DDI's Online Coach Always has Time for Employees; Companies Like BellSouth are Moving Their Employee Classrooms Into Cyberspace

Business Wire, Sept 15, 2000

Business Editors, High Tech Writers

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2000

Most managers just don't have time to mentor employees as much as they should. With new online performance support tools, the computer can now be any employee's coach, trainer or even assessor. Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resource consulting firm specializing in leadership development and selection systems design, announces the availability of OPAL 3.0, an enhanced version of its signature Online Performance and Learning (OPAL) program. OPAL 3.0 gives employees worldwide around-the-clock resources such as online advice, assessment tools and development planning for enhanced job performance and professional development. Earlier editions of OPAL showed that it could provide "just in time" skills development to employees at major corporations such as Adobe Systems, Eastman Kodak and Seagate Technology.

Mentor on call - 24 hours a day, seven days a week

OPAL 3.0 features upgrades to all three main components: Advisor, Developer and Assessor. Need some insights or advice on handling crucial situations -- right now? OPAL 3.0's Advisor is a personal trainer that features practical tips and guidelines, skill-building techniques and support tools for succeeding in more than 170 tough work situations, from preparing for meetings to resolving conflicts. Advisor also has nearly 100 streaming video clips to show employees specific steps for excelling in challenging situations.

Everyone would like the guidance of a mentor who always has time to demonstrate and explain crucial job competencies such as negotiating, coaching, leading, planning and organizing. OPAL 3.0's Developer does just that, with nearly 350 online exercises that demonstrate exactly what employees should do -- and should not do -- to develop and refine vital business competencies.

Professionals who want to know where they stand and what they need to do to achieve their goals can turn to OPAL 3.0's Assessor component. Assessor enables employees to create customized surveys that can be electronically sent to peers, supervisors or other employees across the office or around the world to get feedback revealing performance strengths and weaknesses. Assessor can also be directly linked to OPAL 3.0's Developer to help employees begin working on their vital professional development needs right away.

OPAL 3.0 also provides nearly 600 performance tools such as action planners, interview worksheets and discussion guides to give employees handy tools for navigating crucial real-life business problems without having to reinvent the wheel each time.

Features New to Version 3.0

OPAL 3.0 now includes an array of new features that make it more effective than ever, including:

-- DDI's award-winning training videos. These videos not only have a track
record of success in teaching job-oriented skills, they can also be added to or
deleted from systems depending on company needs and system capabilities.

-- A worldwide online "bulletin board." An industry first, this asynchronous
digital collaboration function allows colleagues anywhere in an organization to
trade information and learn from each other in over 80 topic areas, faster and
more effectively than any other method.

-- Twenty percent more competencies. OPAL 3.0 increases the number of
professional skills taught from 32 to 39, adding online materials on an array
of crucial job tasks and situations, such as leading a meeting and raising
safety awareness.

-- Self-checks. OPAL 3.0 is the first online performance support system in the
human resources industry to offer self-checks -- quizzes that help users assess
their understanding and progress in a program.

-- Nearly two dozen new job aids. OPAL 3.0 adds 22 new job aids, giving it a
total of 577 specific ways it helps with on-the-job challenges.

Advantages to Employees and Company

Because OPAL 3.0 offers so many features, it truly is an employee's best friend on the job. It gives employees detailed directions about how to succeed in crucial roles and how to acquire needed skills. OPAL 3.0 can be a valuable tool for improving employee performance, boosting career and individual development planning and helping to ensure employees have the skills they need. Since employees themselves work on OPAL 3.0, it encourages them to take responsibility for their own development. Being online allows employees in remote locations to enjoy the benefits of OPAL 3.0 at any time day or night.

"One big plus of OPAL 3.0 is that companies and employees spend time only on the specific learning needed by the employee right now," said Pete Weaver, DDI senior vice president and CTO. "OPAL 3.0 provides 'just-in-time' assistance. When that big meeting is scheduled or that crucial situation develops, OPAL 3.0 can help immediately. With OPAL 3.0, you also don't have to worry that learning will be scheduled on a day when a major crisis develops -- you can go online for your learning when it's best for you."