CNA's "Mission Impossible" — How It Trained 2,300 Managers in Just Six Weeks
When a Fortune 500 company faced this task, it turned to Collaboration Architects Inc.* — and not only got the job done but also saved more than a million dollars in the process.Falls Church, VA (April 2003) — A question for human resource professionals: What would you say if you were asked to train more than 2,000 managers, based in numerous geographic locations all over the globe, in just six weeks? After you picked yourself up off the floor, you'd likely reply that the task was impossible. And in pre-Internet days, you would almost certainly be right. Here at the dawn of the brave new world of eLearning, you might be able to pull a rabbit out of your hat, but it would likely be a different sort of rabbit than your ideal — and it might also be a very expensive rabbit!
If you worked for global business insurer CNA, however, you would answer that question in a very different way. When the company faced this task last fall — providing performance planning training to 2,300 managers in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Europe and Asia in just six weeks — it not only met its goal, but did so at a fraction of the projected cost. How? Through a highly interactive process called blended eLearning.
"Had we done this training via the traditional classroom delivery model, it would have cost us at least $1.6 million," says Christina Keener, senior vice president and chief learning officer. "That's $700 per manager, including travel costs — and that is assuming it would have been logistically possible. But, thanks to our revolutionary eLearning approach, we were able to get the job done for $450,000, or $190 per manager — a 73% reduction in costs!"
How did CNA accomplish such a "mission impossible"? The corporation teamed up with Collaboration Architects Inc., a Virginia firm that designs, constructs and implements online work environments that enable people and organizations to collaborate via the Web. Together, they built an "eCampus" that elevates eLearning to a new level, and they used it to implement CNA's Performance Planning training program.
CNA's eCampus: Here's How It Works
Traditional eLearning (if, indeed, it has been around long enough to earn the "traditional" label) usually means that students stare at the screen and answer questions. In most blended learning, these courses are followed up by classroom time, wherein students forget lessons all too quickly.
The CNA/Collaboration Architects brand of blended eLearning is far more interactive and personalized. CNA managers visit the virtual "eCampus," complete five- to 10-minute learning topics, and then participate in a series of well-designed learning activities that take place on the job and on the Web.
Participants in these programs work with a virtual coach — someone at CNA who is an expert on the subject at hand — who asks them questions about and offers feedback on learning activities. Each participant is required to demonstrate capability, which the expert also reviews and coaches.
Incidentally, it is this reliance on coaching that makes CNA's eCampus so unique. As Keener points out, managers had to use this learning to create performance plans for all their employees by a fixed date. Because CNA "burned the boats" (there was no other way to learn what they needed to know), managers had little choice but to turn to their respective coaches for guidance.
Furthermore, the eCampus offers case studies that illustrate each lesson, journal exercises that encourage managers to share their thoughts with others, and discussion groups that let them "talk" to others about how to apply what they've learned. Best of all, the eCampus is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so each manager can do her own training on her own timetable.
"Another great thing about the eCampus is how it brings together geographically distributed employees who work in similar functions," says Collaboration Architects co-founder Bill Bruck. "It allows co-workers who live and work in different countries, and who rarely if ever see each other, to learn together via the Web — and of course, to learn from each other. That sense of community is a major benefit for a company like CNA, which has employees all over the world."
But Is This Type of Learning Really Effective? Absolutely, says CNA.
There's no question that the amount of money CNA saved — and will save in future initiatives — by implementing a blended eLearning program is impressive. But the real question is, does it work? Keener says yes.
"Studies have shown that when people take in a 'chunk' of learning and go out and 'practice' it in the real world — complete with coaching support and plenty of feedback — they're more likely to understand and retain the lesson," she points out. "Compare this to passively sitting in a classroom and possibly 'tuning out' the instructor — students are likely to forget most of what they heard. And when you factor in the logistical advantages, well, you can't beat this way of learning."
Keener compares blended eLearning (with its heavy coaching component) to the master-apprentice model that has been so effective over centuries, adding that doing it via the Web eliminates much of the cost inherent in traditional apprenticeship training.
"Our positive experience with the Performance Planning training has solidified our commitment to blended eLearning," she adds. "It has far exceeded our expectations. We are grateful to Collaboration Architects for building our eCampus — this platform will enable us to deliver complex and comprehensive programs across functions and business areas very effectively and economically in 2003 and beyond."
Collaboration Architects (CArch) is a leading provider of Web-based knowledge and learning solutions to Fortune 500 organizations. CArch's Blended eLearning platform, xPERT eCampus, enables customers to use the proven master-apprentice model for knowledge transmission in a time-efficient manner, by combining live coaching and on-the-job practice with WBT. Their online reference tool, Knowledge xPERT**, allows customers to quickly organize and easily access disparate sources of information across the enterprise. CArch's End2End Methodology complements the xPERT collaboration platform to address the three critical elements of a total solution: people, processes and technology. To learn more, visit www.collaborationarchitects.com.***
CNA is the country's fourth largest commercial insurance writer, the ninth largest property and casualty company and the 51st largest life insurance company. CNA's insurance products include standard commercial lines, specialty lines, surety, reinsurance, marine and other property and casualty coverages; life and accident insurance; group long-term care, disability and life insurance; and pension products. CNA services include risk management, information services, underwriting, risk control and claims administration. For more information, please visit CNA at www.cna.com. CNA is a registered service mark, trade name and domain name of CNA Financial Corporation.
* now Q2Learning
** now xPERT eReference
*** now www.Q2Learning.com