For

ExampleHR Issues and New Learning Technologies:

Case Studies from Ten Companies

By Bruno Dufour

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Mergers, acquisitions, international expansion, changes in business focus, innovation... In a dynamic, fast-moving world, an increasing number of companies are recognising the role that new learning technologies can play in helping them to carry out strategy.

There was a time when training managers simply recycled the previous year’s training plan. This era has well and truly passed. Today, human resources departments are organising their skills improvement policies in line with corporate strategy implementation. A good skills improvement policy helps companies equip themselves with the critical skills required for the jobs of the future, and helps managers appropriate strategic challenges and increase their operational performance. It also allows companies to adapt behaviour and values to create a common culture and to attract and retain the best key talent throughout the world.

Quick responses are necessary. More people in more countries have to be reached. The needs of all individuals have to be answered. All these challenges need to be met with unchanged or sometimes decreasing budgets. To meet all of these needs, an increasing number of companies are turning to an «e-rollout» of training programmes.

This document shows how new learning technologies are today fulfilling a fundamental role in the everyday life of companies. Drawing on case studies, it highlights the contribution of distance-learning programmes in the ongoing process of managing change, as well as in ensuring the success of the strategic changes that companies are often forced to make.

Foreword

Bruno Dufour (ESSEC Business School, EHESS Social Sciences Institute) is a businessman as well as a higher education lecturer. After beginning his career in marketing,

and obtaining a FNEGE research scholarship for the University of Buffalo Creative Education Foundation in the USA, he taught at ESSEC, and then ran a sports textile company for ten years, before becoming director of EM Lyon. He then took over roles in industry, firstly with Renault, then with Auchan, where he oversaw management development programmes and the corporate university.

He is one of the founders of the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation system developed by the European Foundation for Management Development, and also acts as an expert advisor to the EFMD. He has penned numerous articles in the field of management training, and recently published «MBA l’essentiel» (EO 2004), «Le DRH Stratège» (with Yves Réale; EO 2005) and «Les meilleures pratiques de développement des dirigeants» (with the EFMD; EO 2006).

Today he is a management development consultant for industry and business schools.

The expert

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Contents

Mergers - Acquisitions ............................................................... 4

Corporate culture ...................................................................... 8

Implementing strategy ............................................................. �2

Changes in business focus ...................................................... �6

Optimising costs ..................................................................... 20

International expansion ............................................................ 24

Networked companies ............................................................. 28

Expansion .............................................................................. �2

Corporate universities ............................................................. �6

Innovation............................................................................... 40

4

01Mergers and Acquisitions

5

EXPERTOPIN

ION

$3,800bn: the total value of mergers and acquisitions

completed in 2006.

In similar fashion to the second half of the �990s, a new wave of mergers and acquisitions has been underway since 200�. According to Thomson Financial(�), mergers and acquisitions amounted to some $�800bn in 2006 (an 8% increase on 2005), beating the previous record in 2000 of $�400bn. American and Chinese companies, along with British and French firms in Europe, were the main targets of these operations in 2006. Quite unsurprisingly, the same countries are main sources of the acquisitions, too.

These mergers and acquisitions were made in a large number of sectors, including energy (especially in the USA) and banking/finance (mostly in Asia). They were conducted chiefly for strategic rather than financial reasons, as the horizontal nature of the majority of these operations confirms (7�% compared to 48.7% in �999 and 2000 according to the Boston Consulting Group(2)). What is their main objective? From the perspective of the “winning” company: to increase its economic activity and profits.

In this case, we are discussing external rather than organic (or internal) growth achieved by increasing turnover from the same range of companies.

The economic and micropolitical environment very often plays a decisive role in the development of these operations, known in the trade as “M&As”.

For this reason, mergers and acquisitions can be conducted in response to shocks. One example: after the fall of the Berlin Wall, former planned economies proved to be a large source of mergers in the �990s, their privatisation programmes creating enormous opportunities. The same is true when markets are deregulated, as occurs, for example, when public monopolies are dismantled.

Among the main expectations, experts often cite greater efficiency thanks to economies of scale (particularly for firms in the same branch of activity), the elimination of competition costs, and the productivity gains arising from the synergies created.

Another benefit is diversification from a geographical point of view (i.e. the Air France buyout of KLM) or from a product perspective (e.g. the Mittal buyout of Arcelor). Diversification in this manner makes it possible to offer a more complete range of products

Companies need to anticipate mergers and acquisitions and give themselves the time and means to create a corporate culture which targets all personnel from the outset.

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and services, as well as to share risks. However, economists warn us that mergers are not always a recipe for success, as new entities do not always perform well. In particular, mergers and acquisitions may not entail the creation of any stock market value (this is the situation for a half of them) and may even involve the destruction of share value (in a quarter of them)(�), not to mention job losses, drops in productivity or lower turnover.

The reasons for these failures reside most commonly in highly dissimilar corporate cultures (as in the case of the aborted merger between Renault and Volvo in the mid-�980s), mishandling of a hostile bid (which leaves the target feeling humiliated), misunderstandings between executives and, most of all, the essentially false belief that integration problems are “only natural”.

On the other hand, merger operations like these generally lead to a certain number of restructuring processes (i.e. reviewing the product range, closing down sites), as well as to the question of sharing responsibilities in a context where cultural differences may play a significant role (HR management practices, legal environment, expectations of the different interested

parties, etc.).

For this reason, the companies concerned need to plan for the process itself and give themselves the time and means to create a corporate culture which

targets all personnel from the outset.

In this context, new learning technologies such as e-learning are an excellent way to reinforce the impact of this wilful and cooperative approach to creating a shared entity and destinies.

(�) Thomson Financial, Mergers & Acquisitions Review, Fourth Quarter 2006(2) Quoted by A.Michel and C.Gatinois, “Nouvelle accélération en 2007 de la

vague de fusions”, Le Monde, Jun 27, 2007(�) Boston Consulting Group, “Trends in postmerger acquisition” (2007)

What is the main objective? From the perspective of the “winning” company: to increase its economic activity and increase its profits.

7

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

At Sanofi Aventis, training goes hand in hand with merger

A merger between two companies normally requires their HR departments to wind down any training programmes underway within the two merging companies. Once the merger has been completed, it may take a while before any joint programmes can be launched again. This is why, when Sanofi and Aventis merged in 2005, the Department for Professional Development in Europe and Canada sought to maintain their training opportunities with the launch of the “E campuS” distance-learning programme. The aim was to ensure a seamless transition in managing the skills and careers of their managers.

Managers at the heart of the programme, rolled out in record timeThe first phase involved ensuring that the content corresponded to the leadership development requirements of the relevant managers. CrossKnowledge therefore worked closely with the HR department to ensure the compatibility of its programmes with the priorities as defined by the Group. In six

months, a managerial training programme drawing material from all the courses in the CrossKnowledge catalogue was successfully implemented. To ensure that the program formed part of a comprehensive approach to skills improvement, managers took an active part. They stipulated training paths specifically adapted to each of their junior colleagues and then assessed the benefits with those same colleagues against a series of performance indicators.

E campuS: an on-going, practical programmeAfter a pilot phase in seven European countries, the “E campuS” method was extended to �5 countries in 2006. 86% of prescribed sessions were completed. Another �,000 managers took advantage of the programme in 2007. Given the programme’s success in accompanying the merger, distance learning has become a key link in the company’s strategy to improve managerial skills.

The leading pharmaceutical group in Europe, and third largest in the world

Goals: to provide training for managers from both parties during a merger

Personnel: �00,000

Solution: “E CampuS”, a managerial distance-learning programme based on courses from the CrossKnowledge catalogue

Result: programme exported in 2006 and 2007 to �5 countries with excellent participation rates: 86% of prescribed sessions were completed

Distance learning has

become a key link in the strategy

to improve managerial skills.

Brigitte Rocque, Director of

Professional Development

for Europe and Canada at Sanofi-Aventis

A merger-acquisition necessarily entails interrupting training programmes and redefining corporate values. In order to build the appropriation of these values into training programmes, the HR departments from Sanofi Synthelabo and Aventis, which merged at the beginning of 2005, banked on distance learning, and a programme designed by CrossKnowledge.

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Photo credit: © John Foxx / Photoalto

8

01Corporate culturelodore juglio

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The economic crisis of

the �970s encouraged the

development of the notion of

corporate culture.

The success of Renault-Nissan, repeated crises at Daimler-Chrysler, the tensions surrounding the merger of BNP-Paribas... Business news is littered with stories about how local, professional and corporate culture influence the ways that employees and executives act and think.

Corporate culture is heavily promoted by managers or communications departments, however big or small the firm. Based on values, beliefs and implicit behavioural norms, a particular culture frequently comes to the forefront when it is confronted by another one. This may happen, for example, during a rapprochement such as a merger, acquisition, or restructuring. An extensive European study conducted a few years ago by consulting firm AT Kearney confirms that, according to the managers questioned, corporate culture is the main reason that such rapprochements fail.

During the �980s, increasing consideration was given to corporate culture, with an eye to everyday business as much as to plans for expansion, even though the very notion provoked confusion and consternation from executives at the time. Experts

highlight how the period following the economic crisis of the �970s encouraged thinking about corporate culture: company executives found themselves obliged to address the challenge of raising the morale of employees who had survived the understandably traumatising wave of redundancies. Corporate culture came into its own as a binding factor within the firm, providing the essential foundations for all large-scale projects.

But how can we define this culture so that it can be integrated better with operational procedures and corporate strategies? This is no simple topic, as cross-cultural specialists warn, since an excessive desire to define an entity’s culture quickly runs the risk of transposing this culture along lines previously defined by the hierarchy or along usual operational divisions, whereas the boundaries between cultural groups do not always reflect this segmentation. For example, managers may feel culturally removed from colleagues (since they work in different areas such as marketing, finance or production), and yet still feel close as members of the same socio-cultural group.

It is only by aligning the company’s deep values that you can create a real basis for a corporate culture which is needed for growth.

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In concrete terms, defining a culture clearly requires close examination of fundamental questions, free of taboos. Does the firm tend to take risks and to seek out opportunities, or does it seek to maintain the status quo? Do managers take into account their firm’s role in society, or do they seek productivity at all costs? Does the firm trust its personnel and partners, or does it prefer to keep information as confidential as possible? Are decisions taken unilaterally by an executive or are they discussed in a cooperative fashion? Do the firm’s values count for more than its financial results?

Armed with such a mutually prepared “general portrait”, the HR department will then be able to provide precious help to senior and middle managers who want to embrace their firm’s corporate culture in the best of conditions.

It will be their responsibility to relay and share this culture with their colleagues.

Only a commitment to strong corporate values will enable companies

to consolidate and develop the genuine spirit that corporate culture represents.

Executive managers who seek to consolidate the values and cultural specificities of their company frequently choose to set up a university, whose primary mission is to transmit these very ideas. As places for experimentation, networking and interaction, renowned corporate universities like those at General Electric or AXA have proved their worth over the long-term.

New learning technologies are making their own contribution to these initiatives. By focusing on learning concepts and fundamentals through distance learning, the new teaching methods used in corporate universities allow more time in seminars to be devoted to sharing experiences. Communities of individuals who have graduated together can meet up later online to continue interacting. We can expect the new Web 2.0 communities in turn to accelerate knowledge-sharing and cultural awareness.

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CASESTUDYAs the world leader in helicopter design and manufacture, Eurocopter intends to accelerate the transformation of its organisation. This large-scale project involved establishing a strong corporate culture, to be relayed by the managerial chain of command. An immediate take-off for distance learning!

Eurocopter establishes a new corporate culture

In order to maintain growth in a market as sensitive as aeronautics, you have to adapt quickly to major changes resulting from new industrial and technological challenges. This is why Eurocopter, the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, launched the “Vital” initiative in 2006. The program required the company to reorganize its business completely. Success was entirely premised on moving from a top-down corporate culture, where orders from the top of the hierarchy are sent down to all lower echelons in the organisation, to a more bottom-up culture where ideas, initiatives and suggestions are passed upwards until they reach executive level.

Worldwide Programme for Leadership Training An offshoot of the “Vital” initiative, the worldwide “Build” (Business Improvement through Leadership Development) programme for leadership training was designed to allow 400 middle managers to carry through the change in corporate culture successfully within the Group and to improve their

leadership skills to ensure they get their colleagues fully on board. Two complementary programmes were developed by CrossKnowledge within this framework. The first was a five-stage blended-learning programme (prior self-assessment; compulsory online sessions; seminars; further training sessions and post self-assessment). The second was a “campus” of �00 distance-learning sessions.

Success due to accompanying support To accompany its very first distance-learning project, Eurocopter launched a massive communications campaign focusing on the aims and details of the programme. As well as a video from the HR department presenting the project in-house, a user guide for learners was produced and an email was sent to all managers. Project managers offered further support. This effort bore fruit, as the first managers to follow the Build programme recorded a connection rate of 90% and a completion rate of ��7%.

World leader in helicopter design and manufacture

Goal: to move from a top-down to a bottom-up corporate culture

Personnel: �4,000

Solution: a mixed programme combi-ning blended learning with classroom teaching

Result: a record completion rate of ��7%

The advantages of mixed training are now beyond

question. With blended learning, participants can revise some or

all of the course elements, at any

moment

Christophe Delabroye, Director of

Training, Eurocopter

group.

* Business Improvement through Leadership Development

Photo credit: © Eurocopter/Daniel BAUCHERE

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�2

01Implementing strategy

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EXPERTOPIN

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According to a survey carried

out for Fortune in �999, 70% of all failures encountered

by CEOs were due to botched

implementation of strategy.

The principal goal of executive management is to translate the company’s strategic vision successfully into coherent objectives at all levels of the business. To succeed, they must mobilise all their resources to address operational objectives, align with the company’s strategy and manage change through genuine leadership.

According to a survey carried out for Fortune in �999, 70% of all failures encountered by CEOs were due to the botched implementation of strategy. Why do these difficulties exist? In most cases, they coincide with a lack of involvement from various players at all levels of the business. And yet strategy is now everybody’s concern.

Once again, the HR department has a major role. In order to create as many synergies as possible, the HR department must do its utmost to avoid dissipating its efforts and wasting its resources. It must have a truly operational HR management approach, and give itself the means to act in a concrete way:

• by integrating different business lines and organising them from the perspective of changes in the organisation’s human resources;

• by recruiting appropriate profiles and by matching resources to positions;

• by providing company management with satisfactory monitoring tools;

• by working to upgrade and direct resources towards the qualifications and experiences required.

Finally, it must show its ability to retain key personnel through the use of ade-quate monitoring and salary policies.

To be completely integrated into the company’s strategy and to be genui-nely operational, the management of the different business lines around an HR department requires HR to collect, consolidate and quickly distribute in-formation that is specifically relevant to each actor involved.

To manage change with the required agility, all routines and procedures must be highly automated, and as many innovations as possible should be introduced into HR procedures.

Nothing today seems as essential as putting new learning technologies into widespread use. Their great advantage is that they can be used to roll out high-quality programmes quickly on a large scale programmes that are based on explanations about corporate strategy.

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Nothing seems as pertinent today as putting new learning technologies into widespread use. Their great advantage is that they can be used to roll out high-quality programmes quickly on a large scale, with arguments and explanations about corporate strategy.

What is the main advantage of these new technologies? It’s being able to train all middle managers:

• how to take the company’s strategic vision on board;

• how to pass this vision on to their teams;

• how to manage change itself.

They also make it possible to offer sup-port to participants with regard to local and individual needs when it is a ques-tion of improving the skills required to carry out strategy.

To manage change with the required agility, all routines and procedures

must be highly automated, and as many innovations as possible

should be introduced into HR procedures.

�5

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Credit Agricole Normandy: training in the name of strategy

Following the merger in Spring 2006 between regional agencies in Normandy, �0% of the �,400 employees in these networks were obliged to change careers. Management used this change as a basis for its “Vision 20�0” strategy, designed to build a common corporate culture within the two entities and to install the pursuit of excellence as a primary objective. In November 2006, Credit Agricole Normandy launched a new teaching initiative and introduced distance learning into its training programmes. The initiative won over managers, who participated in large numbers.

Towards 100% distance learningEmboldened by this success, the HR department decided in early 2007 to launch “E-Campus Manager”, an entirely distance-learning based programme, for around �00 managers. Each quarter, a new subject is tackled and rounded off by a self-assessment test, making it possible to assess participants’ progress and to calculate the

return on training investment. The first programme focused on evaluating performance with a dozen CrossKnowledge sessions, the second on mastering interpersonal communication and the third on negotiation skills... and the scope of these training programmes continues to grow.

Transforming managers into training facilitators“E-Campus Manager” is now open to all managers, about 500 in all, offering programmes in line with the company’s strategic direction. The HR department’s motivational approach will allow managers to support their teams as they improve their skills.

In 2008, managers are to assign at least two training sessions every quarter from the CrossKnowledge catalogue to each of their colleagues. In time, all 2,�00 personnel will benefit from these programmes.

Credit Agricole is the largest banking group in france

Goal: to foster a common culture among personnel from the two agencies

Personnel: 2,�00

Solution: “E-Campus Manager”, a programme in line with the group’s strategic direction

Result: at the end of the day, training of all 2,�00 personnel

CrossKnowledge provides us with

efficient reports and other means that

allow us to justify the return on investment

in training to the operational

departments

Jean-Marc Blaze, Director of Human

Resources, Credit Agricole

normandy

Credit Agricole Normandy’s strategic plan, drawn up in the wake of a merger, fixes new training priorities. Between now and 20�0, �0% of all training will be conducted through distance learning. An ambitious online programme was therefore set up to support personnel through this transformation within the company.

Photo credit: © 2007 JupiterImages Corporation

�6

01Changes in business focus

�7

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France Telecom conducted its

critical privatisation with a three-year

“Planning and Skills for Change” plan.

Changes in the telecommunications industry in the last fifteen years, which have been rapid and spectacular to say the least, reveal a fundamental trend which affects all industries. As a public utility, France Telecom was forced to confront new competition in an industry that had long been protected by a legal and technical monopoly. What did this mean in practice? The new demands of competition required an essential change in business focus for the company and, therefore, for a large number of its personnel. To achieve this, the historical operator implemented a three-year “Planning and Skills for Change“ plan, which has since been extended in different forms but still addresses the central question of skills.

Just like France Telecom, a large number of companies which find themselves in highly competitive and globalised markets have been persuaded to improve the skills and qualifications of their personnel, in order to adapt or even radically transform their business. According to HR specialists, there is a staged process for ensuring that staff within an organisation adapt to the

constraints and opportunities of the new business lines in which they are asked to work.

First of all, it is important to make all personnel aware of the profound meaning of the changes being undertaken, providing them with new points of reference, in a completely transparent way.

Next, employees must be brought on board by being clearly shown the opportunities that are offered by the change to each of them. In order to prevent frustration from arising, either in the short or longer term, the company needs to make a clear distinction between the things that the change can provide, and those that it cannot.

If the whole process is to proceed in an optimal manner, managers need to be imbued with the necessary vision. If this is done, they can truly contribute to their colleagues’ skills improvement.

Finally, the HR department needs to concentrate its skills improvement investments in sectors that are judged to be priorities.

New learning technologies make it possible to teach participants, on an individual and group basis, to master new skills at a lower cost than traditional solutions.

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These measures will only lead to positive results if each employee is given a clear insight into the prospects for jobs, the capabilities of the group’s business activities and the location of those businesses. They also need to know whether the services in question will offer them the chance to build their own careers successfully in a way that is consistent with the global strategy.

In terms of communication, the HR department must not cease to remind personnel throughout the transition process that internal mobility is an integral part of employee career development. Although employees may have struggled to come to terms with this a few years ago, internal mobility has become more synonymous these days with the idea of promotion.

From the company’s perspective, a policy of allowing employees to change business lines, role or location within the same group can be seen to fall within a wider policy of increasing employee loyalty. This is an important consideration at a time when battle lines have already been drawn to capture the best talents, against the backdrop of the “grandpa boom” and the near full-employment of managers.

New learning technologies occupy an increasingly important role in the success of this type of transition:

• They make it possible to teach individuals and groups new skills at a lower cost than traditional solutions, provided that the training programmes have been carefully “engineered” by professionals;

• They offer highly customizable courses and a service that closely matches the needs of mobile profes-sionals;

• They provide local management with simple tools which they can implement within their teams, helping them to assume the role of coach, supervisor and skills enhancer;

• Finally, their systems for evaluating skills mean that indicators can be kept constantly up-to-date, detailing progress towards target skills and accurately mapping critical needs and risk areas.

Internal mobility is an integral part of employee

career development.

�9

CASESTUDYLexmark negotiates a critical period in an evolving industry

2000 was a tough year in the printing market. Prices for printers slumped, the market became saturated and the introduction of digital printers and multifunction products extended the range of competing products even further. This situation prompted Lexmark to review its positioning, and the company decided to offer a closer working relationship with its clients to help them master the printing cycle. The objective was to help clients convey information quicker and more securely, thus ensuring better cost and infrastructure management.

A training programme in line with business objectivesWith this in mind, the Lexmark HR department decided to implement a very practical training programme that combined distance learning with classroom workshops. There were two objectives to this programme: to accelerate the acquisition of techniques and to stimulate participants through individual programmes.

Since its launch among 250 managers and representatives in Europe, the programme has already convinced Lexmark’s sales teams to take the group’s new solutions-based strategy on board.

Continuous Change ManagementA programme was set up for managers which focused on change management. It included team leadership, coaching and staff motivation techniques. Another programme for sales staff, addressing issues such as customer relations, personal efficiency and project management, was also adopted. Upon completion of the distance-learning sessions, the classroom workshops offered a chance to put theory into practice through real case studies, along with one-to-one coaching for sales staff. In order to bring the skills of its personnel to the same level in the long term, Lexmark has decided to continue this distance-learning training programme over a period of several years. This approach should allow the alignment of practices and will help the implementation of the company’s global strategy.

Manufacturer and distributor of printing products and solutions in 150 countries

Goals: to enhance the skill sets of sales teams

Presence: �5 countries

Solution: a training programme combining distance learning with classroom workshops

Result: an increase in personnel efficiency over the long run and a clear-cut improvement in ROI thanks to the progress made

Thanks to CrossKnowledge,

we set up an innovative training programme which

allowed us to implement the new Lexmark strategy

across all our sales force in record time

Arthur Marcinkiewicz,

Education Manager for

Lexmark Europe, Middle-East &

Africa

Confronted by a rapidly evolving printing market, Lexmark decided to change its positioning from a “supplier of products” to a “supplier of solutions”. To negotiate this critical period, the company relied on an innovative training programme to support skills improvement among its sales staff.

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Photo credit: © Lexmark

20

01Optimising costs

2�

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Only a quarter of employees

in France have access to at

least one training programme

per year.

In the ever-changing, complex context of market globalization, teams have to be bought up to the same level as far as strategy and skills are concerned. Training policies are playing an in-creasingly influential role in response to this objective, while meeting a ma-jor constraint: cost control.

While training represents a large part of a company’s budget, its return on investment remains particularly diffi-cult to calculate and its effectiveness is rarely measurable.

How many training programmes are undertaken without considering the interests of participants and the level they have reached? How many trai-ning programmes have goals which are poorly defined by middle mana-gement? As such, many training ini-tiatives continue to fall short in their design, as well as in their implementa-tion and follow-up. And yet, there is an increasing need for them.

To take France as an example, the country has one of the most extensive training regimes of any European country and has invested heavily. But only 25% of employees there have access to at least one training programme per year.

If HR departments want to optimise costs and performance and guaran-tee the implementation of practices in a way that is not only efficient at company level but is also adapted to individual needs, they must have a va-lue-for-money approach.

These efforts go hand in hand with regular brainstorming on ways to pro-vide training, by developing program-mes that can be shared across depart-ments and by implementing training on an international scale - taking on, for instance, programmes designed at corporate level at a local level.

In the context of this optimization poli-cy, HR departments can draw not only from programmes already in place (internships, evaluations of experience gained, programs mandated by law, etc.) but also on novel approaches (individual distance learning, informal apprenticeships, etc.).

What is the goal here? To offer services which are both individualised and industrialised; in other words, which optimise costs. HR departments must also be aware of the different types of finance available, such as training grants, and should optimise the

New learning technologies guarantee a return on investment: decreasing costs as the number of parti-cipants increases; a “glocal” approach; reduced travel and accommodation expenses and considerably simplified accounting procedures.

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procurement of training by negotiating with and offering to refer suppliers.

Once armed with a clear, structured and financially optimised training stra-tegy, companies have everything to gain by implementing new learning technologies. It is clear that they gua-rantee vital return on investment throu-gh decreasing costs as the number of participants increases, a “glocal” ap-proach (global skills improvement but local implementation), reduced travel and accommodation expenses as well as considerably simplified automated accounting procedures.

Training policies are playing an increasingly influential role in harmonizing

team capabilities with the necessary strategies and skills within the company.

2�

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Valeo optimises its training costs

Confronted by growing pressures in an increasingly demanding market, automobile manufacturers today demand better quality products at lower prices. This situation prompted the Valeo group to seek to improve efficiency among its executive managers. In order to initiate a more integrated approach to its managerial standards and training practices, Valeo wanted to be able to offer a full package, which would address the relevant issues and be a common starting point for the dissemination of corporate culture, while also improving managerial efficiency. Furthermore, optimising investment, in terms of financial cost as well as the impact and flexibility of training, remained a priority.

Valeo C@mpus, the group’s virtual universityFor these reasons, Valeo launched Valeo C@mpus in 2002. This virtual university’s mission is to provide executives and engineers with standard turnkey content for management, office automation and foreign languages.

In addition to generic programmes of both economic and strategic interest, there are specific sessions for key skills. At the heart of the programme, the “Valeo Managers’ Space” provides a friendly gateway that gives access to more than ��0 training sessions in English and French, and addresses team motivation as well as personal skills improvement. This e-learning tool allows managers and engineers to respond to individual needs in a flexible and personalised manner.

A range of services optimised by human resourcesAs programmes are continually improved, Valeo turns increasingly towards distance learning, and now uses e-learning to inform personnel about essential matters affecting the group. Human resources coordinators are keen to stress the advantages of using the gateway and offer, through the use of “blended” programmes, various options which allow training to be focused on business-related problems at every level of the company.

One of the world’s leading auto-mobile components suppliers, with operations in 26 countries

Goal: improve the coherence of mana-gement practices while optimising costs

Personnel: 6�,000

Solution: Valeo C@mpus, a virtual university which provides standard content

Result: today more than 5,640 users have consulted more than �6,500 sessions

The Valeo group executive

management has been receptive

to the economic argument behind

generic training... They have also

been very quick to recognize the

strategic interest of e-training

Olivier Thomassin, Training Director,

Valeo Group

In response to the increasingly strict demands of the automobile industry, the equipment manufacturer Valeo wanted to improve efficiency among its executive managers. The group chose distance learning in order to optimise its investment.

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Photo credit: © Eric Audras / Photoalto - Valeo

24

01International expansion

25

EXPERTOPIN

ION

Although the biggest European

groups have had international

operations for more than thirty years, their HR

departments have only really been

internationalised for the last decade

or so.

Gone are the days when large multinational groups treated their head offices as the only centre for decision-making and innovation. Increasing economic globalisation now forces companies to build their training strategy both at a global and local level, while making sure that it is completely consistent. Indeed, it affects their very performance and thus their survival.

In a context like this, HR departments are faced with the real challenge of redefining the remit of their work. After all, experts on international mobility observe that the economic and technical internationalisation of organisations is not always accompanied by a genuine internationalisation of personnel and local cultures. The aim is not just to implement a mobility or expatriation policy, but is it rather to identify, register, improve and retain national and international skills.

Far from being a separate, parallel activity, internationalisation can in fact be placed at the very centre of a company’s thinking, with the objective of creating an optimal human resources policy. Group HR departments must not only consider the various roles of a traditional HR department such

as recruitment, career development, remuneration and training. They must also design their policy in the light of the different types of personnel (top management, mobile managers, potential high-flyers, and so on) and also by incorporating the notion of geographical areas in emerging countries like India, China or Mexico.

Paradoxically, although the biggest European groups have had international operations for more than thirty years, their HR departments have only really been internationalised for the last decade, with a role that is only now being recognised as strategic. This role includes creating common values, developing global human resources management and support for managers, and developing employee loyalty.

At the same time, the problems that they have to solve are becoming increasingly acute. These problems include diversity management, corporate social responsibility, mobility policy, the race for talent to accompany corporate growth, employee loyalty and the need to improve skills for tomorrow for the sake of retaining competitiveness.

New learning technologies allow us to coordinate training programme content centrally and to align it, thus ensuring that the company communicates the same message worldwide.

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This internationalisation of human resources has led to a new way of organising business lines within HR departments. It involves a network of HR correspondents and the provision of high-level training which can function in project mode. Managing talents at a distance, on a global scale, represents a real challenge for group HR departments.

In other words, a wide-scale but individualised approach is needed to ensure staff loyalty and to strengthen motivation, improve skills and retain talent.

New learning technologies can contribute crucial support to these implementation policies:

• The content of training programmes can be coordinated and aligned cen-trally, thus ensuring that the company communicates the same messages worldwide;

• This homogeneity is particularly im-portant when rolling out international HR processes or disseminating best management or ethical practices;

• The flexibility of these solutions ena-bles training to be offered “on de-mand”, regardless of geographical areas;

• These solutions respond to pressing needs in emerging countries, where they contribute to increasing the at-tractiveness of the employer for lo-cal talents, especially when they are combined with internal certification schemes for the skills acquired.

Managing talents at a distance, on a global scale, represents a real challenge

for group HR departments.

27

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Schneider Electric: training on an international scale

With some �20,000 personnel in over �06 countries, Schneider Electric holds dominant positions across the world in its fields of business. In human resources, the company uses a common frame of reference concerning jobs and skills for its distance-learning programmes, which are intended for use all around the world. Although the company generally uses an essentially decentralised management model, distance learning and all issues relating to the corporate university are managed at group level.

A profile-based approach Schneider has decided to set up a targeted training approach. Personnel are offered specific programmes in line with their profiles. For example, 400 managers have participated in a programme specifically about annual appraisal interviews. All managers within the group can also access training through a gateway called the “Leadership Campus”.

This targeted approach provides personnel with quicker access to training and allows them to assume responsibility for their own professional development.

E-learning: an asset in an international contextThe training programmes are designed by CrossKnowledge and the local HR department and are then centrally managed to ensure they meet on-the-ground needs. For this large international Group, new learning technologies represent a real advantage. They supply homogenous content across all countries and allow the staff involved to progress at their own pace, without taking them away from their other work for too long. The other significant advantages of distance learning are reduced access time for training, an increase in the number of subjects covered, and a reduction in overall training costs of around �0 to 40% on average for the same quality of training.

Multinational group with operations in 106 countries

Goal: to provide all Schneider’s various worldwide entities with homogenous distance-learning programmes adapted to specific needs

Personnel: �20,000

Solution: different distance-learning programmes set up for specific targeted personnel

Result: more than 6,000 personnel trained locally

Online training programmes are

more efficient as they demand less time from participants and allow them to

progress at their own pace

Olivier Detry, Schneider Electric

Group, E-learning manager

As a multinational group operating in �06 countries, Schneider Electric puts training at the heart of its human resources management policies. By generalising the implementation of distance learning across all of its local sites, the industrial giant intends to increase skills and to anticipate the changes in business lines within the group.

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Photo credit: Schneider Electric photo library

28

01Networked companies

29

EXPERTOPIN

ION

What passes naturally for a

team whose members are in

daily contact with their manager must be made

explicit, in detail, to personnel

working remotely.

Whether they are in retailing, banking or the services industry, networked companies are confronted with parti-cularly sensitive HR issues. There are numerous reasons for this. In some sectors like retailing, careers in the industry are still not all that attractive; working conditions often require a high degree of availability and the bu-siness can be affected by significant seasonal factors; turnover is often high, particularly in stores; and finally, in all cases, the quality of customer relations remains essential. As well as these issues, one should also add the increasingly complex national and re-gional regulations that affect person-nel management. The challenges of employee recruitment, retention and skills improvement are therefore criti-cally important.

When directing a largely decentralised company, it is difficult to manage teams which are necessarily disper-sed geographically. How can one si-multaneously guarantee management quality and on-going training, retain the best staff, run network sales out-lets or services effectively and main-tain employee motivation? After all, even in networked situations, all per-sonnel expect - quite legitimately - to

benefit from a certain amount of direct contact with their immediate bosses.

This is a real challenge for HR ma-nagers, who need to reconcile these difficulties remotely. Managers or HR directors who want to avoid becoming cut off from their teams need to rein-vent the link which serves to integrate those teams. Firstly, they should try to structure regular meetings throughout the year. To achieve this, they can call upon many tools, such as conference calls, webcasts, annual appraisals, site visits and corporate seminars.

Another key priority for managers of remote teams is to bring meaning to work by translating strategy into action at local levels and by fixing medium to long-term objectives. What passes naturally for a team whose members are in daily contact with their mana-ger must be made explicit, in detail, to personnel working remotely. It’s a way, firstly, of showing each person their contribution and role in the busi-ness and the company’s performance and, secondly, of maintaining their motivation levels. To achieve this, a manager must succeed in instilling in every employee a strong sense of belonging to the company. This is why

New learning technologies provide an original and innovative solution, not just by giving extra impetus to personnel training, but also by guaranteeing indivi-dualised training paths and flexibility.

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managers must be able to count on local management. If central manage-ment is organised like a pyramid, on the opposite, remote management can confide power locally.

Once all these precautions have been taken to overcome the lack of direct daily contact, managers of networked companies will still have the same obli-gations concerning their basic mission: to help their colleagues deve-lopment by encoura-ging access to training, knowledge and skills, particularly through the use of new learning technologies.

New learning technologies provide an original and innovative solution, ma-king it possible to solve problems on many levels:

• How to get people to fit in and to train them quickly by aligning mana-gement practices despite the fact that they are very spread out;

• How to ensure professional develop- ment while guaranteeing the indivi- duality of training paths and a flexible solution;

• How to train a large number of peo-ple to master a new product or servi-ce, and to do so more cheaply than by using traditional solutions;

• How to develop em-ployee loyalty by sup-porting the company image through commu-nications campaigns.

Finally, distance lear-ning programmes afford participants great auto-

nomy that is particularly appropriate to them... as long as they are given the necessary means and clear objec-tives.

Managers of networked companies still have to help their colleagues progress by encouraging access to

training, knowledge and skills, particularly through the use of

new learning technologies.

��

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Kiloutou puts training at the heart of its network

After carrying out an internal survey, Kiloutou compared its results with those from other renting companies. It discovered that in spite of better-than-average industrial relations, shortcomings in the annual appraisals for all staff highlighted the fact that managers were not accompanying their staff properly. Inexperienced in this type of exercise, managers were not very at ease with it.

In order to correct this trend, ten distance-learning sessions were selected from the CrossKnowledge catalogue to build a programme centred on skills improvement for use during annual appraisals. The success of the first initiative prompted the HR department to extend the programme to 200 other managers in 2007.

A favourable strategic context As Kiloutou is a very geographically dispersed company, distance learning was the clear solution. In particular, the new training

programme matched the strategic objectives of the company, as it contributed towards ISO 900� (2000) certification, which includes a section focusing on employee skills and knowledge management. In September 2007, the installation of an HR software package enabled appraisal data to be centralised within the HR department. Managers found it easy to learn how to use this package as they had already followed a training course on it.

focus on managerial training programmes Kiloutou has been using distance learning since 2002. A third of its training budget is currently invested in distance-learning content. Business content on equipment, theft prevention and safety at work is produced internally. Kiloutou uses CrossKnowledge resources for sales and management training, and intends to extend the scope of its managerial distance-learning programmes to include courses in finance and marketing.

network of 200 agencies

Goal: to overcome the lack of support and lack of appraisal from managers

Personnel: 2,000 advisors and technicians

Solution: a programme centred on evaluating skills and performance

Result: an extension of managerial distance-learning programmes to cover many other subjects

We appreciated CrossKnowledge’s ability to combine

style and substance. We really needed to put some meaning

back into the annual appraisals we hold with our managers. This

meant re-examining the fundamentals of management from

every angle

David Lamiaux, Human Resources

Director, Kiloutou

Founded in �980, Kiloutou (a European tools and machinery renting company) now boasts a network of 200 agencies and 2,000 advisors and technicians. Since their personnel are so spread out, traditional training proved to be very difficult. This is why a distance-learning programme was implemented, focused on evaluating skills and performance.

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Photo credit: DR

�2

01Expansion

��

EXPERTOPIN

ION

According to Sergey Brin, its

co-founder, Google owes its success

to its focus on added value for the end-user, its

very selective recruitment

process and its working

environment.

When asked a few years ago to ex-plain Google’s worldwide success, its co-founder Sergey Brin’s answer was simple and straightforward: “I think the three main reasons are that we fo-cus on added value for the end-user, we have a very selective recruitment process, and a very good working en-vironment.”

When a company undergoes a phase of rapid expansion, it is forced to recruit staff, settle them in and train them, and structure, define and im-plement new internal procedures... all at breakneck speed!

But time and experience are often short, especially in new markets. Personnel are promoted rapidly, but are not always supported in their new role. Geographical and professional mobility become the name of the game.

At the same time, executives do not have the time to give the necessary accompaniment to people who are moving upwards within the organisa-tion, as these supporting responsi-bilities are the ones that most often fall victim to the pursuit of short-term profitability.

As long as growth is good, and re-sults are being met, there is constant euphoria which smoothes over any small problems. Employees are the-refore willing to commit themselves further as performance and results make them forget about problems, unequal treatment, inevitable conflicts over territory and responsibilities, and natural tensions. However, a cer-tain amount of instability is common among new recruits or those with only a few months’ experience who can be snapped up by competitors offering much higher salaries.

This phenomenon is now widely reco-gnised, particularly at mass retail out-fits, especially when a brand expands in countries such as Russia or China. This pioneering phase can be summed up in this way: new career path, rapid skills improvement and savage com-petition.

But it is precisely in such a context, which involves capturing market share and growth, that human resources ma-nagement goes far beyond just admi-nistering benefits or pay.

It should also take on the strategic management of talents - the source

New learning technologies allow all personnel - existing staff and new recruits alike - to appropriate the funda-mentals of the company’s culture and to improve their managerial skills.

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of corporate success or failure. Ultimately, optimal management of these human resources must aim, for now and always, to make the company activities consistent with its organization.

In this respect, the new learning technologies allow all personnel, existing staff and new recruits alike, to appro-priate the fundamentals of the company’s culture and to improve their managerial skills. Distance-learning programmes have the further advantage of forging links between company projects and indivi-dual needs.

Among their other assets, new lear-ning technologies offer advantages such as their easy, speedy implemen-tation, wide coverage and universal accessibility to content, not to men-

tion integrated monitoring and administration tools for management and HR departments. These ena-ble human resources (and therefore overall perfor-mance) to be optimised.

In the long run, armed with a support programme like this, company growth will then go hand in hand with a high rate of adhesion and with all personnel working in the same direction.

Optimal management of these human resources must aim, for now and always, to reconcile the company’s economic activity and the way it

organises itself.

�5

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Ventana Medical Systems consolidates its expansion

Ventana Medical Systems is a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of automatic diagnostic instruments for the pathology market. The reliability and performance of its instruments and reagent systems, used in clinical histology, cytology and research laboratories, make it possible to establish precise diagnostics and to develop suitable treatments. Named by BusinessWeek in 2007 among the top �00 most productive medium-sized company deserving attention, Ventana has been an influential player for some years now, as demonstrated recently by its integration into the Roche group. The group’s HR department decided to support this growth by setting up new training programmes.

A unifying force to bind teams togetherOne of the challenges for the HR department is to bring all personnel up to par so as to align basic practices. Thus, in 2006, managers were initially provided with an online “campus” with more than 250 training sessions on managerial subjects.

Once this first step has been completed, and in a continued effort to support the company’s growth, managers will go on to another set of programmes which will enable them to fulfil their role in the company’s expansion. Evaluating personnel, motivating teams and delegating are among the many management actions behind success and which any manager must master when working in a high-stakes context.

Combining distance and classroom learning on well-defined subjectsFor the HR department, distance learning can be applied to any type of content, even if, for some technical training, it is better to combine it with a more traditional learning approach. Managers in the field, for example, who receive scientific training detailing the operation of the instruments and reagent systems being marketed, also attend sessions in the classroom and in the field to allow them to bolster their learning experience with real practice.

Market leader in the sale of biomedical equipment

Goal: to support the group’s growth

Personnel: �,000

Solution: a global training programme, specific to the group’s needs

Result: improved efficiency of the training programme

A market leader, Ventana Medical Systems is an American company established practically worldwide through its own direct operations or networks of distributors. To support its strong growth and unite nearly �50 direct personnel (�2 nationalities, �4 countries), the group turned to CrossKnowledge to provide global training.

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Distance learning can be

applied to any type of content, even if, for some technical training, it is better to combine it with a more traditional learning approach

Olivier Le Lann, Director of Human

Resources, Ventana Medical Systems, france

Photo credit: © COMSTOCK IMAGES / Jupiterimages

�6

01Corporate universities

�7

EXPERTOPIN

ION

Six different types of corporate

university models can be observed, depending on the

specific goals being sought.

There is no single model for a corporate university. Depending on the context, the corporate culture and specific projects, it is up to each company to set up the entity that best meets its needs. The advent of new learning technologies allows these organisations to be given a new focus.

No-one can deny the worth of corporate universities any more. However, now that the concept has reached maturity, we can see that six different models meet the various specific goals.

Support for strategy implemen-tation: this responds to problems

concerning the need for rapid execu-tion. Medium-term strategies hardly exist any more, and everyone needs to be able to react quickly. If it takes six months to carry out a change in strategy, any advantage is lost. These days, any changes to a plan should be implemented within several weeks. A clear distinction should be made here, though, between the stable part of the vision and short-term plans. The for-mer provides direction and the latter concerns performance.

Improving performance: this goal is often set by executive

management keen on getting a good return on the investment in training. In this case, the indicators are quite clear, and the measurement of efficiency is mainly done through the evaluation of participants by their bosses.

Creating a common culture and networks, mobilising large

numbers of staff together, improving transverse work and sharing best practice and knowledge (Knowledge management): the objective is to instil common values rapidly.

Dealing with concrete projects: frequently in the case of «action

learning» or «problem-based learning», programmes focus on real case studies affecting the company rather than on academic content. Contributions from third-party advisors involve working and communication methods as well as leadership questions in group work. The client plays the role of an executive board which designates an internal sponsor for each of the projects examined.

By transferring the time spent mastering concepts and methods to distance-learning sessions, new learning technologies enable classroom time to be devoted to sharing experiences, and help in building networks.

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Reinventing the company and bringing in new sense of

dynamism for the company and its strategy: transforming its culture, organisation and business model; improving staff skills and leadership; and identifying high flyers.

Often when there are important changes at the head of a company, the client is both the executive board and the HR director.

Providing qualifications and professional accreditation for

staff, a role which brings it closer to more traditional forms of training where we find programmes on the professional skills needed in the company. In this case, the training task can be entirely subcontracted to a third party.

The adoption of new learning technologies provides considerably increased scope to these initiatives:

• by transferring the time spent mas-tering concepts and methods to dis-tance-learning, new learning techno-logies enable classroom time to be devoted to the principal mission of these programmes - sharing expe-riences and building networks;

• by allowing the creation of gateways and virtual communities, new lear-ning technologies provide univer-sities with new ways of presenting material and interacting;

• by taking the programmes out of the exclusive realm of the university, they enable virtual universities to be created, democratising access to knowledge and the capitalisation of know-how.

The adoption of new learning techno-logies provides considerably increased scope to corporate universities.

5

6

�9

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Logica University moves towards e-learning

Logica trained more than �000 of its personnel at its university in 2007. Anxious to improve the quality of its programmes permanently, the university is keen to strengthen teaching efficiency and to offer further services to participants. The company therefore decided in 2005 to build distance learning into programmes intended for young consultants and engineers who had been called upon to take up management positions. Whereas the programme had previously been conducted face-to-face, it now begins with an online self-evaluation of participants’ practices, an initial step which increases the attractiveness of the scheme to learners.

Sharing and interaction at the heart of the programmeThe role of the teacher has been refocused on face-to-face teaching: experience-sharing, contextualization, role playing, and so forth. The increasing number of these exercises and simulations ensures that personnel have effectively acquired skills. Thanks to distance learning, teaching staff can create a “team building” environment more quickly because

participants have already acquired theoretical knowledge. The balance between in-class learning and distance learning encourages sharing and interaction within the group, thus underpinning the “network” aspect that Logica holds dear.

After regrouping, each graduating class continues to build its knowledge through a third set of distance learning sessions which assess how well they have incorporated practices and acquired knowledge.

Wider roll-out underwayIn the light of the feedback received, the university decided in 2007 to extend distance learning to other existing programmes. It is designing a new course on relationship management. The company’s training managers highlight the scope that distance learning lends to their programmes, and participants themselves can no longer imagine being trained in any other way than through a blend of distance learning and face-to-face seminars. The programmes are more comprehensive and combine different teaching methods.

A prominent international player in IT services

Goal: improve existing training pro-grammes through “blended learning”

Personnel: 40,000

Solution: face-to-face seminars com-bined with distance learning

Result: The courses are more comprehensive and combine different teaching methods.

One of the missions of Logica group’s university is to prepare young managers for higher management roles for which they have not always been completely trained. The university offers them a skills improvement programme focusing on managerial techniques and behaviour, combining classroom teaching and distance learning. This mix encourages interaction, and has won over the HR department as well as participants.

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As far as distance learning

is concerned, we must not

impose anything, but instead give

ourselves the means to ensure

that it forms an essential part of

any course

Raphaèle Dhennequin,

Director of the Logica University

Photo credit: © Michel Touraine (RF) / Jupiterimages

40

01Innovation

4�

EXPERTOPIN

ION

According to Joseph

Schumpeter, innovation can

be defined as the manufacture of a new product, the

adoption of untried procedures and techniques, the use of new raw materials or the opening of new

opportunities.

The speed of change in technology, products and markets, as well as strong international competition has made innovation more necessary than ever. According to the famous economist, Joseph Schumpeter, innovation can be classically defined as the manufacture of a new product, the adoption of untried procedures and techniques, the use of new raw materials or the opening of new opportunities.

However, experts believe - contrary to popular opinion - that innovation is not just limited to industry or state-of-the-art technologies. It is no longer the preserve of R&D laboratories. Clients, partners, suppliers, universities and employees all contribute to the process of innovation, requiring a real mix of talent and skill.

It therefore now seems wise to describe it as a process which enables knowledge to be transformed into a new product or service, or alternatively as a way of increasing organisational productivity thanks to a new process.

History has shown that the economic success of any new product or

device such as the internet and SIM cards, depends, above all, on efficient interaction between the innovator and the people or organisations which contribute to carrying the innovation forward from initial research and development to manufacture and sale. It follows that managing innovation always involves managing the human resources that are associated with it.

Innovating also means creating and stimulating collective intelligence to build support around a vision of the future which is sufficiently shared to assure coherence and success.

Now that the model of the hierarchical, pyramid-structured industrial firm is in the past, industrialised countries have gradually moved towards the so-called “information society”.

In this society, everyone can potentially access a large mass of information and be able to analyse, experiment and criticise, but also, and above all, to contribute.

By adopting innovative strategies, HR departments offer personnel a tremendous opportunity to create

By adopting innovative strategies, HR departments offer personnel a tremendous opportunity to create added value as well as a chance for professional development

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added value as well as a chance for professional development. With the arrival of Web 2.0 and new interactive tools such as wikis and blogs, roles within the firm are changing, too.

Participants, as actors in their own skills improvement, are also becoming contributors. For their part, bosses are invited to play a more important advisory role, thanks to a range of accessible and content-rich offers, including possibilities for monitoring and evaluation.

Other innovations coming to light include “Second life” or “serious games”, which also enable progress to be made in the experimental

field.

We can clearly see here the extent to which the introduction of new learning technologies is efficiently contributing to the dissemination of a culture of innovation.

Innovation also means creating and stimulating collective intelligence to build support around a

vision of the future which is sufficiently shared to assure coherence and

success.

4�

CASESTUDY

www.lorem.com

Business Schools in partnership with CrossKnowledge

Business and Engineering schools have been investing in e-learning for several years now in partnership with CrossKnowledge. HEC, ESCP-EAP and SUPINFO are prestigious institutions that have done so. They have many objectives: bringing student abilities up to the same level, ensuring flexible provision of online training, enrichment through interaction in the classroom, and so forth.

Business SchoolsHEC Paris sought to offer students in its Executive MBA programme a high-quality training programme that was flexible and adapted to their situation. They were offered unlimited access to 70 distance-learning sessions allowing them to perfect their knowledge of fundamental academic subjects: finance, marketing, management and project management. For the ESCP-EAP, the goal was to develop loyalty among managers of their

Executive MBA by immersing them in a learning dynamic. This objective was met with the help of a prior online training programme.

Engineering SchoolsAs the leading French higher education institution for IT, and with a strong presence abroad, SUPINFO was anxious to meet the needs of the market for increasingly qualified engineers. With this in mind, they turned to CrossKnowledge to enrich their technical curriculum with supplementary lessons, particularly in marketing, finance & control and management… What better way to prepare students during their five years of studying for the demands of the job market? These distance-learning sessions, given in English and French, provide a common platform for management theory and practice to engineering students at SUPINFO.

References: HEC Paris, ESCP-EAP, SUPINFO, Essec, EM Grenoble, Euromed Marseille, Manchester Business School, Bradford University...

Goal: to encourage innovation to back up educa-tional methodology for initial and continuing training

Solution: renowned authors on management topics, content certified by the Business Schools, latest “rich media” multimedia technology

Result: CrossKnowledge has become a key partner to the finest higher education establishments internationally

France has a solid reputation for its “Grandes Ecoles” Business Schools, which take tertiary education far beyond the norm. However, even they face new challenges: internationalisation of their activities; development of their research capacities; and increased expectations from their participants and partner companies. Enrolled working professionals, too, are expecting high-quality training programmes which are flexible and adapted to their situation and their plans - whether they be junior or senior personnel - for their own professional growth. Faced with this evolution, Business Schools must adapt quickly to new ways of supporting learners both nationally and internationally, and are focusing today on e-learning to offer their students more flexibility in their training.

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We are always on the lookout

to identify issues introduced by our

lecturers within the scope of our partnership with

CrossKnowledge... It’s a way in which

the HEC can demonstrate its added teaching

value

nathalie Lugagne, Director of Studies for HEC Business School Executive

Education

Photo credit: © COMSTOCK IMAGES / Jupiterimages

44

www.crossknowledge.com

CrossKnowledge Group Ltd�8 Hanover SquareLondon WIS IHX EnglandTel: +44 (0)20 �008 7970Fax: +44 (0)20 �008 860�

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