Komatsu Australia’s President Bill Pike decided that KAL needed a fresh approach to inductions and he announced that all existing employees must complete the new induction program.
The Komatsu Challenge provides a highly interactive online learning experience, that enables Komatsu people to learn about important aspects of the Komatsu business, emphasising the need to know what the company is about and what it stands for. This is done at their own pace, at any time, from any location.
The new program was rolled out over the past few months and is accessible via any suitable computer with an Internet connection.
"This is a significant initiative in further developing our people and the first Online Learning Program developed by Komatsu Australia", says Anthony Crowley, Komatsu Australia’s General Manager
Human Resources.
"As well as equipping Komatsu people with technical and business skills to meet the needs of our customers, it is essential that every employee understands the workings of the business, our values, our policies, compliance and our commitment to safety and the environment. The Komatsu Challenge achieves this." He said.
The Komatsu Challenge will ensure that all employees, through an interactive, standardised and structured learning experience, are able to learn consistent and authorised material about the business regardless of their location or position within the company.
All new and existing employees have received access to the Komatsu Challenge and will have completed the program by the end of March this year. Existing employees will undertake Komatsu Challenge Refresher programs every two years.
Komatsu has a deep commitment to people development, The Komatsu Challenge adds to the extensive suite of classroom and online learning and development programs available to Komatsu people in the areas: Technical Training, Business Skills Training, Computer Applications Training, Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Training, Product Training, Sale Training and Manager/Leader Development.
The Komatsu Challenge is a high quality online learning tool consisting of animations, still and video graphics as well as text and audio. The first two Modules of The Komatsu Challenge include an introduction and welcome to the company from Komatsu Australia’s President, Bill Pike, where Bill provides an overview about the company and highlights the importance of Komatsu’s Values.
"It is important that the company engages new staff from day 1. This introduction from Bill along with information about our organisational structure and history and the induction as a whole all helps to make people feel like they belong.
A positive induction experience reinforces their decision to join us and helps them to settle in quicker" Anthony said.
Paul Richardson, Komatsu Australia’s Organisational Development Manager says, "The Komatsu Challenge was developed by the national Organisational Development, and Occupational Health Safety and Environment Teams in consultation with many other work groups. This included rigorous User Acceptance Testing with numerous people across the organisation".
Paul said "The program is designed in modular form to provide flexibility for our people when undertaking the training. The Komatsu Challenge consists of 5 Modules that must be completed in sequence."
"A feature of the design of the program is the inclusion of "Challenge Points" or assessment questions in each Module, that not only adds to the interactivity of the program but also helps people test their understanding and learning", he says.
"Because it is important that we measure the success of the learning through the assessment steps, the program is designed so that it is not possible to move to the next Module until the present Module "Challenge Points" have been correctly answered to a set minimum standard. The concept is one of mastering the learning material and applying it in the workplace", Paul said.
Mark Sproull, Komatsu Australia’s Occupational Health Safety & Environment Manager, says "Komatsu has a genuine commitment and dedication to the safety of our people and protection of the environment. The Komatsu Challenge enables us to emphasise and reinforce these principles with both new and existing staff whenever and wherever that is needed, it’s a great tool."
"With The Komatsu Challenge induction program we are able to ensure that all new employees have completed the material to the required standard within the first week of starting work", Mark said.
"By using an online solution and focusing on sound instructional design principles we have been able to develop The Komatsu Challenge to a high standard of educational integrity and to a level that meets the programs learning outcomes, maintains the learner’s interest and assesses the success of the learning", says Paul Richardson.
"The online solution means we were able to provide the same content and quality of training to around 1800 people across more than 70 sites in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia in the space of 3-4 months. A classroom solution could not have achieved this level of rollout in the timeframe or ensured consistent standards of quality or met cost effectiveness criteria", Paul said.
Kristy Mc Worthy, Komatsu Australia’s Executive Assistant to the General Manager of Customer Support and Business Development, who has completed The Komatsu Challenge and was also part of the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) group says, "My overall impression is that it is very good. It is interesting to watch. The narrator speaks very clearly and is very easy to understand. I like the idea of text and voiceover, so that you can re-read all the information again if you miss what was said."
In line with Komatsu’s practise of Continuous Improvement, The Komatsu Challenge will be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it continues to be a valuable development tool for Komatsu employees.
Komatsu’s Organisational Development team would be pleased to share their experiences of developing The Komatsu Challenge, with any of Komatsu’s customers who may be contemplating a similar approach to the induction of their own staff.