Aligning human performance improvement programs and projects with the business is a critical step in ensuring a positive return on investment. Alignment begins by clarifying the ultimate need for a program, then positioning and developing the program to meet that need. Validating this alignment occurs during the evaluation phase when results are isolated to the program.
What happens when the participants of a program have multiple needs? How can data be collected and analyzed efficiently while ensuring credible results are reported? A large hotel corporation faced this issue as the learning and development team was challenged to identify learning needs to help executives find ways to improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth in the company. A key component of the program was the development of a formal, structured coaching program. The corporate executives were interested in seeing the actual ROI for the coaching project. This interest placed increased importance on the need to ensure the coaching initiative aligned with the business needs of each executive participating in the program.
This case study provides critical insights into how coaching creates value, such as ROI, in an organization. More important, however, the case study demonstrates how business alignment can be achieved even if program benefits vary with participants.
Background
Nations Hotel Corporation (NHC) is a large, U.S.-based hotel firm with operations in 15 countries. The firm has maintained steady growth to include more than 300 hotels in cities all over the world. NHC enjoys one of the most recognized names in the global lodging industry, with 98% brand awareness worldwide and 72% overall guest satisfaction.