 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
An Insurance Company learned that many of its employees did not have current performance plans or reviews. In interviews, managers said their appraisal system was little more than a paper exercise, more focused on justifying ratings than on improving performance. Interact worked with the HR staff to revise the performance management system, and to develop training that emphasized coaching and performance. The new system and training has been used for over ten years, with updates nearly every year. Employees now have current plans and reviews. As a regional vice president put it, “we put the management back into performance management.”
Insurance Company: Implementing Teams
An insurance company was restructuring its agent-support system by moving to agent-centered teams. Instead of being organized around lines of business, teams would be organized around groups of agents, and would provide all of the agents’ support. This reorganization required extensive cross training, and would result in teams that had much greater authority and autonomy than before. Interact worked with the OD staff to design the implementation of the change, and to provide teamwork skills. About 1,000 managers and team members were trained over a two year period. The agents reported greatly improved support, and the retention of team members increased by 20%.