Customer Success Story – A complex programme of learning to support a pharmaceutical giant’s transformation to a cloud-based flexible working culture.

Client: International Pharmaceutical Giant

Requirement

Our client a leading global  pharmaceutical company  devised a strategy to encourage their global workforce to embrace and adopt flexible working practices. To support this goal their IT strategy defined Microsoft’s collaborative  Office 365 suite as the preferred solution..  Microsoft’s  cloud services platform offered familiar products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive (along with other productivity tools and services), and supported their strategy  to work more flexibly and embrace an ‘available anywhere’ culture.

The science-led organisation employs more than 100,000 people across 150 countries, and needed to ensure minimal disruption to business as usual as the transformation took place.  Global Knowledge, with experience in multi-faceted learning programmes across many geographies, in multiple languages, was selected as the learning partner.

Solution: Customising the approach and building a buzz 

Global Knowledge recognised the need to create excitement around the upcoming change as well as design a learning programme that matched the specific needs of the client.  A Discovery Day was held to identify and agree  the benefits of O365 to each specific audience group. A critical outcome was , positioning the technology as an enabler for the enterprise wide  change to a collaborative and flexible working environment.  The workshop enabled the team to determine which solution features mattered most and how they could be incorporated into the company’s existing working practices.  A learning programme was developed that took the form of a tailored ‘buzz session’ rolled out across the organisation to demonstrate the new features and build enthusiasm.  Global Knowledge worked  with the client to develop customised content and ensured the material reflected the organisation’s culture and language. A trainer brief was prepared and train the trainer sessions were conducted through Global Knowledge.  Global Knowledge’s bespoke Adobe Connect virtual classroom solution was deployed , delivering a schedule of live learning to delegates around the world, enabling a consistent approach and a higher quality outcome across all locations.

Global Knowledge’s project manager lead the project, overseeing the design, development and delivery to achieve the highest quality standards. This was monitored through regular evaluation and reporting to the client project stakeholders. Custom videos, subtitled in 14 languages, bespoke courseware, additional learning for advanced users and a support service for learners, ensured that they received appropriate and timely  training . 

Results: The most successful education programme to date

The successful roll out led to the international adoption of O365, positive feedback at all levels and an organisation wide cultural shift to “available anywhere” working.  According to one client Senior Project Manager: “Global Knowledge engaged and supported us when we needed it most. Their advice and guidance around the way to provide learning and the way to engage effectively with our user base allowed us to provide the right educational support to the right departments at the right time.  Internally, this education has been hailed the most successful for our business.”

Project Summary

• Built enthusiasm for the adoption of O365
• Supported the company’s adoption of flexible ‘available anywhere’ working practices
• Designed, Developed and Deployed  learning that was specific to this organisation
• Engaged users consistently across many geographies, different languages, in person and online
• Minimised disruption to business as usual
• Embraced eLearning and provided support to users following the upgrade
• Delivered learning to approx. 100,000 users worldwide.
• The project was rolled out and was completed in a year