Copyright McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

CHAPTER 1

Zappos: Facing Competitive Challenges

• What challenges is Zappos facing that may derail its attempt to be the best online retailer?

The challenges that Zappos may face include selling other items besides shoes, competition from other online retailers, preserving its workplace culture, finding and retaining talent, maintaining high quality customer service, using new technology, and eliminating unnecessary steps in the service process.

In recent years, Zappos, adopted a management philosophy of holocracy which eliminates managers and gives employees the freedom and responsibility to decide how to get their work done. Hseih’s intent was to allow employees to act more like entrepreneurs and help stimulate new ideas that would benefit the business. However, employees are finding the new management system to be confusing and challenging. Furthermore, they wonder how they will earn raises and advance their careers without management jobs. Many employees have found the new philosophy so dissatisfying that they took three months of severance pay and left the company.

• How can training and development help Zappos meet these challenges?

Training and development can help develop the knowledge and skills to deliver high quality customer service, learn new technologies, and work more efficiently. Furthermore, new hire training can focus on socializing employees to the Zappos culture, and development opportunities can help promote retention. Moreover, training and development activities can help employees develop skills in self-management, which can help combat some of the challenges associated with holocracy.

Students may also mention Zappos Insight (see www.zapposinsights.com). Zappos Insights is a department within Zappos created to share the Zappos culture with other companies. Zappos Insights provides programs about building a culture (3-Day Culture Camp), its WOW service philosophy (School of WOW), the power of a coaching-based culture (Coaching Event), how the human resources function protects the culture and how its programs support it (People Academy), and custom programs. The cost to attend these programs ranges from $2,000 to $6,000 for each attendee.

• Do you think that employees at Zappos have high levels of engagement? Why?

Zappos’s employees seem to have very high levels of employee engagement. The company has a positive organizational culture that is characterized by fun, growth and learning, team spirit, and freedom. The company uses monthly engagement surveys to obtain feedback from employees, the results from which are acted upon.

• Which of Zappos’s ten core values do you believe training and development can influence the

most? The least? Why?(Employee Training and Development, 8e Raymond Noe) (Slolutio Manual with Case Answers) 1 / 4

Page 2

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The values that training and development can most influence include: Delivering Wow Through Service, Pursue Growth and Learning, Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communications, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, Embrace and Drive Change, and Do More With Less. For example, training employees in skills such as teamwork, change management, communications, and lean operations can help support these values. Creation of the Zappos.com library supports the company’s Pursue Growth and Learning value.

The values of a more affective nature (Be Humble, Be Passionate and Determined, and Create Fun and a Little Weirdness) are more difficult to train. Employee selection may be particularly relevant to hiring the right individuals who embrace such values. That said, new hire orientation programs may be of value to socialize employees to these values.

• Is training necessary for Zappos’s transition from a traditional hierarchical structure to holocracy?

Explain why and the type of training needed.

Training is likely needed to transition to this new organizational structure. Training would be needed to help overcome any resistance to change, teach skills in teamwork, and skills in self- management and decision making.

CHAPTER 2

Hitachi Data Systems Global Learning Team

• Is it strategic to involve partners, customers, and suppliers in training? Explain why or why not?

It is strategic to involve these different constituents in training because they offer different perspectives and can provide valuable insights into the needs assessment process. Involving multiple constituents in training is especially key in this context because Hitachi is an IT company, where knowledge and skills sets are complex and continually evolving.

• What model is Hitachi Data Systems using to organize its training function? Provide examples

supporting your answer.

The company appears to be organizing training as a Business-Embedded Learning Function. A business-embedded model means that a training team is constantly engaged in discussions with the rest of operations. The learning team at Hitachi Data Systems includes business interlock (BI) professionals who work with product marketing managers, engineers, and sales professionals to understand the strategic needs of its employees and its partners, suppliers, and customers. The model at Hitachi is somewhat centralized as well because the learning team provides the overall architecture for training at the company and provides a number of programs.

• / 4

Page 3

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

SECTION 1 CASE—LEARNING IN PRACTICE

Dow Chemical Develops Leaders by Sending Them to Work in Unfamiliar Surroundings

• What competitive challenges motivated Dow Chemical to develop Leadership in Action?

Two primary competitive challenges motivated Dow to develop the program:

• Increasing globalization (the need to develop global markets and global leaders) • Dow’s strategic vision to become the most valued and respected science company in the world

• Do you think Leadership in Action contributes to Dow Chemical's business strategy and goals?

Explain.

Yes, the program helped Dow develop leaders who understand what is needed to successfully conduct business in different cultures. The program developed leadership skills as well as developed the leaders’ humility and integrity to do business in new markets. The program helped leaders understand a new business territory, develop new markets, and establish relationships in local communities. The program also helped individuals learn how to deal with uncertainty and change.

• How would you determine if the Leadership in Action program was effective? What metrics or

outcomes would you collect? Why?

Although a variety of metrics could be collected, outcomes that would be particularly meaningful include 360-degree feedback ratings of leadership skills, performance metrics, and promotion/retention rates. Three-hundred sixty-degree feedback would be useful to determine if the leaders are more effective managers. Such feedback could be obtained from their supervisors, coworkers, and employees. In turn, one could examine the performance of the leaders on projects related to the content of the training. Regarding "hard outcomes," examining promoting and retention rates of those who attended training would help determine the long-term impact of the training.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Leadership in Action program, compared to

more traditional ways of training leaders such as formal courses (e.g., an MBA program) or giving them more increased job responsibility?

Advantages • The participants were involved in "hands-on" learning • The program benefited local communities • The participants obtained new knowledge and skills • The program resulted in good PR for Dow

Disadvantages • Travel and housing expenses in international locations • The relatively long duration of the program 3 / 4

Page 4

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.• The participants were uprooted from their regular responsibilities

CHAPTER 3

Identifying Training Needs Using Virtual Brainstorming at EY

• In addition to virtual brainstorming what other methods could EY have used to conduct the

needs assessment? Describe the method, why you would recommend it, and who would be involved?

Students’ answers will certainly vary. It is important that the students provide a logical argument.

One recommendation is looking at historical data, such as customer comments to determine areas of strength and areas for improvement. Based on the results from the virtual brainstorming sessions, a focused survey could also be created for a larger number of participants to validate the results from the brainstorming sessions.

• Would you recommend your method replace or be used in addition to the virtual brainstorming

sessions?

The virtual method has value as it appears to be an effective means to obtain data from geographically dispersed employees. In this light, it would be advantageous to keep this method along with the students’ other recommendations. Given that this needs assessment is for a critical skill set, obtaining data using multiple methods helps to provide a well-rounded perspective.

CHAPTER 4

Safety First

• Describe the different types of instructional characteristics that this program should have for

learning and transfer to occur resulting in a decrease in injuries and accidents.

A wide variety of instructional characteristics were described in the chapter that would be beneficial. Below are some examples of such practices.

• Clearly communicate the objectives and the importance of adhering to safety standards.CEOs or top managers could discuss the importance of safety.• Make the content meaningful and relevant to the employees’ jobs.

• / 4