CRG Associates: Project Examples

Project
Examples

CORCORAN MANAGEMENT COMPANY, INC.
BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS

Services Provided:
Business Workshop Design; Trainer Development; Management Training;
360 Degree Feedback Process; Organizational Assessment; Consulting

A property management organization, Corcoran Management Company, Inc. has been a client of CRG ASSOCIATES since July, 1999. This client has embarked on an important management training and development initiative, which included specific skills training development, multi-source feedback for the leadership subjects, and forms of measurement in place to enable the organization to identify and quantify progress and skill improvement over time.

As part of a company-wide initiative to improve leadership skills, increase employee satisfaction and to improve employee retention rates, Corcoran Management Company requested an organizational assessment process. CRG ASSOCIATES designed and administered an organizational survey, consisting of 12 customized questions designed to elicit information about employee morale, perception of leadership skills, the current culture and opportunities for employee growth.

Results from the initial assessment identified some areas of concern. We brought the 32 leaders together and facilitated a process using the survey results which created beneficial dialogue across leadership levels. Three Organizational Priorities were identified, agreed upon and formed the basis for 3 Project teams currently in place. They are focusing on: Career Development, Communication, and Manager Roles. The next assessment step will take place Q3, 2002 to determine impact of work to date.

FIRST AMERICAN REAL ESTATE TAX SERVICE
DALLAS, TEXAS

Services Provided:
Team Training, Trainer Development, Program Delivery, Consulting

This project was to assist the organization in moving to a team-based structure and provide the necessary consulting and training for success. The optimal process for developing the education, awareness and specific skills needed for a teamed environment was a "cascading", or top-down approach which established a common framework, language, consistent roles and responsibilities across the organization and helped to develop an environment in which all levels of the organization are aligned and moving toward shared goals.

Courses delivered included: Cultural Education and Awareness , Interpersonal Skills Training ( Feedback, Coaching, Conflict Management, Listening, Consensus-Building), Team Planning, Analyzing Work Processes, Problem-Solving, Process Improvement Skills and training and facilitation skills for ongoing self-sufficiency. Target audiences for training were: Executives, Senior and Middle Managers, Team Leaders and Team Members. Training was delivered at the central operations site and at every Regional Office in the United States.

ALLMERICA FINANCIAL®
WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

Services Provided:
Train the Trainer Program for Classroom Trainers; Train the Trainer Program Development for On the Job Trainers, Program Design and Delivery.

This organization's Corporate Learning Services group is positioned to meet the needs of its internal clients, representing the various Lines of Business. One critical initiative for Allmerica has been identified as the need for a more formalized, consistent approach to its company-wide on the job training processes. As part of this initiative, the senior leadership agreed on a plan to identify a training and development firm to first, identify the needs of its OJT providers, and then design the program(s). Ultimately, this program and process would be handed over to the Corporate Learning function as one of its ongoing internal offerings.

CRG ASSOCIATES was engaged to accomplish the following objectives:

Design the formal "Train the Trainer" Program for its OJT Providers
Develop and utilize standard / generic job aids and checklists for the OJT
providers' use during their training efforts
Develop a "Coaching Support" program for the team leaders of the OJT providers, which would orient them to the full OJT program
Provide Coaches with Job Aids and tools to use in the coaching role
Deliver the pilot of both programs effectively before handing it over to the client.

The pilots ran very successfully, and within 30 days the client trainers were able to successfully deliver the programs to their next group of internal client participants.

RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
TROY, NEW YORK

Services Provided:
Career Center Strategic Planning and Continuous Quality Retreat, Participant Manual

This client is a large, technical institution charged with developing future technological leaders. Their primary need was to develop a strategic organizational plan to utilize Continuous Quality Improvement concepts and tools to enhance the quality and level of customer service expected by its customers (students, parents, staff and larger community). A retreat was held to further develop the mission and strategic approach.

Objectives included learning ways to view this function in a new way, identify and prioritize core business services, let go of some past approaches and learn new models / tools for ongoing problem-solving and continuous improvement. Finally, we needed to ensure accountability, follow up with planning, and action steps.

This process resulted in a new organizational plan, which identified a new structure for their core business, key products, key customers, operating principles, and interaction with other departments. Streamlined processes provided customers more timely and accurate services.