1. 72 I People Matters I MAY 2013
Select L&D
Five critical components help an L&D manager
justify investments - objectives, delivery,
capabilities, scale and accountability
W
hile every single business func-
tion has come under the cost
scanner in the last two years,
the organisation’s L&D function
speaks a different story. Market studies
suggest that despite tight budget monitor-
ing, the outlook for L&D in the coming times
remain positive.
Vinay Kumar, Principal Consultant at C2C
Consulting, a learning consulting firm, says,
“The slowdown has actually impacted the L&D
space positively as it has given the chance
for organisations to step back and take stock
of competencies.” L&D spend across the
spectrum of Indian industries continues to
grow and handsomely. Most companies intend
to invest in L&D this year as a way to engage,
attract and retain employees.
While several factors contribute to the
increase in L&D spending in the coming
years, employers are now focused on
training talent for quality. In a series of
interviews we conducted with both buyers
and providers of training services in India,
respondents revealed that hiring and retain-
ing quality talent has become a key priority
for organisations.
Piyush Mehta, Senior VP-HR, Genpact,
says, “The economy is facing a shortage of
talent with quality skills in India and organ-
isations like ours have realised that invest-
ing in training is a great way to keep pace
with the skill demands of the business.”
Genpact is an IT services company. This
trend doesn’t hold true only for India, but
also globally.
Bersin & Associates released a study in
2011 highlighting that L&D budgets grew by
9.5 per cent year-on-year and the trend will
continue in the next two years. The analy-
sis mentions that most companies have
realised that they cannot afford to cut down
L&D budgets as it has a near-immediate
impact on talent contribution.
Companies invest in training to meet
various business objectives and some of the
key themes that seem to have emerged for
this year include engagement, talent reten-
tion, leadership development, cross-cultural
training and business effectiveness.
Companies are much more focused on
tying the L&D agenda with business objec-
tives. Suriesh Nathan, Vice President, Asia-
Pacific, at Center for Creative Leadership
says, “The last financial crisis has taught
companies to spend more strategically and
hence L&D programmes are aligned to the
core business themes of companies.”
vikram.choudhury@peoplematters.in
services that justify
Investments
in brief
L&D managers
have to be prudent
while deciding
what justifies
investments in a
programme and a
service provider
By vikram choudhury
learning &
development
Special

2. People Matters I MAY 2013 I 73
Several questions arise for an L&D manager while
selecting programmes and services that justify
investments. One of the key challenges is to balance
requirements with key business agendas for the
year. Research suggests that before engaging with
service providers, the L&D manager needs to have a
detailed plan of the following five components:
Objectives from the L&D plan: Includes details
of business requirements and talent gaps that drive
the business needs for each L&D intervention. For
example, the business need for geographical expan-
sion into new global markets might lead to specific
global leadership and cultural training programmes.
Training delivery: Documents what kind of train-
ings should be centralised or decentralised, class-
room-based or computer-based, and instructor-led
or self-driven.
Capability mapping: Maps existing train-
ing capabilities with the needs of the enterprise,
thereby highlighting which training programmes to
outsource. It also details the budget allocations for
all proposed L&D programmes.
Scale of training: Includes detailed plan of the
number of participants and participant profiles for
proposed programmes.
Accountability: Details the programme champions
for each programme, individual responsibilities of
programme administrators, and the communication
and co-ordination plan with the service provider.
Professional track record
a) What do customer testimonials
on independent platforms and social
media speak about the depth, experi-
ence, and professionalism of the
service provider?
b) Does the service provider have
experience within the industry as
well as diverse pan-industry experi-
ence?
Delivery channels
a) Does the service provider provide
“off-the-shelf” or customised training?
b) What kind of channels does the
service provider predominantly offer
(instructor-led or computer-based)?
Cost efficiency and flexibility
a) Is the service provider willing to
How to know what justifies L&D investments
Key questions
while assessing an L&D service provider
embrace new methodologies and
training ideas both from the organ-
isation and from the industry?
b) Is the service provider willing to
create favourable pricing structures
based on our requirements?
c) Are the training and administra-
tive support costs of the service
provider minimum?
Credibility
a) Does the service provider have a
wide network of trainers and L&D
professionals?
b) Does the service provider hold
memberships with accreditation
agencies such as American Soci-
ety for Training and Development
and Indian Society for Training and
Development?
Consultative assistance
a) Are there any case examples avail-
able of the service provider having
facilitated demonstrable cost savings?
b) Is the service provider willing to
understand the alignment of L&D
programs with the business objec-
tives?
Past experience
a) If there was a past relationship,
does the L&D service provider have
the ability to work against a Service
Level Agreement?
b) What were the key reasons for
which the service provider was
considered in the past?
c) Is there anyone in the organisa-
tion who has worked with the service
provider in the past?
learning &
development
Special

3. 74 I People Matters I MAY 2013
Learning must take
place at all levels
Annual L&D plans must have a strategic vision on
the kind of impact it has on the firm’s business
T
here should a clear focus on learn-
ing and development at each level,
even at the level of the chief executive
officer who should continually impart
learning on values, mission and vision of the
organisation.
The annual L&D plan must have a stra-
tegic perspective on the desired business
impact from such activities. This also needs
to be linked to organisational priorities and
determine who will undergo what type of
learning, how the measurement will take
place and what will be taught by external and
internal facilitators.
Learning management systems need
to be centralised and yet be dynamic and
flexible, based upon the nature of business
and desired objective of L&D activities. In
centralised LMS, there needs to be a linear
relationship to either change in behaviour or
tangible business results.
However, decentralisation should be
allowed in training, based upon business
imperatives and the level of competencies,
which need to be built for the employees
concerned. In essence what it means is
that there has to be a broad framework that
captures the organisational imperatives and
yet the same needs to be flexible to inte-
grate varied regional/business needs.
There has to be a blend between which
programmes should be managed inhouse
and which ones should be outsourced as
both are contextual.
There are broadly three kinds of
programmes – functional skills, leader-
ship skills and general or soft skills. What
it means is that the L&D department has
to help organisations to build and sustain
desired competencies. Sustenance means
an ongoing demonstration of expertise, no
matter how much time has passed since
competency was first achieved.
So, one decision making criterion could
be the core focus of the programme. Is it
intended to focus on concept, contextualisa-
tion or skill building? Any programme which
requires skills building gives better value for
money if internal leaders / employees are
involved in design, delivery and implementa-
tion of the same.
Some of the key points to secure organ-
isational leadership confidence in annual
L&D agenda could be:
a) Present business case and the gap
impact on the business
b) Engage with leaders in design, delivery
measurement process
c) To internally position this as a collab-
orative process as compared to something
being lead/managed by HR or L&D depart-
ment and make the entire L&D initiative a
strategic process rather than the transac-
tional running of programmes
d) Show some measurable behaviour
change or business impact or both. This
approach tends to engage them better as
they see what is in it for them and what is in
it for the business.
The programmes, which have long-term
impact on business, for example, for senior
leadership, it should be centralised as there
By Yogesh Sood
Programmes that have a long-
term impact on business for senior
leadership should be centralised to
retain the consistency in learning
learning &
development
Special

4. People Matters I MAY 2013 I 75
needs to be a consistency in learning and
related messages. It also mandates fluency
of certain key behaviours. So if one were
to apply a filter, then behavioural skills/
attitude learning should be centralised as
they have an impact on the cultural fabric
of the organisation, while the functional/job
related aspects should be decentralised.
The accountability for the success or
failure of L&D programmes should lie on
sponsoring managers of the participants
and not on the HR or L&D department. HR
or L&D are internal service providers who
should be held accountable for the quality/
content of the facilitation and material or
curriculum.
New Trends in L&D: In the last few
years, as the world plunged into recession,
companies have drastically reduced budgets
on training and development. However,
some prudent companies took the economic
downslide as an opportunity and bucked the
trend by engaging their workforce in devel-
oping new skills and knowledge, thereby
enabling their employees to meet new
challenges head-on. This has contributed
positively to the overall bottom-line of the
companies.
As the global economy is slowly coming
back on track, it is bringing new challenges
and opportunities for growth. To success-
fully ride the next wave of growth and devel-
opment in a global context, organisations
need to train their people with new skills
and knowledge.
2013 may see some new breakthroughs
in the training and development space
around the world. This could be the year
where clicker and laser pointers may be
kept aside and training managers would rely
more on mobile and cloud based technolo-
gies to train faster, smarter and with more
agility than ever before.
There would be more usage of web-based
solutions for keeping employees account-
able for actually participating in training
modules. This new focus on accountability
is going to be a welcome development for
employees. Also, as the trend of employees
working remotely has increased manifold in
recent years, there is going to be a greater
initiation of cloud-based training modules to
engage with employees in remote locations.
Some pioneering companies have already
released systems that allow L&D managers
to download all their resources on to cloud-
based platforms to enable remote users to
sign on according to their convenience.
Another technology that will affect the
way training is imparted would be mobile
technology, as the modern workplace is not
sedentary and managers spend much of
their day on their feet than on their desks.
The L&D managers would adapt to this
increasing pervasive work style by enabling
greater access of training resources from
mobile platforms. This would allow manag-
ers and trainers to check user progress and
engagement and even help in responding far
more quickly to queries. “The next wave of
training and coaching will happen by lever-
aging technology.”
Companies are increasingly demanding
measurable outcomes from training inter-
ventions in terms of behavioural change and
also healthy bottom-line growth.
Yogesh Sood is Chief Executive Coach, PCC (ICF) and Chair-
man and Managing Director Leadership Consulting Pvt Ltd
2013 is likely to be the year when managers will
increasingly rely upon cloud and mobile based
technologies to train employees in a faster and
smarter fashion and with more agility than ever
learning &
development
Special

5. 76 I People Matters I MAY 2013
An approach with
sustainable impact
Boost investments in L&D, with longevity and
continuity in sight
O
ver the last decade, HR leaders have
invested a lot of thought and energy
on how to make HR a valuable busi-
ness partner. A major part of this
effort has been around aligning structure and
processes; and now learning & development
is emerging as the critical piece of the jigsaw.
Some essentials that help create a credible
and high impact L&D are follows.
Alignment with business: A leadership
strategy that supports the business strat-
egy provides alignment at a high level. An
aligned L&D plan is expected to opera-
tionalise a part of the leadership strategy
by driving the development of current and
future people capability needs through
capacity, capability and culture building
approaches. Such an alignment provides
a strong connect for business and builds
confidence in the leadership about L&D.
Addressing diverse populations: Three
categories of people are to be addressed
by the L&D plan: a) High Potentials b) Solid
Managers and c) ‘Getting Ready’ popula-
tion. The first step is to have clarity on how
the talent pool is spread across these three
groups and across locations and busi-
ness lines. A differentiated approach that
balances the needs and expectations of the
business, target population, impact and
costs is required. A major tilt towards one of
the populations’ has the potential to lead to
disengagement among other populations.
Diversity of approaches: A best-in-class
L&D approach would always have elements
of learning experiences, mentorship and
training built in its portfolio, in line with the
70:20:10 principles. A mix of self-paced,
blended and in-person learning approaches
are essential today in any L&D plan.
The provider question: To do it in-house
or outsource to a service provider; to do it
centrally or to do it regionally, is an organ-
isation specific choice. Drawing a require-
ment – capability grid where even the inter-
nal team is dispassionately assessed on key
parameters, can assist in decision making.
A centrally-managed approach to address
company-wide themes, critical issues facing
solid managers, culture transformation
projects and development of high potentials
provides for a closer line of sight to the
leadership and is preferred universally.
Technology and social media enablers:
The learning management systems of today
are morphing from a central gateway for
bought-out courses, to a repository for
best practices and a platform for exchange
of views, knowledge and ideas through
integration of social media tools. The L&D
plans of today have to harness this appetite
for interaction as it fits well with a growing
orientation among employees for a more
self-directed way of learning and exchang-
ing ideas. Organisations need to leverage
public social media platforms should the
LMS not provide such an opportunity.
While efforts are being invested for a
sound L&D approach, it is important to
boost that investment with longevity and
continuity in sight. The approach to L&D is
not just a programme but a process consist-
ing of a roadmap of continuous assessment
and reflection, challenge and support.
Anupam Sirbhaiya, Country Manager of Centre for Creative
Leadership India
By Anupam Sirbhaiya
learning &
development
Special

6. People Matters I MAY 2013 I 77
3 factors to help
develop talent
Support from the top management, context-driven
models and critical competencies will ensure the
success of a talent development programme
E
very chief executive knows that the
right talent for the right position
is the most important asset of an
organisation. Talent development
has become a mission-critical company
process. The term – talent development
pipeline architecture – is gaining popularity
as organisations have become more seri-
ous about building leadership capabilities.
Underscoring the importance of talent,
PepsiCo CEO IndraNooyi said,“Perhaps
the greatest challenge business lead-
ers face today is how to stay competitive
amid constant turbulence and disruption.
Today’s market place is incredibly competi-
tive in every industry around the globe. The
difference between success and failure is
talent, period.”
The three factors that are critical
for the success of a talent development
programme are:
1. Create pipeline of talent
In McKinsey’s “The War for Talent” study,
the importance of the leader’s talent
mindset was established as the primary
distinguishing factor between successful
and not so successful companies. Creating
a sustainable pipeline of promotable inter-
nal talent that provides top-tier leadership
needs an integrated, systemic approach
to its management. Leaders need to be
accountable for creating a talent manage-
ment culture and developing the next wave
of talent for the firm. When we created
leadership development programmes for
High Potentials in firms like Engineers
India, Ranbaxy, MSD, Max Life Insurance,
ING Vysya, Vodafone and Airtel, the inputs
and direction came from senior leadership.
2. Focus on critical competencies
A typical competency framework is based
on performance in the current role and
may include many others. It is more effec-
tive to identify and focus on the competen-
cies that are most critical to the current
and future success of the business. In
the Indian context, focus on growth and
culture are more important and they can
be termed as growth behaviours. For
some industries, the growth behaviours
are courage, strategic thinking, challenge
and self-belief while for others they can
be driving simplicity, accountability and
collaboration.
3. Use module relevant to context
& culture
Do not pick up modules that worked in a
different context or culture. Off-the-shelf-
programmes offer little or no customisa-
tion. It is okay to buy a prestigious Ameri-
can university’s programme for your high
potential talent as long as the content
and methodologies are relevant. It is also
important to have an inclusive approach
where talent development is holistic and
focused on all levels in the organisation.
With Vodafone, Novartis and MSD, we use
an integrated methodology that involves
coaching, mentoring, workplace proj-
ects and three workshops spread across
a year. The mantra for a robust talent
development initiative is a blueprint that
is aligned to the company’s strategy and
the support and involvement of the top
management.
Santhosh Babu is Managing Director of OD Alternatives
By Santhosh babu
learning &
development
Special

7. 78 I People Matters I MAY 2013
Shifting trends in
new hire training
As the enterprise witnesses more influx of digital
natives, the philosophy of new hire training has
to shift toward social and mobile learning
E
ngaging new hires and onboarding
them into the organisation is both
a challenge and an opportunity for
companies today. Research has
shown that an employee’s long term commit-
ment and longevity at an organisation is
influenced significantly by the experience
during the first 90 days of employment.
Even though most organisations realise the
importance of a well-designed onboarding
programme, it rarely gets implemented due
to several practical constraints. The reasons
are manifold, but primarily fit into one or
more of the following:
A. Different Joining Dates
Employees join on different dates and this
makes it difficult to provide a new hire
onboarding immediately upon joining. Typi-
cally, new hire onboarding is done weekly or
monthly, once a viable number of new hires
are accumulated. Meanwhile, many “yet to
be onboarded” new employees already start
to feel disengaged.
B. Distributed workforce
With new hires joining across geographical
locations, presenting a consistent onboard-
ing experience is not just a logistical night-
mare, but also economically unfeasible.
Moreover, as businesses are becoming
more virtual and distributed, the need for
online communities for collaboration and
learning is becoming even more important.
C. New Gen Workforce
The average attention span of learners has
declined by almost 33 per cent over the last
decade. Hence, the classroom training or
e-learning/computer-based training model,
which requires undivided attention for 30-60
minutes, does not match the expectations of
the next generation employee.
D. Time to productivity
Given today’s business demands and gruel-
ling schedules, companies cannot afford
long training schedules to get new hires
up to speed. The sooner a new hire gets
productive, the better it is.
After MindTickle conducted extensive
research on user-interaction with games
vs. non game based employee training and
engagement products, it was apparent that
the combination of game mechanics and
social mechanics can be very effective in
influencing employee behaviour in an online
environment. Building on these concepts
and research results, MindTickle imple-
mented a software-as-a-service (SaaS)
platform for absorbing and delivering new
hire training content on a variety of topics
ranging from the history, vision, culture and
policies of the organisation to industry and
technical training.
MindTickle has also combined its user-
experience with deep analytics that allow
tracking of engagement and participation
levels of the new hires, thereby providing an
opportunity to the organisations to objec-
tively evaluate and monitor the success of
their new hire onboarding programmes
through a real-time dashboard. With consis-
tent completion rates as high as 95 per cent,
the new employees onboarded on the Mind-
Tickle platform consider the MindTickle
approach a more effective medium than
traditional alternatives.
Mohit Garg is Co-Founder, MindTickle
By Mohit garg
learning &
development
Special

8. People Matters I MAY 2013 I 79
Success of an L&D
plan is in your hands
L&D agenda should not be insulated from the
firm’s business needs and must evolve from it
A
Learning and Development
(L&D) plan must be derived from
the business context and the
company’s current and future
business plans. For example, if the
company is planning to diversify, then the
competencies related to that goal must
be part of the L&D plan. Besides this,
the plan should be linked to bridging the
competency gaps and must have a clear
deliverable and a strategy on how the L&D
interventions would be implemented.
Many companies find it hard to decide
whether the organisational learning
management system (LMS) should be
centralised or decentralised. Companies
need a centralised version to ensure that
what is important to the business and
management is addressed uniformly. To
take care of local/regional needs, we need
to have a decentralised LMS.
All cost functions are under scanner
today. The organisational L&D should
rationalise which functions to keep
in-house and which ones to outsource.
Annual standard L&D programmes and
the ones related to culture, values etc
can be done internally. On the other hand,
an external partner would be ideal for
programmes on leadership development,
change management, best practices and
organisational development.
Often, L&D plans are insulated from
business needs. To secure leadership
confidence, the L&D agenda must evolve
from the needs of the organisations.
This can happen if the L&D team starts
by asking the leadership two things: The
strategic plan for the year and business
imperatives.
The team can then determine the learn-
ing and development needs of the employ-
ees, which in turn will provide a road map
for their annual plan. Once the plan is drawn
up, it must be presented to the leadership
team, showcasing how it addresses the
stated business needs.
While deciding the level of centralisa-
tion in training, the audience has to be
kept in mind. Senior leadership training
programmes should be centralised while
those for middle-management and business
units can be decentralised.
The success and failure of the L&D
plan is with the L&D Department. Period.
However, there are many influencers in this
process – the top leadership, line managers
and the participants. For the plan to succeed
all these stakeholders will have to be taken
on board and their roles spelt out clearly to
ensure the success of the same.
For example, managers will have to be
explained the importance of sending their
people for programmes, their interest in
what they have learnt and their willingness
to provide opportunities to people to put the
learnings into practice.
Anu Wakhlu is Founder - MD, Pragati Leadership
>>All the stakehold-
ers must be taken on
board and their roles
clearly spelt out to
ensure success of the
L&D programme
By Anu Wakhlu
An external partner would
be ideal for programmes
on leadership development,
change management, best
practices & organisational
development
learning &
development
Special

9. 80 I People Matters I MAY 2013
OD Consultant
transforms
business growth plans
Build a programme while sustaining the present
product line and grow business
I
have tried substantiating my premise of
assumption with a real case study for OD
Scope & its potential impact in business
growth and transformation.
One of the renowned business groups
had undergone a major business crisis since
one of their largest customers turned into
competition.
The situation had worsened since the
customer had taken away majority team
members across the levels. The client
organisation is known to believe in retaining
internal resources, encourage employment
opportunity in generations & already built
spare capacity.
The client had to choose between: Onboard
the new talent immediately and spend energy
on customer retention or design a compre-
hensive business transformation programme
to mitigate the business risk with an inclusive
approach by involving key stakeholders.
As the client is known to choose more
sustainable management practice rather
than adopting the quick fix approach, they
chose to work on the latter option.
I had designed the change programme
framework by building the following themes:
INNOVATIVE
• Sustain the present product line
• Build add on product offerings
• Reduce market time
RESPONSIVENESS
• Build change team
• Create a strategic cell as guiding board
• Retain the existing customers
• Build new revenue model
PROGRESSIVE
• Rebuild the positivity
• Map existing skill sets
• Onboard the critical mass
This framework got implemented in 18-20
months. Along with my role as an external
consultant, we had to build internal change
team from various functional groups and
the task force was led by one of the board
member from the client organisation.
This massive project ended on the
following notes;
Client organisation has started using
almost 85 per cent of the capacity and
grew the revenue by 12 per cent
The organisation built equal proportion
of home grown and fresh talent
The new well articulated competency
framework has allowed to create two
level back up for each critical position
Inclusiveness built major trust and
camaraderie across the level
Resilience has been ingrained as part of
DNA in organisation culture
Though the project was quite successful,
however, am left with some of the funda-
mental questions towards OD consultant
role.
Do all the OD projects get similar
success?
Has the client organisation team
preparedness played the major role in
it’s success?
Would OD intervention get recognition
beyond L&D focus approach?
This experience has helped me to
refresh my learning towards OD Process
map.
Ashish Patel is founder consultant with Euphoria Consulting
By ashish patel
learning &
development
Special

10. People Matters I MAY 2013 I 81
learning &
development
Special
Global CEOs train your
leaders via laptops
Work pressures and a gloomy global economy
prevent high performing leaders from taking
academic sabbaticals
S
usan, the CLO at one of India’s Top
MNCs wakes up every morning trou-
bled with the same issue - she has
been breathing down the necks of
some of her organization’s Senior Managers
to go attend the Management Development
Programs they signed up for but they are not
budging. Do they take a sabbatical from work
to sharpen their leadership skills or do they
try to achieve their sales targets?
This Catch-22 situation is commonplace
in Corporate India today. But this situation
is fast changing, thanks in no small way
to the online revolution that is taking the
education industry by storm. While the Khan
Academy is leading the way in elementary
school education, movements like the Mass
Online Open Courses (MOOCs), which have
attracted more than 100,000 students, are
creating waves in higher education. Corpo-
rates too are increasingly going the online
way. We live in times when time is money
and more so, for busy executives for whom
every minute counts. In such a scenario,
Online education works well, given that one
doesn’t have to travel to attend classes.
In the last couple of months, we at the
AVAGMAH Jack Welch Management Insti-
tute (AJWMI) – India have seen a surge in
interest from large organisations in our
Online Leadership Programs. As an Online
School based in India offering Online Educa-
tion to Executives for the past decade, we
were pleasantly surprised at the increased
numbers in which India Inc. has started
nominating its Senior employees for the
AJWMI programs, given that the programs
are designed for leaders who understand-
ably are hard pressed for time and cannot
afford to take time out from their workplace
for academic pursuits.
With increased demand to nurture high
performers for leadership roles, organisa-
tions now have the opportunity to provide
education to their employees, as per their
convenience. Evolved technology in online
education allows students to participate
in virtual classes run by some of the best
faculty in the world - even if the student is
constantly on the move or based out of some
remote location. This means managers
continue to work and pursue their education
at the same time.
While some are still delivering ancient
standard format lectures to bored students,
India Inc. seems to have rightly embraced
online education and has started reaping its
benefits.
Karthik KS is CEO, AVAGMAH Online School (A division
of 24x7 Learning)
By Karthik K s
Online education to the rescue of
CLOs to nurture high performers for
leadership roles right at their desks by
Global CEOs

11. 82 I People Matters I MAY 2013
The new age of
customised training
Plugging a critical gap of output uncertainties, L&D
managers can look forward to services that will
help them choose & customise training initiatives
I
t is common knowledge that an L&D
manager spends a great deal of time
in finding a service provider or while
nominating employees for external
public workshops. Both situations present
unique operational and procedural chal-
lenges. While undertaking these exercises,
an L&D manager is faced with questions
around the efficacy of choices and the basis
of selection.
Arranging an in-house training with
an external vendor/trainer
While the L&D department may have
a bunch of trainers who’ve worked with
the organisation in the past, there may
be a pressing need to employ an expert
practitioner from the field. While the
current organisational trainer did a good
job last time, there is always uncertainty
on whether the trainer can cater to new
demands. An L&D manager always faces
the need to reach out to someone new
and introduce new training delivery ideas.
One of the most annoying questions that
a delivery manager faces is “Oh you hired
the same trainer again?”
While the L&D manager might feel the
need to try out new services and training
delivery models, operational hassles might
compel him to drop the idea. Procedural
complications of identifying, selecting,
interviewing, customising etc. with a
completely new trainer(s) all over again
may appear daunting for many.
This pain area is something the organ-
isation is aware of but is afraid to take
any action. Many L&D managers hope for
an eBay kind of service, which is more
personalised and customised. Though there
are such services available in USA, there
are very few in India.
Nominating employees to external
public workshops
Many companies are clueless about how
to institutionalise the process of sending the
right people for the right external training
opportunities.
In many cases, organisations take the
easy route - Ask employees to Google
and figure out the right training he/she is
looking for in the market. Every individual
has different training needs and mapping
vendors against each training need is virtu-
ally unthinkable.
Training service providers are more
interested in delivering large scale in-house
trainings compared to individual training.
While few in numbers, there are couple of
Indian start-ups that are trying to address
these problems. This plugs a critical
demand gap and L&D managers can expect
a lot of exciting activity in this space.
L.A. Balamurugan is Co-Founder and CEO,
BookMyTraining.com
By L.A. BalaMurugan
L&D managers can look
forward to services that
will allow them to select
and personalise training
services from multiple
service providers
learning &
development
Special

13. Profile of client
Ranked among the Top 10 for 11 consecutive
years in the Financial Times Global Execu-
tive Education Providers survey, the Center
for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a global
thought leader with exclusive focus on leader-
ship development and coaching.
Buyers profile
Large Indian corporates, global MNCs,
NGOs, NPOs, education and public sector
units globally.
Service locations
APAC: China, India, Singapore
EMEA: Brussels, Russia, Africa
US: North Carolina, Colorado Springs,
San Diego
Overview of leadership solutions
Customised leadership solutions anchored
around specific client needs on both team
and organisational levels
360 and self-assessments for individual and
organisational development
Executive coaching for individuals and
teams
Open-Enrollment programs
Delivered in Asia
For CXOs - Leadership at the Peak (LAP)
For senior leaders leading mangers - Lead-
ership Development Program (LDP®)
For individual contributors and first-time
managers - Leadership Fundamentals (LFP)
For leaders and mentors - Coaching for
Greater Effectiveness (CGE)
For HR and coaches – Assessment Certifi-
cation Workshop (ACW)
Launching soon in India
For mid-senior leaders and managers – The
Effective Leader (TEL)
Leadership Identification Solutions
Leadership Gap Indicator for assessing
organisational leadership needs(no individual
identification solutions provided)
Leadership assessment solutions
•Customizable 360 assessments for develop-
ment across multiple levels of leadership
•Exclusive 360 for C-Suite leaders
Leadership development solutions
•Choice of open-enrollment leadership de-
velopment programs for leaders at all levels
•High impact customised solutions including
multi-module development approaches, ac-
tion learning with executive coaching
•Executive leadership coaching for senior
leaders
Other solutions
•Organisational leadership solutions e.g.
Crafting Leadership Strategy to deliver the
business strategy
•Evaluation services to determine impact
•Sustainable solutions for developing leader-
ship in the not-for-profit, education, health,
MFI sectors, etc.
Key differentiators
•Approach and practices are informed by
continual global research and innovation
•Close and collaborative work with clients
in creating custom solutions that impact
business
•Normed 360 assessments provide the re-
ceiver valuable personal benchmarking
Engagement model
•High touch consultative solutions approach
while providing thought leadership through
global research
Testimonial
The 360 degree feedback from your immedi-
ate reporting manager, superiors, peers and
subordinates, and the personalised coach-
ing is beyond any comparison — makes the
experience simply incredible and inimitable.
Abhilasha Hans
Chief Service Officer, Consumer Business
BhartiAirtel Ltd
-----
I had a wonderful experience at the LAP in
Singapore. The course was expertly facilitat-
ed, always interesting and challenging, and
I learned a great deal about my leadership
strengths and weaknesses and how to best
manage them.
Gabe Hunterton
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Galaxy Macau
CENTER FOR CREATIVE
LEADERSHIP
Contact details
CCL India office
Website:india.ccl.org
Ph: +91 124 4354185/86
E-mail:cclindia@ccl.org
People Matters I MAY 2013 I 85

14. About VitalSmarts®
Backed by more than 30 years of research and a track record of helping organizations with training solutions,VitalSmarts leads
the way in the domain of corporate training and consulting.VitalSmarts teaches strategies and skills for sustainable and meas-
urable behavior change that leads to stepping up employee engagement, quality, productivity and other key indicators.
More than two million people and three hundred of the Fortune 500 companies have realized a direct connection between their
successes and VitalSmarts training solutions.
Three Ways to Get Started
• Trainer Certification:- Individuals or trainers from your organization become certified to teach the course to others within
your company
• Public Workshop:- You attend a prescheduled, public training workshop. To see a complete list of upcoming workshops
and to register, visit www.vitalsmarts.com.
• In-house Training:- One of our expert trainers delivers the program at a location you specify
Purpose
VitalSmarts provides corporate training to an international
client base, including 300 of the Fortune 500. In 1990, the
company’s partners, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, Kerry Patter-
son, and Ron McMillan, developed an approach that ensured
the development and long-term retention of crucial skills—a
promise that most vendors could not make.At the end of each
project, they presented hard data to support that:
• Behavior had fundamentally changed across the organiza-
tion; and
• Changed behaviors were responsible for driving significant
improvements in performance.
Research & Results
VitalSmarts training solutions are built on the principle that
when you invest in your people you enable your workforce to
carry out every business practice more successfully.
VitalSmarts helps leaders bring about rapid and sustainable
change in the critical behaviors and learnable skills that lead
to significant and measurable improvement in performance.
How Is the Training Delivered?
VitalSmarts Training is delivered in a classroom setting over
one to two consecutive days. Each course includes original,
awardwinning video clips, extensive in-class practice, group
participation and personal application of skills.
The training courses provide a more thorough understanding
and application of the skills taught in the four bestselling
books from VitalSmarts, which are used as course compan-
ions and introductions to the material taught in training.
Training delivery capabilities
• Support offices in Gurgaon, Banglore & Mumbai,
besides partner support across India
• A pool of international and national trainers that travel
across the country to deliver trainings
Client’s profile
• Worked with over 300 of the fortune 500 companies globally
• Worked with clients from various industries and sectors
› Auto - Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra
› BFSI – RBS, IndusInd Bank
› CD – Tata Sky, Kohler India
› IT – Wipro, TCS
› Pharma – Dr. Reddy’s, Johnson & Johnson
..... to name a few.
Leadership Consulting Private Limited
A-203, Iris Tech Park, Sohna Road, Sector - 48, Gurgaon - 122018, Haryana(India), Phone: +91-124-4511940
Fax: +91-124-4040575, E-mail: info@vitalsmarts-india.com
influencer

15. H/O: A-203, Iris Tech Park, Sohna Road, Sector-48, Gurgaon -122018 Haryana (India)
Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
Crucial Conversations
Resolve disagreements
Build acceptance rather than resistance
Speak persuasively, not abrasively
Foster teamwork
Upcoming Programmes
6th-9th May, Crucial Conversations TTT, Delhi/NCR
20th-21st May, Influencer, Chennai
23rd-24th May, Crucial Conversations, Bengaluru
16th-17th May, Crucial Conversations, Delhi/NCR & Pune
How well do you, your team or your organization
step up to or handle crucial conversations ?
Visit: www.vitalsmartsindia.com Email: info@vitalsmarts-India.com
Toll free no: 1800-102-1345 Phone: +91-124-4511940
Every team and every organization has problems. The difference between the best and the
merely good is not how many problems they have, but whether or not they candidly discuss
and resolve them. The difference is in how they handle the Crucial Conversations that are
the key to resolving their problems.

16. The Ken Blanchard Companies is a global leader in workplace learning, productivity,
performance, and leadership effectiveness solutions. Through the expert guidance of our
worldwide consulting and coaching networks, we have a reputation for creating ground-
breaking solutions that improve organizational performance and bottom-line results.
For 32 years, our cutting-edge processes have helped leading organizations create global
leadership capacity driven by Ken Blanchard’s renowned thought leadership. Ken has
authored more than 40 bestselling business books, several of which continue to be listed on business bestseller book lists years after their
initial publication. Blanchard Research & Training India LLP is the licensed affiliate of Ken Blanchard Group of companies, USA.
small enough that our key principals are involved in nearly
every customer engagement.
Measurable Results
All Blanchard initiatives offer Success Case Method evaluation
We own a strong core of intellectual property—thought
leadership in management best practices
Beginning with the initial version of Situational Leadership®,
our curriculum has evolved over a span of 40 years.
We have a command of multiple learning modes-
classroom, coaching, virtual, blended, online
We can successfully deliver training and coaching in person, via
digital media, or by means of a blended approach.
Complete Support Before, During, and After Your Training
Initiative
We can support organizations by creating a training launch kit
that gets top management buy-in, helps you explain the purpose
of the training initiative, and builds excitement for learning new
skills.
Blanchard is a global company with a strong local presence
We are large enough to handle global assignments But are still
Testimonial
“We love our partnership with Blanchard; their programs have
allowed us to move the needle on leadership performance. Our
work together has resulted in a worldwide application of leader-
ship consistency” - Pfizer Inc.
“It is powerful to see managers commit to their employees that they
will use different leadership styles—and to see the employees
commit to diagnosing themselves and asking for the leadership
they need post our association with Blanchard” -BIOGEN
Client’s profile
• Worked with over 300 of the fortune 500 companies globally
• In India we work with organizations across sectors and indust-
ries including IT, Telecom, Consultancy, Consumer Durables
Training delivery capabilities
Through our researchers, world-renowned authors, consultants,
coaches, and delivery team, we have the capacity to deliver on the
largest projects, while retaining an intimate, hands-on approach.
Scope of Business
Blanchard offers consulting, training, and coaching services for
managers and leaders. Our offerings include individual, team, and
organizational leadership development solutions. As the innovator
of the world’s most widely used leadership model, SLII® we offer
proven programs based on current research and the latest thinking
from our expert consulting network.
Key services offered include:
• Customer service development.
• Executive coaching
• One-to-one coaching
• Classroom, virtual, blended solutions
• Public workshops
• Training for Trainers
• Keynote speakers
• Inclass training solutions
• Continous online Learning solutions
• Performance management systems
• Custom design and development.
• Organization values and visioning
• Diagnostics and assessments
• Impact mapping and goal alignment
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
Key differentiators

17. LEADERSHIP IS A JOURNEY.
Having an experienced guide can make all the difference.
Create a shared language of leadership
within an organization
Upcoming Public Programs:
Blanchard Research and Training India LLP. A-203, Iris Tech Park, Sohna Road,
Sector - 48, Gurgaon- 122018, Haryana. Tel: 0124 4511970
Call 18001021345 Email Eshan@blanchardinternational.co.in www.blanchardinternational.co.inVisit
Contact us for open program details/ corporate solutions / other Blanchard offerings
Situational Leadership II® - 9th-10th May - Chennai
Legendary Customer Service - 17th May - Gurgaon
Building High Performing Teams - 30th-31st May - Mumbai
Core Leadership Skills - 7th June - Gurgaon
Self One to One Team Organisation

20. Name of Company: MindTickle
Profile of client: Multinational companies,
large and medium sized Indian companies
that employ knowledge workers
Buyers profile: Leaders and decision mak-
ers in HR, Sales, Marketing, Product and
L&D teams
Training delivery capabilities: Online delivery
that combines the benefits of social learning
and gamification with the power of cloud
and mobility
Training specialization: Pre-join and post-
joining new hire training, policy training,
sales training, product training, customer
service training, channel/partner training and
customer training
Other services: Employee Engagement
Key Differentiators:
MindTickle is a web-based learning platform
that combines the power of “social learning”
and “gamification” to make any enterprise
training efficient and effective. With thou-
sands of users from marquee customers
including SAP, Yahoo!, InMobi and MakeMy-
Trip to name a few, MindTickle was voted #1
in the category – “Best use of gamification
in Enterprise” in 2012, and judged #1 in the
category – “Best use of gamification in HR”
in 2013 at the Gamification Summit, San
Francisco. MindTickle makes the learning
experiences extremely appealing and inter-
esting for the new generation employees,
plus MindTickle’s convenient cloud solution
makes it really easy to get started.
The key benefits of MindTickle are:
1. Increase learner engagement by 200-300%
2.Cuttrainingcostsandtimebymorethan50%
3. Detailed analytics and reports help track
ROI
4. Ability to update content in real-time
through an intuitive web-based interface
5. Turnkey execution and 24/7 support
Pricing: Per-user license fee - that reduces
with reduces with increasing volume
Testimonial/Referrals:
Very pleased with the results, and look
forward to more of such opportunities. We
worked with MindTickle on gamifying SAP’s
strategy and industry knowledge training.
The response and adoption of MindTickle
employee engagement activities platform has
been overwhelming!! It is rare to witness 90%
adoption of any web based training product,
but MindTickle has demonstrated that at SAP
Labs India. - MD, SAP Labs
MindTickle has given InMobi a big leap ahead
in terms of our new employee orientation
process. We find the MindTickle team to be
resourceful, attuned to our needs and willing
to constantly improve their client’s experi-
ence. We strongly recommend them. – Head,
HR, InMobi
We have been using MindTickle’s AllAboard
product for conducting new employee ori-
entation over iPads. Our new hires love the
interactivity of the MindTickle platform, and
the admin functionality makes it very easy
for us to manage the whole process. We are
very pleased with the results. – Head, Talent
Development, MakeMyTrip
Contact details
Contact Details:info@
mindtickle.com,
+91 90110 79735
(India,Pune),
+1 (973) 400 1717
(US,San Francisco)
www.mindtickle.com
92 I People Matters I MAY 2013

21. Requestademoatinfo@mindtickle.comorcall+1(973)4001717/+919011079735
Secureonlineplatformforemployeelearningandengagement
TrustedbyFortune500companiessuchasSAP,Yahoo!&Vodafone
Awardedwinner(forbestuseofgamificationinEnterprise/HR)at
GSummit2012and2013,SanFrancisco
Request a demo at info@mindtickle.com or call +1 (973) 400 1717 /
Platform of choice for over 20,000 users worl
Secure online platform for employee learning and eng
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies such as SAP, Yahoo
Awarded winner (for best use of gamification in Enterp
GSummit 2012 and 2013, San Francisco
gamified
social
learnin
www.mindtickle.com
Request a demo at info@mindtickle.com or call +1 (973) 400 1717 / +91 9011079735
Platform of choice for over 20,000 users worldwide
Secure online platform for employee learning and engagement
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies such as SAP, Yahoo! & Vodafone
Awarded winner (for best use of gamification in Enterprise/HR) at
GSummit 2012 and 2013, San Francisco
gamified
social
learning
www.mindtickle.com

22. Here lies our
uniqueness.
We
and
We
up into
We
with
you that are
don’t have set
ideas fix-it
solutions.
don’t box you
an
existing program
co-create
offerings
customized to
meet YOUR needs.
Well it’s really simple
We address this at 3 levels:
Personal Development
Leadership Development
And Organizational
Development
We also
,
to develop cultures
of trust, innovation,
joyful high
performance &
continual learning.
work at
organizational level
Companies Often ask us
”How can we
pipeline of leaders?”
”Can we invigorate their
teams to dissolve
silos and work
together?”
“HOW can we have AN
innovative and agile
organization...”
create A
This is the
business
world.
Its fast.
its growing.
Its
Changing
like never
before
And at
its roots
is the
power of
the people
We have
We use a set of powerful
Experiential learning
tools.
We also use creative
methodologies to make
learning fun.
an accredited team
of experienced
Consultants, Coaches &
Facilitators.
Conversation
Cafe@Pragati
leadership
See this person here?
connect with
his
and
We help him
highest inner
potential unleash
his capacity to be an
effective leader
How do you
that?
do
Sparked individuals like
him, with their minds on
fire, think differently
and collaborate to form
the strongest teams.
We help catalyse
these great teams.
Personal
Development
AND
How do we do that?
Leadership
Development
Yes we can !
30 years,
600 organizations
25 countries
For nearly
we’ve partnered with over
across
To do just that.
...thats ALL fine
Can you help us to craft
our
really
L&D agenda in line with
our business goals?
WOW! that’s nice!
Can you explain
how this will
“ACTUALLY” work
for my needs?
Asleep to
who I
really am Sharing
my gifts
Innovation
High
Performance
Highest
Inner
Potential
Self
Limiting
Benefits
Organisation and
team Development

23. Align all stake-holders in
the organization to a
shared vision and values
Develop and implement
HR processes to prepare
the organizational talent
pool for the future.
Ensure a well-bonded and
energised workforce that
collaborates for
breakthrough results
Nuture the career path of
an employee towards
greater leadership
responsibilty
Enhance the capabilities of
leaders to coach and
develop other leaders
Build the
depth and
quality of
leaders for
sustained
growth.
Become an
energised,
engaged and
aligned
organisation
that is
future-ready.
Sub NeedMain Need
Enhance the organizations
engagement, vitality
resilience, innovation &
learning
Identify and transform
from high potential leaders
into agents of learning &
change
01Organizational
Development
Develop Leaders who
innovate, inspire, excel and
enhance performance
Develop a pipeline of
Wholesome leaders for
sustainable growth of the
business
Equip Managers with
coaching skills to develop
people for excellence
Provide individualised
coaching support for leaders
to develop and grow
Equip Employees with
attitudes and skills to be
effective on the job
Create a team of
internationally certified
trainers and inspiring
facilitators
Improve Facilitation &
change management skills
of existing internal trainers
Prepares a team of
coaches for International
Coach Federation (ICF)-
Certification
02
Leadership
Development
Build individual
capabilities
for personal
excellence.
Personal
Development
Solution by levels
Executive
Level
Junior Level
Manager
Middle Level
Manager
Senior level
Manager
Creating Organisation DNA (Vision, Mission & Values)
Strategic HR consulting & implementation
TMEnergized Learning Organisation (ELO)
i-Catalyst
Personal
Effectiveness
Program (PEP)
Manager of
Managers
(MOM)
First Time
Managers
(FTM)
Leadership Development
Program (LDP)
Wholesome Leadership
TM
Development Process
WLDP
Developing People for
Excellence (DPE)
Executive Coaching
Manager as a Coach
Business Communication Skills
Conflict Management Skills
Negotiation Skills
Influencing Skills
Time Management Skills
Making Impactful Presentations
Emotional intelligence Program
Developing Executive
Presence
Inspiring Facilitator
(INIFAC- Certified
Train-the Trainer Program)
TM
Advanced Facilitation
Skills
Pragati-FastTrack
TM
Coaching Program
Develop Soft Skills
Bonding for
Greatness
(BFG)
Effective
Project Teams
(EPT)
TM
Enjoying Challenges Together (ECT)
Creating Involved Employees (CIE)
Campus to
Corporate
Program
03 Communication Skills
To find out more about a particular solution’s architecture,
timelines and investment, logon to our website:
www.pragatileadership.com or call 020 66462900
Want to know more
about how we can
align your L&D
needs to your
business goals?
CHECK THIS
out....
Pune Mumbai Delhi-NCR Kolkata Bangalore
Align all stake-holders in
the organization to a
shared vision and values
Develop and implement
HR processes to prepare
the organizational talent
pool for the future.
Ensure a well-bonded and
energised workforce that
collaborates for
breakthrough results
Nuture the career path of
an employee towards
greater leadership
responsibilty
Enhance the capabilities of
leaders to coach and
develop other leaders
Build the
depth and
quality of
leaders for
sustained
growth.
Become an
energised,
engaged and
aligned
organisation
that is
future-ready.
Sub NeedMain Need
Enhance the organizations
engagement, vitality
resilience, innovation &
learning
Identify and transform
from high potential leaders
into agents of learning &
change
01Organizational
Development
Develop Leaders who
innovate, inspire, excel and
enhance performance
Develop a pipeline of
Wholesome leaders for
sustainable growth of the
business
Equip Managers with
coaching skills to develop
people for excellence
Provide individualised
coaching support for leaders
to develop and grow
Equip Employees with
attitudes and skills to be
effective on the job
Create a team of
internationally certified
trainers and inspiring
facilitators
Improve Facilitation &
change management skills
of existing internal trainers
Prepares a team of
coaches for International
Coach Federation (ICF)-
Certification
02
Leadership
Development
Build individual
capabilities
for personal
excellence.
Personal
Development
Solution by levels
Executive
Level
Junior Level
Manager
Middle Level
Manager
Senior level
Manager
Creating Organisation DNA (Vision, Mission & Values)
Strategic HR consulting & implementation
TMEnergized Learning Organisation (ELO)
i-Catalyst
Personal
Effectiveness
Program (PEP)
Manager of
Managers
(MOM)
First Time
Managers
(FTM)
Leadership Development
Program (LDP)
Wholesome Leadership
TM
Development Process
WLDP
Developing People for
Excellence (DPE)
Executive Coaching
Manager as a Coach
Business Communication Skills
Conflict Management Skills
Negotiation Skills
Influencing Skills
Time Management Skills
Making Impactful Presentations
Emotional intelligence Program
Developing Executive
Presence
Inspiring Facilitator
(INIFAC- Certified
Train-the Trainer Program)
TM
Advanced Facilitation
Skills
Pragati-FastTrack
TM
Coaching Program
Develop Soft Skills
Bonding for
Greatness
(BFG)
Effective
Project Teams
(EPT)
TM
Enjoying Challenges Together (ECT)
Creating Involved Employees (CIE)
Campus to
Corporate
Program
03 Communication Skills
To find out more about a particular solution’s architecture,
timelines and investment, logon to our website:
www.pragatileadership.com or call 020 66462900
Pune Mumbai Delhi-NCR Kolkata Bangalore

24. In our quest to provide specialized offerings, an interesting alliance has
been established between euphoria consulting and Strategic Action
Group from Canada.
Euphoria Consulting has been into Organizational development space for
last 8 years in India region. Their long term partnership approach has
helped them to emerge as a very unique consulting organization. They
have been associated with more than 100 Indian as well as Multi National
Companies in their development and change management initiatives.
Strategic Action Group, Ltd. has been working with organizations since
1991 on the establishment of integrated talent management systems that
are unique to the client’s working environment and business plan.
Strategic Action Group, Ltd. has worked with clients around the globe on
creating human management activities that are focused on respecting the
legacy of the culture while, at the same time, enhancing the capability of
the company to meet the strategic business plan.
Our clients' success is why Strategic Action Group has become one of the
most sought after Human Resources Development firms in Canada and
the U.S.
Shall look forward for your continuous support and encouragement.
Thankfully yours,
With our spirit to “Collaborate / Co – create / Co – own”
Ashish Patel
Founder, Euphoria Consulting
David Cohen
Founder, Strategic Action Group Strategic Action Group Ltd.
In collaboration, euphoria
Consulting and Strategic
Action Group will be involved
in different Organizational
Development projects in the
India region.
In the similar arrangement,
Ashish Patel – founder of
euphoria Consulting will
participate with Dr. Cohen in
developmental projects in
Asia Region.
This new association would
help us to serve our clientele
with global perspective.
“Collaborate / Co - create / Co - own”
We are glad to share that euphoria Consulting and
Strategic Action Group are collaborating for their
unique offerings in Organizational Development
Space.
www.euphoriaindia.com
info@euphoriaindia.com
Cell: +91-97696 25444 | +91- 98197 58582
www.sagltd.com
info@sagltd.com
Tel: +1-416.650.9786 | Fax: +1-416.650.0389

25. Help you to pick the best for your company...
www.euphoriaindia.com
info@euphoriaindia.com
Our Offerings
Organizational Diagnostic Study
Business Transformation
Executive Coaching & Mentoring
Leadership Mapping
Strategy Definition, Mapping &
Implementation
euphoria is an organizational development and
business transformation consulting firm.
Our endeavour is to be an integral part of the various
organizational development initiatives aligning them
with the strategic business goals of the client
system.
We have been associated with various client
Organizations/Service Institutions for their business
growth and transformational processes.
Our consulting team brings a unique role-mix of
academics, corporate leaders and practice
specialist.
Cell: 97696 25444, 98197 58582MUMBAI
AHMEDABAD Cell: 98240 50602