Extraordinary Learning in the Workplace - Case Study Example

?Leading Linklaters to Its Goal through Training and Development Outline I. Company Background II. Training Needs Analysis III. Training Plan IV. Training Aim, Objectives and Motivation V. Training Design VI. Assessment I. Company Background Linklaters is a global law firm with its main headquarters in London. It provides law services to clients all over the world through its partner firms and lawyers. In 2009, Linklaters ranked first in the list of top global law firms based on annual revenue. However, such success was waned as the firm failed to retain its position. In 2010, Linklaters was reported to rank fourth instead (AmericanLawyer.com 2010), exchanging places with B&M, a U.S. competitor. The decline in revenue implies a gap in the performance of Linklaters firms. II. Training Needs Analysis Linklaters has identified that in order to retain its previous position in the industry, it has to improve on building relationships that endure through business cycles. In accordance to this, the firm determines its need to constantly focus on their clients, deeply understand the global market, be globally minded and committed while showing integrity in the way employees and lawyers interact with the communities they serve. The training to be provided would involve all employees and lawyers within the Linklaters firms. In consideration of the different roles they play in the organisation, separate trainings will be provided to emphasise best practices of customer care in each unit. III. Training Plan A strong presence in the global market practically requires an organization to be customer-focused. The satisfaction of returning customers can help spread the good word to attract new customers to the services of the firm. In addition, new or first-time customers should develop a good impression of the firm to ensure satisfaction and increase referrals. John (2003) identifies that a customer-focused firm has an intimate knowledge of its customers. Customer intimacy helps to provide superior customer value or operational excellence. Likewise, it allows improvement of customer value, thus leading to the attainment of product leadership. The effort to achieve customer intimacy and product excellence serves as ‘a guiding element in corporate strategy and performance’ (208). The corporate structure of Linklaters suggests the need for a common ground in customer-focused practices. The training to be conducted would yield a list of best practices for each unit of lawyers and employees in countries around the globe where Linklaters has its presence. Establishing best practices for customer care would strengthen the corporate identity of the firm and promote better global corporate performance. IV. Training Aim, Objectives and Motivation A. Aim The training aims to promote the use of best practices to improve customer intimacy and corporate identity. B. Learning Outcomes By the end of the training, the participants will be able to: A. Emphasise the importance of customer intimacy among employees and lawyers B. Identify best practices of customer service in each department/unit to promote a common corporate identity among partner firms C. Show camaraderie among members of the community to help in cascading customer intimacy D. Establish means and procedures for evaluating customer satisfaction and intimacy. C. Motivation The motivation of the training is goal orientation. In the first part of the training, the facilitator will explain to the participants the goal of the company and the reason for conducting the training. V. Training Design A. Introduction Participants will introduce themselves and mention their role in their respective departments. B. Content Lecture: What are Best Practices? A short lecture will be conducted by the facilitator to define best practices and their significance in an organisation. This sets the mind of the learners to understand that best practices are important in an organisation especially global firms like Linklaters. Importantly, the short lecture will also provide an impression that new knowledge can be learned from the training. Jarrar and Zairi (2004) define best practices as ‘those practices that have been shown to produce superior results’ and that are ‘generally considered to be more effective at deliverying particular outcome than by other means’ (4). Best practices are very important especially in the field of customer service because they establish the standards for providing care to customers. Ultimately, they characterise the culture of the firm and establish its identity in the corporate world. Activity 1: Role-playing by groups Participants will present role plays to determine existing best practices in their department and suggest additional practices to improve customer intimacy in terms of the following: 1. Accepting a call 2. Handling customer inquiries/complaints/ 3. Receiving guests Activity 2: Symposium The facilitator takes note of the best practices presented. The participants will study the best practices both new and existing. Afterwards, the participants will decide which best practices will lead them to the goal of improving customer intimacy and corporate identity. Rationale The presentation of role plays is based on the cognitive learning approach, in which the trainer acts as the facilitator and the participants serve as active participants of learning. According to theorists, in the cognitive approach, the prior knowledge of the participants is necessary to develop new knowledge and skills (Hafler 2011). According to Askov (1998), 'skills and knowledge interact’ (12), thus the participants will rely on their prior knowledge and skills to develop new learning. The facilitator will emphasise that the participation of the attendees is the key to success; without their participation, the training will not be fruitful. This idea would motivate the participants internally to share their thoughts and participate actively because they will feel responsible for the outcome of the training. Moreover, the role playing will make the participants relaxed in working collaboratively to identify the best practices already existing in the office. Based on the tasks provided, the role of the presenters is to identify the best practices that they have and suggest other best practices that the firm can adopt globally. At the end of the presentation, the groups will decide which best practices should be adopted based on the presentations. These practices will be listed down and form part of the employee handbook. Notably, relying on the participants to make a consensus will make them feel their value as members of the firm. Furthermore, making participants know that decision making will be done during trainings will make them realise the value of training and their active participation. At the end of the symposium, the participants, led by the facilitator, will prepare a draft of a survey to be used to assess the quality of customer service rendered to the client. The items for the assessment will be based on the best practices to be adopted. in the global community of Linklaters. VI. Assessment The participants will answer the checklist below to assess the value of the training. Rate the items below in the scale of 1-5 (5=Very Good; 4=Good; 3=Satisfactory; 2=Fair; 1=Poor). Check on the column that corresponds to your answer. Item 1 2 3 4 5 1. Was the training helpful? 2. Was the training informative? 3. Were the material resources apt? 4. Were the location and atmosphere conducive to training goals? 5. Was the facilitator approachable, attentive to needs, and organised? 6. Was the training method (role-play and symposium) effective to realise goals? 7. Was the time allotted enough to cover the training procedure and goals? 8. Were the procedures clearly explained to ensure understanding and fulfilment of requirements? 9. Were the participants cooperative and motivated? 10. Was the training effectively designed to bring out knowledge and skill reserve of employees? References Askov, E. 1998. Framework for Developing Skill Standards for Workplace Literacy. Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing. Hafler, J. ed. 2011. Extraordinary Learning in the Workplace. Connecticut: Springer. Jarrar,Y. and Zairi, M. 2000. Best practice transfer for future competitiveness: a study of best practices. Total Quality Management. Vol.11, pp. 4-6. Joby, J. 2003. Fundamentals of Customer-Focused Management: Competing through Service. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. The Global 100 2010: The World's Highest Grossing Law Firms. AmericanLawyer.com. [Online]. Available from http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202472338838 [Accessed 20 August 2011]. Read More