The 2008 Learning In Practice Awards

The results of the LES program to date have been promising. In the past year, Dinwiddie and her team have reduced reliance on external talent in director-level and higher positions from 70 to 50 percent, with an ultimate goal of a 30 percent. Further, users have rated the program a 4.4 out of 5, and 99 percent of participants said they would recommend the program to others at ConAgra.

Thanks to the LES program and Dinwiddie’s leadership, ConAgra gradually is eradicating siloism, improving bench strength and uniting workers under a common vision.

INNOVATION AWARD • GOLD • DIVISION 1

Anthony V. Codianni
Director, Education and Development, Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc.

With an impending talent shortage, many organizations are trying to figure out how to ramp up the next generation of leaders quickly but effectively. Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) is no exception: The company recently launched the LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) program to do just that.

When developing LEAD, the document imaging solutions provider targeted the upper levels of the organization, ranging from frontline leaders to the executive team, through various tracks. Next, four pillars of leadership were identified: manage self, manage projects, lead teams and lead business. Sets of hierarchical competencies were then created for each of the pillars within each of the tracks.

Although the program was initially aimed at TABS leaders, it eventually was implemented throughout the enterprise.

“It was so successful that [President Mark Mathews] decided to deliver it throughout the entire corporation to all 3,500 employees,” said Anthony V. Codianni, director of education and development at TABS, who is in charge of LEAD. “I have total support from the president down.”

Article Keywords: blended learning communities of practice e-Learning formal learning leadership development LMS metrics on-boarding outsourcing performance management succession planning talent management technology virtual learning