Need:

Caterpillar’s senior management recognized the need to bridge the gap between the current leadership capability of Caterpillar’s leaders and the leadership capability the organization required to execute against its strategic vision, Enterprise Strategy—Vision 2020. An internal needs analysis study by Caterpillar University confirmed that addressing this gap was viewed as a top priority by Caterpillar managers and global training managers.

Solution:

To pinpoint the specific development needs of its frontline leader population—the broadest category of leaders within Caterpillar, numbering about 8,500—Caterpillar applied a 6 Sigma process through which it conducted focus groups with supervisors and team members. It also took into account the results of recent employee engagement surveys.

Drawing on the data that had been gathered, Caterpillar University partnered with DDI to create a customized two-day experience that developed the leadership skills supervisors needed to succeed. The experience, name Succeeding in Supervision, combines classroom instruction, hands-on skill practices, and a comprehensive overview of Caterpillar’s strategic priorities and values. Included in Succeeding in Supervision are 18 units that range in length from less than a half hour to more than two hours. The units cover such topics as engagement, being authentic, bringing out the best in people, being receptive to feedback, safety, managing former peers, and interpersonal communication skills. DDI worked with Caterpillar University to tailor the training materials, exercises, and skill practice situations to encompass Caterpillar-specific language, the organization’s culture, and its business environment.

Results:

• More than 800 Caterpillar supervisors have completed the program since 2005.
• In a third-party study of the program, 89 percent of respondents reported that they applied what they learned to their work environment.
• The study also estimated Return on Learning of more than 240 percent for all supervisors and more than 400 percent for manufacturing supervisors.
• 14 areas of intangible benefits were positively impacted, including “increasing employee engagement,” “improving decision-making,” “improving performance management,” “improving team work,” and “increasing ability to avoid common supervisor pitfalls.”