Retailer JCPenney is applying email to new realms by using its
email server to train employees throughout the US and Europe
Profile
Training department for more than 1,230 stores Centralised Human
Resource Development responsibility 50 state domestic
responsibility Training in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Chile The
challengesJCPenney has tens of thousands of associates scattered
worldwide and across all 50 states in America. A dynamically
changing retail landscape meant that new programs, new policies and
new procedures were being developed every day to cope with
competition and regulations. Traditionally, training was
accomplished by developing video tape and paper-based training
programs at JCPenney headquarters and transporting trainees to
Dallas, Texas. Training materials were being distributed to stores
all over the country. This made it difficult to monitor changing
needs and requests on a timely basis.
The solutionIn 1996, a
major change in the approach to training took place when JCPenney
adopted a Distance Learning program. Distance Learning immediately
began to take advantage of available technology to solve some of
the problems of getting timely and effective training materials to
stores throughout the country. Satellite broadcasts and CD
ROM-based training were major steps in distributing better
material. However, they still lacked the support that was needed
for the training. Satellite classes still needed text-based
materials to support the learning topic.Deborah Masten, manager of
Human Resource Development, made a discovery at a training
conference that turned things around. The University of
Wisconsin-Madison demonstrated how it had used a product called
FirstClass, from SoftArc, to implement a successful on-line
training program for its medical students. Deborah immediately saw
how that success could apply to the learning organisation she
wanted to build for JCPenney.
The implementationFirstClass,
an email and conferencing system, was adopted as the core
complement to the other Distance Learning elements that had been
put in place. By integrating FirstClass with its satellite
training, it has not only enhanced educational programs but also
provided JCPenney with a knowledgeable management system. Working
with 6 Degrees Software and Consulting, from Burlington, Vermont,
JCPenney used FirstClass to provide a system that truly offers
central control to nationwide training. At any given time, there
may be 7,000 to 8,000 users registered for instruction. Users pass
through the system, like a revolving door, as they enter a work
group or class. Once they have completed the course, they are
removed from the system. All of this is made possible because the
FirstClass system allows local managers to enroll students using a
simple menu-driven interface. This field enrollment is then checked
and confirmed by the Human Resource Development staff at
headquarters. By using this combination of decentralised enrollment
and centralised control, 11 people can effectively oversee the
training of thousands of people at once. JCPenney makes extensive
use of the conferencing power of FirstClass. The most popular
training tool is a case study where a group is given a situation
and asked to work together to prepare a recommendation. The class
is divided into small groups of eight to 10 participants. Because
the FirstClass system is asynchronous, every participant is free to
work on the training assignment as his or her schedule permits.
They may log on and exchange information in a near real-time manner
or they may leave a comment or a question and return in hours, or
even days, to learn the answer. Because the system is tied to a
central database, the Human Resource Development department can
produce reports at any time and analyse the quantity and quality of
the participation of any student. So, even though there may be
thousands of people in training at one time, an instructor can view
the performance of a person and offer them one-on-one attention, if
needed. The person with the training responsibility at store level
can also have secure access to monitor those people who are
currently registered in programs from their store. The next planned
stage of development for the JCPenney Distance Learning Program is
to implement remote testing using the FirstClass intranet server.
The current system bases a user's success on primarily subjective
observation of the quality and quantity of participation in the
case study groups. Remote testing will generate more quantitative
analysis of the user's understanding and retention of the
principles being taught.
The resultsAfter starting with a
very limited training community in 1996, the success of the
Distance Learning Program, built around FirstClass, has brought
requests from nearly every business unit in the company. Using
FirstClass has helped the JCPenney organisation keep their managers
in the field current with changing roles and procedures. According
to Masten: "SoftArc's FirstClass Intranet Server is one of the most
powerful training tools a Fortune 500 company can use. JCPenney,
with the help of customisation from SoftArc's development partner,
6 Degrees, is able to provide a knowledge management system
uniquely designed to meet the needs of each core job
classification. It not only provides a structured text-based
electronic manual, but also allows students to interact with their
instructors and peers in an unprecedented way - and they can do it
asynchronously."
Paul Phillips