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Case Study 2: Creating a Learning Organization Culture for Skills Transfer
The Challenge:
What do you do when your average age is 49 and your workforce is comprised of highly skilled technical engineering people? This succession nightmare forced a Fortune 500 company to take a serious look at preparing for the future. They called The Adele Lynn Leadership Group for solutions.
We knew that the workforce was highly experienced and independent minded. They prided themselves on individual contributions. We also knew that they believed that the “younger generation of engineers” were just not as motivated and dedicated as they were. We also knew that the learning curve for the type of work these master engineers performed was very long.
The solution:
We knew that the key was to shorten the learning curve AND create a mindset that allowed the learning to transfer between generations. We created a formal structured mentoring program, complete with copious plans for data transfer, progress measurement, and evaluation. (These were engineers and they valued the structure.) But, central to the success of the mentoring assignments, we knew that the very culture of learning had to change or that the mentoring would fail. We worked with leadership to help the mentors believe that this contribution was part of their legacy. Then, we worked extensively to give both the mentors and the mentees the tools they needed to succeed. These tools included how to build trust in the relationship, how to transfer learning, how to respect differences in learning styles, and generational difference that could interfere with the relationships.
The Result:
Nearly 100 new engineers have been hired and are in the mentoring process. These engineers are all assigned mentors and the mentor, the mentee, and the managers regularly hold discussions to evaluate the mentoring progress. The status of mentor has created renewed enthusiasm for the mentors. Turnover rate for the new engineers is lower than at any other time in the last 10 years, and the company is in the process of developing the talent they need for the future.
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