The Value of Innovation

Chapter 9Measuring Application and Implementation

With several successful brands and a position as a leader in the industry, Fashion Stores, Inc. (FSI) wanted more growth and profitability. Sales growth was not what the executives would like to see, and some operational issues had caused less-than desirable profits.

The executives asked the Chief Talent Officer to be creative and develop the proper approach, not necessarily recycling on typical leadership and management development. The team researched the competencies for high ROI performance and conducted interviews and focus groups with store managers.

After detailed analysis of the issues, it was decided that the store managers needed to drive improvement in store performance by building teams and creating an environment where team members were fully engaged, satisfied with their employer, and perceived FSI as a great place to work. Essentially, the solution was a high-performance team program, preparing the store managers to create a compelling place to shop, a compelling place to work, and a compelling place to invest. Three important business measures—store growth, sales growth, and profitability—provided the business rationale for the program.

With this in mind, the talent development team designed the program to deliver results. They recognized that certain fundamental issues could be addressed at the convenience of the participants through eLearning modules. They also wanted the power of live presentations, networking ...