HRM CASE STUDYIONS CONSULTNG: THE MP^2 TRAINING PROGRAM

Amol Walunj (PGP02-125)Vipin Kumar (PGP02-124)

Vikram Dahiya (PGP02-123)

About Ions Consulting: Help clients improve project execution with regards to budget, schedule and efficiency Core Competence : IT project solutions Competitive Advantage : Large pool of experienced consultants System integration, network management, custom application development, e-commerce

development 2003 : Offices in three Canadian cities (Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg) with over 60 employees Laid off some employees to reduce costs during IT downturn 2006 : 40 employees across the three cities As under-performing employees were laid off, some high-performing employees too started looking

for jobs due to perceived job insecurity, top performers bolted for jobs with competitors The proportion of employees with more than 5 years of consulting experience fell sharply from 70%

in 2001 to 40% in 2006 Client satisfaction resulted from the experienced consultants producing dynamic results However, as they started hiring low paid, less experienced consultants based on availability rather

than consulting experience to fill the void, quality of work reduced

Problems faced by the company: Reshape the company’s training practices to assist the inexperienced newcomers as well as

experienced professionals Facilitate teamwork, provide skills upgrade, improve quality of client service Increase job satisfaction and commitment Retain employees over the long term Combat low employee morale and rising turnover rates Regain the lost the edge on delivering quality solutions to customers Improve quality of consultants

Solution envisaged by Clark Loon: Paired experienced consultants with inexperienced associates to work on complex, expensive client

projects Two-fold benefits :

Inexperienced associates would obtain valuable training from experienced consultants in a structured, supported environment

Experienced consultants would have more resources and assistance at their disposal to complete major projects

The inexperienced associates will also receive a small-scale project Regular feedback and evaluations Based on contribution and complexity of work, participating newcomers would be awarded credits

Target of 30 credits to become eligible for leading a project Expected average time to achieve target: 2-3 years

Reactions of the firm members to the proposal before and after the pilot launch:

Employee Name Reaction to the MP^2 proposal Reaction after the Pilot LaunchGeneral Reaction Great resistance Mixed reviews

Dale Ellis (SVP Operations)80% employees would be tied up, reducing client portfolio

Having more members improved the inefficiency and the speed of service; Missing out on new projects as too many employees per project

Ray Rones (MD Client Services)The problem is not train; its hiring and retaining the right people

No change in client feedback

Bob Dowry (Sr. Consultant)Already overworked; lack of time to teach the complicated stuff to the juniors

Tough to look over three members apart form own work; overworked and burnt out

Jane Platt (Sr. Consultant)No point if the newcomers leave soon; but ready to help in some areas

Extremely impressed with the newcomers, looking forward to working with them again, would recommend the program to all

Larry Lay (Sr. Consultant) It would slow things down Newcomers can’t do it

Sue Kay (3rd yr Assoc. Consultant)

What are the benefits? Capable of managing big projects; unwilling to do ‘someone else’s dirty work’

Waste of time, mentor didn’t listen or talk, ‘incompetent’ mentor

Jin Chang (Incoming Associate) 3 years is too long a time Challenging work; lots to learn before leading an own project

Issues faced by Clark Loon: Is the proposed program working or failing? It’s potential to resolve turnover issues What revisions may be required, if any Ensure employee acceptance What benefits to focus on in order to convince employees? How to measure the success of the program? If employees rejected, the program would never work

Solution Analysis:

I- The mentorship program is vital for the survival of the firm, but may be modified to increase its acceptance among the employees- It could be tailored as per the ‘talent-on-demand’ framework as suggested by Peter Capelli in order to streamline the process and keep it as lean as possible- Instead of one long term target, a few small annual target must be set for the participants against which their performance should be monitored- Improve the recruitment process to include effective techniques like BEI to ensure that the right people are hired for the job

US- The pilot launch received mixed reviews, but for the program to be successful, it has to gain full acceptance of the employees- Benefits for the participants and the mentors need to be highlighted- Experienced consultants already feeling overworked and unrecognized and unrewarded- Would erode the bench strength of the company; may cause them to miss out on new projects- Objective measurement of the success of such a program would be slightly tricky

WE- In order to facilitate teamwork, provide skills upgrade and improve quality of client service, it is important that the firm adopt a mentorship program for its inexperienced newcomers- The current MP^2 proposal may be altered slightly to make it more acceptable among all employees- Short term targets for the participating newcomers can help the mentors monitor their progress and also maintain their motivation levels- The mentors may be selected from among the experienced consultants as per the characteristics of good mentors and role models as described by Kimberly McDowall-Long (2004)

THEY- At marketRx (Cognizant EAP), a similar program is run for the wherein they are trained and mentored by more experienced employees- Additional material benefits as well as recognition for mentors - Annual target of training programs for all employees (instead of a single large target as proposed, which may be perceived as unachievable and may demotivate the participants) and are a part of the annual appraisal- Outstanding performers are duly recognized and rewarded- A mentorship program at Infosys to help assimilate newcomers into the organization culture