‍Inwhat context did you deploy New Managers training?

As first-time managers, our employees are faced with specific expectations at MSD and need to be quickly equipped with the keys to help their colleagues deal with complicated situations.

We had multiple objectives: 

• ‍Harmonizetraining processes, follow-up and practices learned to create a common managerial frame of reference, and ricochet this same managerial culture across all business units.‍
• Create a managerial community: get managers who face the same challenges and difficulties to think and work together throughout their tenure. There are already signs of success, as managers are working together outside training sessions. Requests from each other are increasingly frequent and spontaneous, particularly in the current context, which is raising new challenges.

What was at stake for you? 

We were looking for a fairly precise format: 

• Remote, as our staff are located throughout France
• At a reasonably regular frequency: 2 hours every 2 weeks proved to be a good rhythm, so as not to overload managers but to maintain follow-up and real continuity between modules.

How did NUMA manage to adapt to you, your operations and your challenges?

We didn't have to make many adjustments to the actual content of the workshops, but rather to the order in which the managers would attend them, to best suit our priorities. On one module in particular (Management Posture) we were able to take the time to do more in-depth exercises with the NUMA coach, thanks to a good identification of the need upstream.

What have you done internally to convince people of the program's value?

We organized a hybrid program launch to present the course and explain why we had chosen to train them, how it would work and when.

During the launch, we also created an ice breaker to capture their vision of themselves as managers: today I'm _____ and tomorrow I'd like to be ____.

This is also an opportunity to get to know the other participants, to create an environment of trust.

At the end of the program, we'll hold a feedback session to find out what they thought and what the training brought to them individually and as a group. 

What was the most important aspect of the program for your employees? 

They really liked the format, as managers have a lot of meetings, and on a one-day or half-day training course they are rarely mobilized to the end, or are tempted not to go, or to postpone. Thanks to the short format (2 hours) every other week, they feel less like they're sacrificing their working time.

Of course, that's not all: the content and quality of the coach are the real reasons for the 87% attendance rate. Each workshop contains very little theory, and participants are stimulated the rest of the time by a variety of role-playing exercises.

What did you enjoy most about working with the NUMA team?

From the outset, we had good contact with the project team, who were very well prepared and proactive. As HR people, when we arrive with a request we often think we know exactly our business and therefore our needs, and NUMA positioned itself as an expert to recommend or even warn us about certain initiatives (for example, making session recordings available, which turned out to be a bad idea). Having access to real-time feedback from participants is also invaluable for making adjustments along the way if necessary, and is an undeniable asset in terms of transparency.

Have you achieved your goal with this training? What do you need to take it a step further?

We started with a pilot to observe the reactions and effectiveness of the training, and decided to continue with NUMA. Our task now is to channel demand internally! Experienced managers have heard about the New Managers program and would like to be coached too. So we're thinking about dedicating a program to them, so that they can continue to progress, particularly in terms of managerial courage.