Case Study - Internal Executive On-boarding Program

Summary of Request
The employee engagement director of a major equipment manufacturer contacted i4cp as she was planning a presentation regarding the company's executive on-boarding program. Their existing new hire program is very successful, and they are in the process of designing a new process for internal employees who are transitioning to a higher leadership level within the company. She specifically wanted to include some external research in the presentation. It is very important to the company to look beyond their own borders at what other organizations are doing to develop successful programs that contribute to employee engagement.

Solution
Within a 24-hour time period, the research team provided a series of articles/reports on executive on-boarding, particularly related to internal promotion.

Benefit and ROI
The request to develop an executive on-boarding program for internal employees came from a business partner within the organization who approached the safety, health & wellness director. They realized that their practice of rotating factory managers often resulted in individuals moving into new roles that they may not be prepared for from a leadership perspective. They have senior managers move into director roles where they need additional information on key touch points and standard processes within the company such as crisis management, legal contacts, and public affairs. Developing a successful on-boarding program for new executives has huge business impact. The cost savings came in three forms:

• Avoiding outside training consultants to design and implement an off the shelf development program
• Shortening time to full effectiveness by 50% - tremendous savings of the most expensive - and most vital - management talent within Deere
• Increasing retention of this group by 10%, or $200,000 

From a retention perspective, there is the time and money invested in high-potential employees who are promoted and then may leave if they are not successful at a new assignment. The cost of not having a successful program are really brought into perspective when you consider the implications of an accident in manufacturing and a new leader not being trained in crisis management processes.

Additional cost to the company: $0