In the spring of 2020, learning and development groups at P&G were at a crossroads. Many critical learning experiences had been traditionally delivered as in-person, instructor-led events emphasizing group discussion and networking. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented these sessions from happening in their current format, and learning leaders debated whether to wait it out or explore other approaches.
The most critical need for R&D University (RDU) was to deliver two Colleges: a cornerstone program for new R&D leaders, and an orientation program for early career hires. Before COVID-19, these programs typically were delivered several times a year. With travel postponed indefinitely, there was a growing generation of hundreds of new hires and emerging leaders who were at risk of not being fully prepared and connected. RDU quickly needed a virtual solution, but the mandate was clear: the quality of the learner experience and outcomes could not be compromised.
Teams from P&G and TiER1 came together to rapidly design, build, and deliver a new digital learning experience for RDU that would provide virtual attendees a blended version of a College with live virtual facilitation, a toolkit of self-guided activities, and planned small-group discussions—in a nutshell, “virtualization.”
Keep reading to learn about the key components of the virtualization solution that made it a success.
It’s business driven.
Lisa and team first identified the high-value elements from the existing College programs that would need to be converted for the blended experience. The solution is anchored around the needs of the business, focusing on strategic priorities, the number of required attendees, how to best support global audiences, and how much time away from the job would be feasible. From there, the work was organized in sprints and the cross-functional team was streamlined into sub-teams to meet the Fall 2020 deadline for initial delivery.
It’s technology enabled.
There were constraints in finding the right blend of tools to deliver the experience in time, including IT security approval processes for new platforms, as well as significant investment in an existing custom portal for managing enrollments, communications, and independent pre-work. Plus, SAP Success Factors was the enterprise LMS solution for delivering and tracking eLearning courses. Since Microsoft 365 was beginning to be used for collaboration within the organization, the team wound up integrating all these tools and leveraged Microsoft Teams as the “front door” for users to interact with their class and small-group cohorts, with tabs embedding other resources for a seamless user experience.
It’s people centric.
The entire blended experience was designed to be completed over 8–12 weeks and included several types of interactions:
- Live facilitated sessions with the full class were held to kick off the blended experience, check in with attendees, and formally acknowledge completion.
- On-demand independent activities were available as a series of recorded lectures from facilitators, interactive eLearning courses, and practical tools for applying new skills. Attendees could focus their learning on topics most important to them, such as innovation, developing relationships, and leveraging strengths.
- Cohort sessions and discussion guides provided space for attendees to reflect with peers on all they had learned and put into practice that week.
- Attendees connected one on one with their manager, facilitators, and others to process their learning and build their network for sustained connectivity.
It’s continuously improving.
By building in robust evaluation and feedback loops, the team has been able to understand what’s working well and what needs attention. There were many lessons learned from the initial deliveries that have been applied in new iterations and Colleges. The first program design attempted to minimize synchronous time, giving more flexibility for self-guided activities and small-group discussions over several weeks. However, participants found it easier to block off larger, more condensed blocks of time for group virtual activities across a shorter duration. As travel becomes possible again, the team is continuing to optimize the blend of digital and in-person experiences.
Virtually…possible!
Although it was challenging, the success of the initial solution has resulted in P&G leveraging this approach with TiER1’s partnership for more than 20 virtual programs serving thousands of employees. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, we’ve co-developed a repeatable framework that is flexible based on unique team considerations. This custom approach is informed by what’s worked previously at P&G and other companies to virtualize interactions, enhance the learner experience, and when needed, completely reimagine the learning journey.
In any digital experience program, there are always organizational priorities to be addressed—measurable business outcomes, technology ecosystem and security, investment for development and delivery, and speed to implementation. By balancing those priorities with the people-centric needs of participants, program owners can ensure they’re providing an experience that people want to be a part of. P&G RDU had hundreds of new hires and leaders that needed a meaningful digital experience—this intentional virtualization approach delivered just that.
About the Authors
Anna Oskorus is a Principal who loves helping people learn. Through the solutions she designs, Anna helps people do their best work and give them the knowledge and skills to live more fulfilling lives. Her expertise includes learning strategy, instructional design, education, program management, and global leadership development.
Lisa Jashari is R&D Director, Learning and Development, at Procter & Gamble. In her role as dean of R&D University (RDU), Lisa leads learning and development at P&G for all Research & Development employees. Lisa’s broad set of experiences include research & development, technical sales, L&D, strategic innovation, and executive coaching—the common thread is Lisa’s passion for people development.
