Audience: Company-wide, 3,500 employees
Products & services Used: Harvard ManageMentor®, Implementation Services, Custom Portal Development, Facilitation Services
Industry: Computer printing products and services
Challenge: Differentiate from competitors through its people.
Solution: Deliver the "LEAD Toshiba" program, built around Harvard ManageMentor, offering very targeted online training.
Results: Improved staff morale and retention rates.
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Market pressures on printing suppliers required a company-wide shift to secure lasting relationships with customers through value and service. A leadership program for all 3,500 employees improved business acumen, customer passion, and job satisfaction.
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS), is an independent arm of a globally recognized leader in the design, development, and manufacture of all-in-one copy/scan/print/fax monochrome and color multifunction products, software solutions, and professional services.
Printing products have increasingly become more of a commodity, and Toshiba needed to foster company-wide leadership practices that would strategically contribute to the growth of the company's market share and revenue. Their goal was to help employees provide irresistible value to their customers.
With strong support from executive leadership, the "LEAD Toshiba" program enables employees at every level to do their jobs more effectively, with personal pride, customer engagement, and job satisfaction. Built around Harvard ManageMentor, "LEAD Toshiba" is designed to offer very targeted online training that can scale to serve 3,500 users.
Flexible Access to Harvard ManageMentor®
The LEAD Toshiba website offers Harvard ManageMentor's 42 management topics in a compelling user experience organized by Toshiba's four tracks of management and four concepts, or "pillars," of leadership. Employees follow tailored employee role tracks to access the catalog. All the work is recorded for reporting purposes and links back to TABS' intranet portal, its assessment engine FYI, and performance management plans.
Implementation Services Keep Usage High
On a monthly basis, Harvard Business Publishing's senior implementation services manager facilitates a 90-minute blended learning session called the Toshiba LEAD Café. Employees must complete the Harvard ManageMentor topic and successfully pass a comprehension test in order to attend. Grounded in Toshiba-specific examples, this facilitated discussion underscores the relevance of the content. These sessions create a spike in usage of up to 200 percent.
Measurable Results
Toshiba Education and Development's mission is to create a passionate workplace, and the leadership programs are impacting staff morale, commitment to the organization, and retention rates. Proud employees post their certificates of completion in their work areas, and many feel Toshiba is investing in them with the best possible education. The Harvard Business Publishing materials have become a unifying feature at the company.
"Harvard Business Publishing is exactly what you want in a partner. There was nothing we asked them to do that they didn't do. When it came to competency mapping, testing, solution design, custom services, and implementation services, their team was fast, flexible, and adaptable, with excellent customer focus and customer service."
— Director, Toshiba Education and Development
TABS conducted an initial pilot program, for 40 employees, as a test of whether the employees would respond to the Harvard ManageMentor content and to test the partnership. Results of an e-survey revealed great respect for the breadth, depth, and power of the content. Comments from the survey include these:
"I absolutely loved this course. It was EXCELLENT! It was nice to hear from real professionals to get their experienced opinions about what works for them."
"I enjoyed the course and came away with valuable insight and tools. The site was easy to navigate, and the options, such as downloading scripts and worksheets, provided versatility."
"Technically, the pilot was errorless, with no downtime and no problems. For TABS, there was no question about rolling out the program to all 3,500 employees."