learning courses in less than a year and overhaul the classroom content in large part through our partnership with Vuepoint,” says DeFeo. “They guided the BDU staff through an instructional design model, ROPES (Review and Relate, Overview, Present, Exercise, and Summarize), that we used to identify how to present the information in ways that work best for the learner.” The project team for both the 16 e-learning courses and the revised classroom course was composed of 15 subject matter experts from Black & Decker, three to four developers, and a program manager from Vuepoint.Black & Decker found that a key element of e-learning design is that content that changes frequently should be kept outside the e-learning course. This reduces the time and expense of making constant updates to courses.
Media and Tools
Vuepoint authoring tool
Vuepoint learning content management system
Macromedia Flash
Toolnet, product knowledge repository
“We tried to build the content so that it has a longer shelf life,” says Davis. “Concepts are taught from a foundational level, and we use an internal database called ToolNet for specific information. For example, the amps on a tool or the rpms on a motor are referenced in the database. This allows specifications to be kept current through links in the course.”
How Was the Program Deployed?
BDU learning portal (www.bduniversity.com) is used to provide general information. Once learners enter their user ID and password (see Figure 13-1), they have access to their own personal learning portal where they can view their courses. At this point, the learners are in the Vuepoint learning content management system, where they can:
Check the calendar of upcoming events at the university
View their course transcripts
Register for upper level courses
Access various other functions, based on user’s profile
Figure 13-1: Black & Decker University Login Screen
Black & Decker uses the PeopleSoft HR system. One of their goals is to link Vuepoint with PeopleSoft so that they can transfer attendance records from the Vuepoint system to PeopleSoft on a weekly basis. This will greatly reduce the manual maintenance of user profiles.Marketing of the program was divided into three audience targeted campaigns: new hires, existing employees, and company management. When new hires join the company, they receive a packet that includes access instructions and their user ID for the BDU portal. This learning portal has been incorporated into the recruitment process as one of the benefits of joining Black & Decker. When new hires receive the packet, they generally have already seen a demonstration or overview of the portal. Existing employees also have access to the portal and the e-learning courses. An awareness campaign, Kick Off Your Learning, was developed to introduce them to the program. Because it was launched in the fall of 2001, the campaign used a football theme and included give-aways, such as a new mouse pad delivered to each person’s desk. To introduce management to the program, two kiosks were set up at major sales meetings. These kiosks contained demonstrations of the virtual campus. Another marketing tool was created by wrapping the first module of the Black & Decker history course in a Marcromedia Flash video. This video was sent out as a teaser to employees, encouraging them to go online and take an e-learning course. This campaign has resulted in 100 percent of new hires attending the e-learning courses and wide acceptance by management for the longer training period.
Marketing Approach
Market Black & Decker
University as a key element of the recruiting process
Provide information and course instructions in the new hire welcome package
Reach existing employees through e- mail and office campaigns
Demonstrate learning portal at major meetings
What Was the Business Impact of the Program?
“This program has been phenomenal,” says DeFeo. “It has revolutionized the way we train today. New sales people are experiencing a faster time-to-market with new knowledge and skills. In addition, our retention rate has doubled over the past year.” By using e-learning, the classroom experience has changed from 80 percent content presentation to 80 percent hands-on experience in the use of products. Content has been brought to life through interactions that are fun and engaging and managers have been given the opportunity to reinforce content in the field. “Initially, we saved a lot of money; we will save more this year, and in about two and a half years, we will have recouped our costs,” says DeFeo. Says DeFeo, “An unexpected benefit of the e-learning courses is that after completion, many people are going online to view the basic courses because we all forget so much over the years. Having information at our fingertips has been fantastic because binders, books, and flyers are outdated the day they are sent out.” The Power Tools and Accessories business took the time to totally overhaul their traditional two- week classroom new hire program, converting it into a blended program combining e-learning, practical application on-the-job, classroom experiences, and manager coaching. This extended the learning period from two weeks to over twelve weeks but allowed training to begin immediately. The implementation of e-learning also allowed the business to move hard costs that were spent on travel into learning development and delivery. By having the learner alternate between knowledge acquisition and application, Black & Decker has built a powerful program that is exceeding their goals for retention and rapid integration of new employees into the sales force.
Summary
Purpose: To move people quickly form learning to doingProgram Structure: The new blended program contains four distinct parts:
A pre-assessment, 16 e-learning courses, and a post assessment
Two to four weeks of field experience, meeting customers at job sites with experienced sales people
One week of classroom training with a final exam
Application of knowledge in the field with one-on-one mentoring, and then a final assessment
Number of Learning Hours per Learner:
Eight hours e-learning, minimum
40 hours classroom, combined with on the job coaching
Total Number of Hours of Learning in the Program: More than 60 hoursNumber of Learners: 1,000 in sales forceCompletion Requirements:
16 e-learning courses with a post-assessment
Classroom course with a post-assessment
Media and Tools:
Macromedia Flash
Audio recordings
Classroom presentations
Hands-on lab activities
Deployment Mechanism: Vuepoint’s learning content management system, which:
Links to a company portal
Provides access to all e-learning courses
Manages classroom registration
Tracks course completion
Lessons Learned
Use external professionals to build the first program so you have an expert show you the way. This then provides an opportunity to determine what resources you need for future projects. Plus, this quickly builds great success and allows time for developing internal capabilities.
Tie content to direct application in the field.
Create presentations of the content for customers and sales managers to motivate learners.
Have your Information Systems community involved from day one.
Be prepared that for the short term, there is a huge people and time commitment needed to create a successful blended learning program-but the payoffs are phenomenal
