L&D Staff Augmentation for Rapid Global Training Deployment

The Challenge: Our customer faced a significant reorganization, requiring collaborative shifts and operational framework changes that redefined roles and ways of working. To implement the new operating model, the organization needed sustained change management, upskilling, and mindset shifts, supported by a comprehensive solution for smooth transitions.

CommLab India’s Solution: The customer used our staff augmentation services, hiring a learning architect, project manager, and instructional designer. The learning architect led strategic efforts like action maps and division roadmaps, while the project manager and instructional designer delivered scalable, high-quality blended learning solutions. Programs were launched via a social microlearning platform, supported by an LMS for rollout and tailored recommendations.

Our client is a multinational leading American producer of packaged consumer foods, especially flour, breakfast cereals, snacks, prepared mixes, and similar products. It is also one of the largest food service manufacturers in the world. They produce and market over 100 brands in more than 100 countries, including some iconic ones. They have 34,000 employees worldwide as of May 2024 and their global net sales amounted to almost 19.86 billion US dollars.

The company is committed to innovation and sustainability, with a focus on making food the world loves while upholding strong values such as teamwork, continuous innovation, and doing the right thing. Our client also emphasizes social responsibility, supporting various community initiatives and striving to reduce its environmental impact. With a diverse portfolio and a legacy of over 150 years, they continue to be a significant player in the global food industry.

They have brought good to the world through global brands, sustainably sourced food, people-centered values, and community service.

Our customer has been working with CommLab India since March 2021, when CommLab India was added to their preferred vendors list, based on our capability to offer learning services that appeal to their commonly requested types of learning solutions from different departments. Till date we have been working with 12 and multiple SEs stakeholders and delivering massive results.

We started by doing custom projects for them at $15225 USD, on Intervention Report and Data governance. From 2022, we had also been using the engagement model of staff augmentation, with specific skillsets of IDs and GDs being hired for a specific duration. Till June 2023, staff augmentation involved only IDs/dev work. However, in June 2023, our staff engagement augmentation engagement took a deeper turn, with the customer looking to expand the scope of staff augmentation services. Because of the volume and scope being very different from the previous staff augmentation scope, our customer wanted to hire a learning architect to partner with their current L&D team to understand the need, scope the ask and then decide on learning strategy, solutions, development efforts etc. She would lead the overall solutions based on the defined architecture and requirement.

To begin with, it was a 6-month engagement with CommLab India's lead strategist managing work allocation and other roles being added to the team as we scaled up. The key roles for the staff augmentations cope were Learning Architect, Project Manager, And Instructional Designer/Dev/Graphic Designer.

The scale of work and the need to roll out different parts of the solution at different points, resulted in this being an engagement for 11 months with different roles being hired for different hours per week (ranging from 40-20 hours weekly, gradually tapering down as the project came to a close), with SOWs being renewed on a 3-month basis.

Our client needed to deploy and sustain change management, upskill, and reskill employees on newly defined methodologies and mindset shifts. They required a comprehensive L&D solution to support these goals and ensure a smooth transition during the change. The customer was undergoing a significant reorganization, redefining collaborative approaches and operational frameworks, necessitating substantial role adjustments. Post-reorganization, significant changes occurred in regional collaboration on strategy and execution, impacting both existing roles and those moved to new roles. This required close collaboration between managers, leaders, and teams to implement the new operating model.

The learning strategist’s role was to focus on strategic impact by analyzing reorganization effects and designing intervention maps aligned with core divisions. This involved refining the learning solution architecture, content development, solution strategy, manager engagement, and impact assessment plans using the 70-20-10 approach. Additionally, the strategist needed to identify and address gaps in the learning ecosystem, develop role-specific learning journeys, and provide continuous consultation. Collaborating with the customer to develop best practice solutions for performance gaps and learning needs was also essential. Identifying necessary resources from CommLab India, such as project managers, content developers, instructional designers, and media specialists, based on content development needs, was part of the scope.

The project manager was responsible for overseeing rapid, scalable, and high-quality learning solutions. This included collaborating with stakeholders and customer SMEs, managing resource allocation, project execution, and ensuring timely deployment. Handling launch events and ensuring smooth implementation were also key responsibilities.

Instructional designers were tasked with creating micro-learnings, eLearnings, interactive PDFs, infographics, and other learning resources. They maintained learning journey maps and updated content based on customer needs, addressing translation needs where required. Utilizing the new microlearning social platform to train globally dispersed teams for maximum impact was a crucial aspect of their role.

CommLab India partnered with their internal L&D team, providing support in change management and designing and executing various components of the learning strategy, ecosystem, and architecture. This strategic partnership ensured swift and comprehensive implementation at scale. We worked collaboratively with our client on the following:

Learning Strategy

Our engagement with the customer began by defining an overall L&D strategy, centered on a blended learning journey that addressed the knowledge required for the re-defined process in their new operating model. This journey started with preparing learners’ mindsets, introducing the social micro-learning platform, and outlining specific learning journey maps, timelines, and formats. This was followed by learning new work methodologies and process frameworks using microlearnings, eLearnings, and VILTs. The initial learning phase was succeeded by a deeper dive, focused on skill-building and practice in a social learning environment, supported by performance aids.

Throughout these phases, we supported learning goals through manager engagement and support by providing resources like interactive PDFs to help managers support their teams, reinforce learning through touchpoints, and use team sessions and coaching. Manager engagement was leveraged both in the microlearning platform and through purposeful team meetings. Additionally, internal communities enabled knowledge and best practice sharing, leveraged leaders for fireside chats, and provided continuous learning support through resources like job aids, SharePoint pages, scenario practice, and social learning discussions.

Transforming the Learning Ecosystem

Once the learning strategy was defined, we worked towards addressing all other parts of their learning ecosystem in the following areas:

Learning Strategy:We implemented a highly engaging blended learning strategy for maximum impact and leveraged a social microlearning strategy to support the key business goal of encouraging purposeful collaboration across the customer’s various regions.
Organization of Learning:We involved leaders for ongoing feedback, integrated solutions into the flow of work, and conducted manager L&D team activities to ensure learner buy-in.
Learning Offering:We customized learning by audience and role, emphasized social learning and work experiences, and included microlearning, interactive PDFs, RISE eLearning, and repurposed ILT recordings.
Learning Enablers:We trained managers to increase team engagement, utilized tools like Articulate Storyline, Rise, Excel, Microsoft Teams, micro-learning platform, LMS, and SharePoint, and recognized and incentivized learning champions.
Learnscape Integration:We enabled teams to define their ways of working with the new paradigm, leveraged cross-cultural gamification for broader awareness, scaled communities beyond usual circles, and engaged learners and leaders in fireside chats and cross-functional panels.

Success Factors

The staff augmentation model was highly effective due to the best practices adopted at every stage of our engagement with the customer. For SME and stakeholder management, we collaborated with over 15 SMEs, sometimes conducting up to six daily calls in the US time zone. We used SME interview templates for effective input collection, educated SMEs on scope, impact, and solutions, and conducted walkthrough calls for quick signoffs.

In project management and communication, we held daily stand-ups with the customer L&D team and our internal team across different time zones, conducted weekly budget reviews with stakeholders, and used a three-month rolling plan for project management and communication with stakeholders.

For learning solutions, we defined an L&D strategy with a three-month role-specific learning journey map for 11 audiences, providing a visual roadmap for learners. We implemented the customer’s micro-learning social platform to encourage social learning and delivered various learning formats, including e-learnings, infographics, and videos.

In the midst of an evolving business model, we successfully rolled out multiple learning solutions across different key areas, catering to various audiences at speed, scale, and value. A three-month rolling plan was used both as a project planning and communication tool with stakeholders.

Amidst the extensive shift towards new work methodologies, learners quickly adapted to evolving frameworks, ensuring smooth post-reorganization transitions through effective learning initiatives. The results were:

1,400+ hours of microlearning platform learning across 300+ learners.
Two KPIs monitored pre- and post-training showed improvement.
Tool usage increased by 16-700%.
An 80% completion rate by learners.

Strategic Results of the Partnership:

Rapid Deployment and Execution: Through a strategic partnership with CommLab India, the customer successfully deployed a comprehensive L&D solution at scale. This partnership facilitated swift execution of learning initiatives, supporting the organization’s transition during a massive reorganization. Utilizing a social microlearning platform and multiple platforms like the LMS ensured wide-reaching dissemination of learning content.
Impact on Business Goals: The L&D initiative effectively supported managers and leaders in navigating role changes and implementing the new operating model. Tailored role-specific learning journeys with clear recommendations for each target audience helped increase adoption and fostered targeted skill development aligned with individual and team roles and responsibilities.
Smooth Transition through Reorganization: The L&D solution played a pivotal role in facilitating change management, adapting to redefined work methodologies, and shifting mindsets post-reorganization. Manager engagement supported their teams throughout the learning process. Ongoing consultation ensured the sustainability of the learning ecosystem, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Effective Staff Augmentation: The staff augmentation model proved highly cost-effective and time-efficient. CommLab India's team worked seamlessly with the customer team as an extension of the internal team. We collaborated extensively with the client in ideation and execution, delivering strategic and significant results through L&D to help our customer achieve their business goals.