Situation
Harris Moran is part of the largest independently-owned seed company in the world. With its headquarters located in California and markets in more than 65 countries, Harris Moran specializes in breeding innovative vegetable varieties designed to increase yield, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance freshness, flavor, and quality from plow to plate breeding vegetables.
Harris Moran relies on a group of managers to plan, organize, lead, coordinate, and control strategic activities. This influential group of leaders is called G40 managers. Harris Moran wanted to develop this group by implementing a learning curriculum that would make a meaningful, lasting impact on business leaders and success.
Solution
Harris Moran approached Adayana to identify and improve competencies of the G40 managers to help close the gap between current and ideal skill sets. Adayana began the process by observing and interviewing members from the G40 and Executive team to identify relevant competencies and scope a relevant curriculum to support the development of G40 managers.
After the members were interviewed, Adayana developed a formal competency model, including an outline of each competency, definitions, and behavioral indicators that support each competency. Competencies were identified in areas of financial management, human performance management, teamwork, and leadership skills. An online assessment was developed and used to identify performance gaps and strengths for each identified competency. G40 members and their managers were required to complete the assessment. G40 managers rated themselves on how often they demonstrated each competency, and managers rated G40 managers against the same measures.
“Adayana has enabled us to implement, measure, and develop the competencies of our core management team, which will have a long-lasting influence on our success.”
Deb Olson
Manager, HR Services and Development
Harris Moran
The competency model, along with the assessment results, was used to prescribe the proper curriculum to assist the development of the G40 members in the core competency areas. The curriculum implemented for G40 manager development includes a combination of e-Learning courses, instructor-led workshops, and webinars.
Before implementing the curriculum solutions, Adayana hosted a Performance Management Workshop to introduce the key developmental opportunities that were initially identified at the beginning of the project. After all the courses are developed and tested, G40 managers will participate in a practicum project in which they will review and solve a case study and present their results to the executive team.
Success
Adayana and Harris Moran started this partnership in the winter of 2008, identifying competencies to implement learning curriculum in areas of management development. Adayana has now successfully created and tested two out of the six of e-Learning courses and has given Harris Moran the necessary tools to measure the progress of its G40 members. Although the project is still underway, G40 leaders have responded with great enthusiasm for how the curriculum has and will continue to develop G40 managers for continued leadership and business success.
