Align

Learn

Do

Align Learn Do works with the Interact Software People team to create a bespoke Management Training Programme

Background

Interact is the leading supplier of intelligent intranet software. Founded in 1996, Interact is one of the fastest-growing intranet software companies, growing from an office in the UK to a global player with offices now in the UK, US, Poland and Dubai.

The Challenge

With this continued growth came an increase in the size of the management team (from managers of small teams, through to the senior leadership team), with a variety of approaches across the different locations.

Along with the different styles and approaches across the leadership population, cultural differences came into play when addressing how people should be hired and developed in the business.

Align Learn Do was brought on by the VP of People, Fiona Miller to help analyse how a programme of learning could help to bring some harmony across this group, in different locations, and with different levels of management experience.

The aim was to provide some consistency of approach, improve the candidate experience and people management processes, and help reduce attrition in the first 6 months.

The Solution

Step 1. Align

As with any of our programmes, we spoke to a cross-section of the people that would be attending to:

  • help understand what the learning objectives should be
  • ensure that the learning provided would meet the needs of this diverse group
  • ensure that the delivery methods would work for all.

Step 2. Learn

Once we understood the needs of the group, working with the People Team, we created two workshops that aligned to the performance outcomes the business was expecting.  The two areas were:

  • Hiring – We explored how a manager could own and build the best candidate experience and how to identify biases that could negatively affect a manager’s hiring choice.
  • Colleague Development – Here we explored models for coaching, goal setting and giving feedback.

Both workshops were designed to be hands-on, practical workshops where managers of any experience level could learn (pick up a new tool) and use what they learnt back on the job after the workshop.

Step 3. Do

After each workshop, we produced post-workshop guides that managers could use to top up their knowledge.  We worked with the People team to map the models we explored into their processes and internal tech stack, meaning that the learning is now an embedded BAU way of working for this group.

We also held a Train The Trainer session with the People Team and handed over session notes so that the People Team can iterate out future versions of the workshops as the demands of the business change.

Outcomes

The outcomes reported by the People Team are:

  • Managers now have a consistent way to hire and remove bias.
  • Managers now have a consistent way to set goals, coaching and give feedback.
  • This consistency has helped embed them as BAU ways of working in the business.
  • The People team can run top-up sessions when required, as new managers join the business
  • Six months after the programme rolled out, when a 20% sample of those who attended was reviewed, 94% of managers have set and documented goals with their team members in the HRIS.

Thanks for reading.  To read more case studies click here.  To contact us about creating a training programme for you click here.

“I had the pleasure of attending Neil’s workshops, and I must say, they were fantastic! His expertise and depth of knowledge were truly impressive. Additionally, I had the opportunity to have a one-on-one session with Neil, as well as collaborative sessions with our team. These experiences were incredibly insightful, I learn a great deal from his guidance. Neil is not only professional but also a delight to work with. I highly recommend collaborating with him for his expertise and his friendly approach. Lucie Williams, Head of People Operations”