This is part of our ongoing series, Interviews with Learning Leaders
Casey Rasata is senior manager for performance and learning consulting for Eaton University, the corporate education arm of power management firm Eaton Corp. Eaton University conducts leadership learning for frontline leaders and mid-level managers, and also designs and develops functional training globally. Casey, who has been with Eaton for 20 years in various capacities, was most recently global university relations manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ohio University and a master’s degree in business administration from Cleveland State University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and Certified in Financial Management (CFM).
What is your strategy for partnering with the business?
Last year we implemented strategic learning plans for all functions. We meet quarterly, starting with strategic objectives for the function and then having conversations around the gaps in learning that exist in those areas. We identify ways that learning can help achieve those objectives, and we develop a three-year learning plan. Having this plan helps the functions prioritize key projects. With all the players in the room, we discuss what is feasible for the next year, and we modify the plan according to the collective group. This enables us to share the cost to implement and make sure they include it in their budget. It also allows us to consult on translation costs, making sure that any project we work on considers the audience they are trying to target and how we can reach them through translation of content. It gets everyone thinking about employee development and keeps it in the forefront, and it puts us in the role of a partner.
What are some global learning challenges you face at Eaton?
Our biggest challenge is reaching our vast audience of 100,000 employees around the globe. There are considerations to keep in mind as we roll out training. We can’t have a one-size-fits-all and expect it to be effective. For example, we can’t just consider doing a global rollout of ILT—there are many implications that need to be addressed. What language will the facilitator speak? Will the materials need translating? What are the time zones? How do we keep facilitation aligned? We need to be a resource and support for all of our employees globally. One way that we approach this is by having our Eaton University resources aligned with our regional hubs for APAC, EMEA, and the Americas.
Are there any trends in learning & development that either excite or concern you?
A positive is the shift to video and microlearning, due to growing recognition that employee time is a scarce commodity. It is exciting as we consult with the functions and try to share our view of the future.
A challenge is that no one wants long eLearning, and yet everyone feels like their operation is unique and critical, and they feel a strong need to have a large amount of content included. It is a battle. We need to be conscious of it, and help present alternatives to our internal partners. If all content is necessary, then maybe we chunk the data to have more than one course and develop a curriculum for employees so that each course is shorter and easier to consume. For eLearning, we are shifting toward microlearning and focusing on objectives—everything ties back to objectives.
Regarding video, this is a great way to provide content in a way that engages the employee. Content is set up to be consumed through the LMS, or eventually through mobile devices. The benefit that we have is that we have an internal video production team, so it is less expensive and we have more flexibility.
Metrics is important and challenging. Measurements are used to differentiate consumption between new deployment methods. So, people are learning via vILT, ILT, eLearning, video, articles, and books. All are learning, but are not easily measurable.
The shift to virtual training is good. We have an enormous need for it because we are global, travel budgets are constrained, and we need to reach our target audience. We will be moving some courses from ILT to vILT. Our facilitators are comfortable with ILT; we need to get them comfortable in virtual. Our philosophy is leaders teaching leaders, and the level of technology expertise varies. We already know for our major programs we will have a host or producer.
Could you share an L&D success story?
We created functional colleges and regional hubs. We felt that one of the biggest differences we could make for our company’s employees was putting an intuitive, user-friendly interface on top of our LMS. We had many courses but didn’t have an easy way for an employee to navigate the thousands of options available to them. We built functional colleges for each of our major functions to sit on top of the LMS. The functional college aligned the courses by subject area for the function. It provided a way to easily find resources, programs, courses, curriculums, development resources, and external organizations for the function. This, in addition to the regional hubs, made a big difference in how people were finding data and driving them to a more user-friendly environment.
Has there been an initiative that didn’t turn out as planned?
The initial rollout of the strategic learning plans never got out of the conceptual phase. It was very complicated and detailed and didn’t necessarily place the focus on the business. Two years ago, we took the concept and operationalized it. We made the approach more intuitive and tied everything back to the strategy for each function. We piloted it with one function and changed it slightly and rolled it out, so that within one year, we had developed a three-year strategic plan with each of our top 10 functions. This has led to several changes in the way we operate and do business, such as incorporating a governance model based on SLP, prioritizing and planning appropriately for projects, and allowing us to share important costs in advance so that projects can be budgeted for.
What advice do you have for learning leaders to help the business achieve objectives?
Less is more! We have transitioned from making users wade through a sea of content to curating a small pile of information. We have also been able to push the systems to the background by implementing functional colleges and regional hubs. When it comes to training or anything you do, think about what is feasible and what it’s going to take to do a great job, and try to focus on those critical elements. Whether budgets are being cut or you are trying to improve your reputation, think about how you can do an excellent job on core projects first before branching into other areas.
One recent example is our shift to a governance plan around the strategic learning plans. If a project is on a strategic plan for a function, it becomes a priority for Eaton University. In the past, if we had available resources, we would take on any project that came our way. With this new approach, it keeps us focused on few projects that are the top priorities.
My big advice is: Less is more; do a smaller number, and do them well.
What is the first thing learning leaders should focus on in a new role?
First, gain an understanding of the business and identify where you can add value. Being able to solve problems or pain points for the business is a great way to get your foot in the door.
Also, benchmark. There are great folks out there that know a lot of stuff. I came from college recruiting, and people are very open about sharing best practices. Build up a group of colleagues and run things by them. Find out who is doing what well. Leverage the knowledge that exists in your network.
Eaton University offers internal certifications. Can you tell us about them?
We built a framework that allows us to customize the certification based on the steps that are important to the process. The certification focuses on something that is not available externally; that includes an element of application/project/experience and one that improves knowledge or skills. Last year, we piloted two certifications: Lean and Design for Six Sigma-Green Belt. These certification roadmaps include classroom training, project experience, coaching and mentoring, a final exam, and in some cases, a final interview with a governing body within the function.What are some exciting initiatives you’re working on?
We are focusing on do-it-yourself for both eLearning and video. When it comes to both of these areas, we recognize that we are limited to focusing on what is critical to the function. It is important to have another solution for those projects that don’t make the cut and are not the top strategic projects. We are putting templates and guidelines together to give support to those eLearning and video projects that fall under this category. For functional programs that are not on the strategic learning plans, or for the regional hubs as they create more content in local languages, we feel that the option to do a DIY effort is a critical one.
Topics: Interviews with Learning Leaders