Case Scenario:
You are currently working for LRH Manufacturing as a manager overseeing the Information Technology department. LRH is a cross-functional corporation that develops medical devices used at hospitals and universities. The company has a history of developing innovative and creative products for their clients. All of the medical devices that are produced must first meet rigorous government regulations and guidelines. One of the regulations focuses on these points:
Professional development/standard employee training
System (process) in updating and monitoring of internal training records
Mandated employee training policy
Attendance records verifying employee training participation and completion
The majority of the executive management team has decided that the current training management system needs to be revamped and updated. The current training management system is done manually and stored in a binder; therefore, it is difficult to determine the accuracy of the information.
In a recent meeting the executive management team has announced a company-wide initiative-the implementation of a new web-based training management system. The new system will require all personnel to use the system to sign-up for training, document training competition and to monitor their involvement in their assigned projects. This would ensure that the government regulations are being followed and met.
To oversee this responsibility, the executive management team has created a new position, Web-Based Training Project Manager. The responsibilities of this position will be to select and oversee the training and implementation of the new training management system, as well as monitor company-wide training attendance and identify people who are "out of compliance."
You and the executive management team anticipate that there will be some resistance from various departments. Departments such as Manufacturing, will be required to use tools they have never used or refused to use before. Because instructional designers in the Training Department develop instructor-led training, they often have shunned implementation of any web-based system. Additionally, department managers' responsibilities will increase. They will be required to learn to use the system to assign courses to their direct reports and monitor the timely completion of the courses.
You are happy in your role as the manager of the Information Technology department, but you are very interested in pursuing the Web-Based Training Project Manager position for your professional growth.
Details: Congratulations! The e-mail you submitted to your manager along with your interview have landed you the project management job. Although initial project planning has already begun, you are currently focused on identifying your team. You have asked the Marketing department for a resource to help you move new training management system implementation forward by helping you define project requirements, test, create procedures, and develop project-related training. Jonathan, the person with the most subject matter expertise and availability, has a reputation of disrespecting formal processes. Jonathan has been with LRH Manufacturing for fifteen years and has watched the company grow. He misses the days when everyone knew one another and when things were run "loosely." He dislikes "bureaucracy" and believes it is a bottleneck process. Jonathan is well-versed on the current product line that is subject to strict compliance regulation. He will also be heavily involved with any new regulated products that LRH Manufacturing introduces in the future. Jonathan will be working with a new-hire product engineer that has been assigned to this project. Because some of Jonathan's marketing campaigns were cancelled, he is currently available to assist you to begin to move the training management system implementation forward.
Based on your understanding of the project and Jonathan's role, responsibilities, and work-style, write a reflective analysis describing how you will keep Jonathan's interest and involvement on the project. In your analyses, discuss the following points that you will highlight to Jonathan during your discussion:
benefits you feel Jonathan will gain from this project
benefits you feel Jonathan will bring to this project
your expectations of his contributions to this project
You also realized that each group (employees, teams, managers) and department (manufacturing, training, human resource, finance) has its own objections to overcome.
Reflecting on the culture of the organization, discuss the following:
What are some of the objections that each group might bring to the table?
How will you not only overcome these objections, but also motivate people to use the system?