Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
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18 August / September 2016 Elearning! Learning! 100 100 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Leadership Development Program Lawrence Livermore National Labora- tory (LLNL), a Department of Energy serves more than 6,500 employees in a number of areas including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, com- puter science among others. e scien- tists work together to combat challenges such as nonproliferation, cybersecurity, clean energy, climate change, manufac- turing and medicine. ere's an empha- sis on values and employees are encour- aged to uphold them with the way they interact with one another, sponsors, stakeholders and the public. With such a highly-skilled and educated workforce, special learning and training techniques must be implemented while upholding the organization's values — that's why the Leadership Developing Training Ulearn program was developed. More than 65 percent of LLNL has a Ulearn account which consists of a port- folio of resources that are responsive to the Laboratory's environment, mission, skill base and future. Learning is aligned with strategic business goals and embed- ded in the workflow, accelerating busi- ness impact and global agility. e learn- ing program connects with talent man- agement, linking skills and competencies with succession planning and leadership development. Employees are empowered to charge of their career development and are supported by a program that pro- motes knowledge sharing and through- out the employee lifecycle. Financially challenging times and new workforce expectations require leaders and learning programs to be cost-effective and integrate technology. e Leadership Development Training Ulearn program was created as a solution to address both needs. Upon completion of the training, LLNL discovered that 96 percent of em- ployees surveyed believed that ULearn benefited them and 80 percent of learn- ers were able to apply what they learned within six weeks. Further, LLNL revealed the return on investment for the program was 1,129 percent or a benefit-to-cost ratio of 12.8 to 1. A self-assessment conducted with University of California-Berkley's Haas School of Business identified strengths and gaps in leadership abili- ties. Outcomes indicated that a plan for leadership development needed to be implemented addressing needs at mul- tiple career levels aligned with strategic direction. LLNLs' revised leadership program has three curriculum compo- nents: culture, leadership and account- ability. A culture of trust, development, and innovation helps prepare lead- ers. An institutional set of leadership competencies help leaders move the or- ganization forward and make informed decisions and each leader is account- able for their deci- sion, no matter the outcome. When an individual has been identified for a leadership role, he or she will create a 180- day assimila- tion plan and over the following four years, he or she will work closely with management for as- sessment, feedback, performance tools and workshops. Lawrence Livermore National Labora- tory is a four-time Learning! 100 award winner. HEAR FROM THE WINNER: Pictured: Leslie Positeri, Learning Development Specialist, uLearn Manager, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory AREA OF EXCELLENCE C U LT U R E