AchieveGlobal

Army, Sep 2003

Corporate Structure: Founded: 1963. CEO: David Bornt. Number of Employees: 1,500 worldwide. Headquarters: Tampa, Fla. Web site: www.achieveglobal.com

AchieveGlobal is the world leader in helping organizations translate strategies into results by developing the skills and performance of their people. They work in partnership with organizations to align employee performance with organizational strategy through training in leadership, customer service, sales performance and teamwork. Throughout its 30-year history, AchieveGlobal has worked with a variety of government organizations on developing leaders, improving service and enhancing selling skills for recruitment.

AchieveGlobal has been working with the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and its two co-located Program Executive Offices (PEOs) for Ground Combat Systems (PEO-GCS) and for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEOCS&CSS). The integrated AchieveGlobal/ TACOM/PEO team has developed customized training.

Headquartered in Warren, Mich., the TACOM and PEO community is jointly responsible for the development, acquisition, fielding and sustainment of all ground systems and armaments. Both PEOs have a number of program management (PM) offices that support a wide range of highly visible product lines. TACOM organizations include logistics, contracting and a consortium of industrial operations (depots and arsenals). Until recently, TACOM also contained the two research and development (R&D) centers associated with ground systems and armaments. Although these R&D organizations now report to Army Materiel Command's Research, Development and Engineering Command, they have retained their community attachment to TACOM and the PEOs. Assigned the management of programs crucial to Army Transformation, TACOM/PEO community employees are frequently performing and executing quickly in very challenging environments.

The TACOM/PEO community has evolved over the past 10 years into several organizations, loosely connected, with diverse business units that have a large geographic distribution. The consolidation and restructuring directly affected employee morale and created competing cultures. Employees are challenged to work in teams and partner relationships instead of a strict command and control structure.

The need for training was identified and initiated after the results of a TACOM workforce survey. Conducted in 2000, the survey reported that employees saw a need for the command to invest in developing a range of shared interpersonal skills. After analysis of the survey results, TACOM's commanding general and senior staff, working with the PEOs' senior leadership teams, identified one main objective. They wanted to develop a common, overarching culture throughout each of their business units and across the community-not to replace what was good in each individual unit's culture, but to create a unifying community point of view. The senior leadership team developed six desired leadership traits-leadership, communication, strategic thinking, teaming, organizational climate and employee support-in order to develop leaders and create alignment across the organizations.

After a competitive procurement process, the TACOM/PEO community selected AchieveGlobal as the training provider. AchieveGlobal was selected on its leadership and customer service expertise-and most important, on the company's willingness to develop a unique training program through an open partnering arrangement. In concert with TACOM and PEO experts, AchieveGlobal developed the program over a four-month period. All six leadership competencies were incorporated into the program along with specific examples and case studies taken from the organizations' experience. Several versions of the training program were developed to adapt to unique strengths and needs of business groups.

AchieveGlobal further developed the training program based upon job level and responsibilities. The programs range from 40 hours (for managers) to eight hours (for the general workforce). Employees from the commanding general and high-ranking senior executive services, through front-line employees, are involved in this skill transformation. Reinforcement tools and job aids were also developed to help with reinforcement after the training takes place. The TACOM/PEO leadership team has implemented a long-range cultural transformation that includes SRS Balanced Scorecard metrics that gauge progress.

AchieveGlobal manages the training sessions and facilities for TACOM and the PEOs at all their sites. The AchieveGlobal training team has been trained and immersed in the TACOM/PEO culture, so they present a seamless and integrated effort. Trainers are viewed as partners by class participants.

Lt. Gen. John Caldwell was commander of TACOM when this program was initiated, and commitment to its implementation and to the six competencies has continued under the leadership of the current TACOM commander, Maj. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III. Gen. Thompson says, "This leadership competencies program has had great benefit to our community. It is a truly outstanding collection of all the interpersonal skills we need to work effectively as a team, across organizational boundaries, to maintain readiness today, transform for the future and always support our soldiers."