Lutheran Brotherhood is an $8 billion financial services business head-quartered in Minneapolis. It has 1500 employees located in its home office and 1700 out in the field.

When word around the office surfaced that the sales force at Lutheran Brotherhood were using their laptop computers as deadweight in their car trunks during the winter, it was clear it was time to update what once were cutting-edge computers and software (purchased three and a half years ago).

In their search, development and implementation of a new easy-to-use laptop computer system that would help increase the productivity of its sales force, the company adopted a company-wide focus based on team-work among departments. This approach eventually led to peers teaching each other the new technology. The outcome? In just 5 weeks, almost all 1500 members of Lutheran Brotherhood's sales force learned how to use the new laptop technology. All signs indicate the training programme was a huge success: not only was there positive feedback from the sales representatives, but the company's sales have also began to rise since the new laptops were introduced. Although it would be unwise to attribute the sales rise solely to the implementation of new technology, it clearly seems to have made a significant contribution in one way or another. Within a period of 6 months, sales figures rose an average of 25 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

In developing the peer training programme, Lutheran Brotherhood initially were aware that two elements were going to be key in the successful introduction of the new systems:

   direct sales force participation in developing the programme to ensure they would have a sense of ownership in the new technology;

   interdepartmental involvement from employees throughout Lutheran Brotherhood.

In recognition of this, the company formed a 21-member task force, consisting of MIS and marketing professionals. The task force spent 6 months researching laptop computers before selecting the Toshiba 3100SX. To accompany the hardware, the members developed customized software to help representatives undertake client needs analyses as well as show how various combinations of the company's products can help meet those needs. Client management software to help sales representatives organize and store information on contracts, names and addresses of clients, and personal information was also integrated into the package by the task force team.

To support the training effort, an internal marketing plan was developed to generate some excitement and anticipation for the new technology, while minimizing any employee anxiety. The internal marketing campaign included:

   frequent correspondence to district representatives about their upcoming training, at what came to be called LBU (Lutheran Brotherhood University);

   news articles in company publications to help the sales force visualize themselves successfully using their new laptops;

   positive word-of-mouth generated by the deployment team and the field test group.

The internal marketing effort was sustained at a high level throughout the training sessions. For example, a music video would be shown at the beginning of every LBU session. It featured Lutheran Brotherhood executives in ponytails and spiked hair, jamming and lip-synching to original music written for LBU. The video also showed a district representative (from the district undergoing training) using the laptop successfully and easily.

Ruth Bash, the company's assistant vice president of field technology, noted that ‘The video used the MTV treatment and it was definitely well-received. At a couple of LBU sites, it received standing ovations.’

The task force set the training initiative rolling by first training a 110-member deployment team, which consisted of individuals from every major functional area of Lutheran Brotherhood. To get direct feedback from experienced users, the deployment team then selected a pilot group of eight sales representatives from throughout the country. The pilot group used the new laptop daily, suggested ways to simplify and improve the software programme, and provided ideas on structure for the mass training.

When it was time for the mass training to begin, members of the pilot group helped launch the training sessions. They even assisted in the classroom. Craig Darrington, manager of field force training and development, responsible for the co-ordination of the LBU training agenda stated: ‘The credibility of what we were doing was enhanced by the support and input from the pilot group.’

The training sessions took place at eight LBU locations set up at college campuses throughout the country. The choice of college campus was made to foster a relaxed and focused learning environment. Approximately 1900 people (1500 district representatives and their assistants) attended the 3-day sessions. A student–teacher ratio of 10:1 was maintained to ensure that all trainees received the help they needed. Three people served as trainers in each classroom. One person demonstrated on a laptop computer the steps being discussed, while the other two trainers served as roving experts walking around the classroom to answer individual questions. In addition, at each LBU site, there were also at least two technical experts who walked from room to room to answer technical questions and solve hardware problems.

The training sessions were designed to combine intensive hands-on training. The sessions were designed to include fun and build camaraderie. The company wanted trainees to become not only knowledgeable about the new systems and technology, but also eager to use them. To ensure this, the company:

   Developed a video to be used during the training that featured a brief walk-through of each major capability of the new software and showed applications in a business setting. Additionally, the video was filmed on location at sales offices throughout the country, so that it featured recognizable members of the sales force at work on the new laptops in their offices.

   Showed testimonials from sales representatives from the pilot programme to demonstrate peer support for the new technology. This also helped the sales staff visualize themselves using the new technology successfully.

   Developed an ongoing support to users of the new technology. The company maintains a toll-free hot line for agents to call when they have questions, features follow-up material in a monthly newsletter and plans to do a second generation of training.

At the time, the new technology introduction was the largest training project ever undertaken by Lutheran Brotherhood. Its success highlighted to the company that, by careful internal marketing, employees can do just about anything in just about any length of time.

Source: Obenshain, V. (1992). Peer training yields speedy results. Personnel Journal, 71 (4), April, 107–10.