1. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
SIKM May 21, 2019
Paul McDowall
www.knowhowworks.com

2. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
1. Context
2. Challenge
3. Case History
4. Conclusions and Discussion

3. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
Context:
What is Strategic Onboarding?
How is this a KM initiative?
What Type of KM initiative is this?
What does 'success' look like?

4. So what is Strategic Onboarding, anyway?
[Strategic] onboarding is the process of
integrating and acculturating new employees
into the organization and providing them with
the tools, resources and knowledge to become
successful and productive.
Getting On Board, Partnership for Public Service, Booz, Allen,
Hamilton
Properly defined, onboarding includes
sourcing, selecting, orienting,
assimilating, and, ultimately, retaining
new employees.
Best Practices for Retaining New Employees, New
Approaches to Effective Onboarding, Saratoga and
Global Best Practices (Price Waterhouse Coopers)

5. So what is Strategic Onboarding, anyway?
[Strategic] onboarding is the process of
integrating and acculturating new employees
into the organization and providing them with
the tools, resources and knowledge to become
successful and productive.
Getting On Board, Partnership for Public Service, Booz, Allen,
Hamilton
Properly defined, onboarding includes
sourcing, selecting, orienting,
assimilating, and, ultimately, retaining
new employees.
Best Practices for Retaining New Employees, New
Approaches to Effective Onboarding, Saratoga and
Global Best Practices (Price Waterhouse Coopers)

6. So what is Strategic Onboarding, anyway?
Strategic Onboarding begins at first contact with a prospective employee, and
focuses on developing and engaging the employee throughout the first year until
they are fully productive

7. Strategic Onboarding integrates recruitment, talent management,
performance management, learning and development as well as the
physical office space preparation and other administrative hiring
functions.
Successful onboarding depends on the development of a strategic
partnership between HR, L&D, Facilities, IT and managers:
Organizational Readiness
letter of offer
acceptance
first
day
first
week
first
month
first yearfirst three
months
Staffing Recruiting hiring
Pre-arrival
Performance Management
Learning & Development
Strategic Onboarding

8. Pre-arrival Month One Month three Year One
Normal Engagement and Contribution
Developing
High Performer
Good Performer
Learning
Performancelevel
Dimensions of
Employee
Engagement1
Emotional
Intellectual
Social
1 Soane, E., Truss, C., Alfes, K., Shantz, A., Rees, C. and Gatenby, M., 2012. Development and application of a new measure
of employee engagement : the ISA Engagement Scale. Human Resource Development International, 15(5), pp. 529-547.
Highest performance is achieved when employees are
fully intellectually, emotionally and socially engaged.
What we know for
sure …
Strategic Onboarding

9. Direct Benefits of Strategic Onboarding
Faster time to competence and contribution
Costs a fraction of high turnover and constant recruiting
Higher employee engagement and long-term retention
Promotes a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
New hires feel more integrated, more quickly
Reduces burden on managers and peers
Facilitates Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management

10. Recognized
Tool for
Increasing
Productivity
of New Staff
Organizations report that effective on-boarding improves time to
productivity (60%), retention rates (52%), and overall customer
satisfaction (53%) (Source: Aberdeen Group).
Successful on-boarding increase an employee’s discretionary effort by
more than 20% and drive employee performance up by 15%
(Corporate Executive Board Gartner).
The difference in productivity between high and average performers is
35% (Hay Group).
Recognized
Tool for
Increasing
Retention
and
Workplace
Morale
Participants of structured on-boarding programs are 58% more likely to
be with the same organization after 3 years (Wynhurst Group).
Average turnover costs are 38% of annual salary (US Labor Bureau).
Turnover of entry-level employees costs 30-50% of annual salary; for
mid-level employees turnover costs 150% of salary and for specialized
positions turnover costs up to 400% of annual salary (Ross Blake,
“Employee Retention”).
Real Benefits

11. Strategic Onboarding and Employee Engagement
Five Elements that Drive Engagement

12. What are the best practices
for a multi-generational workforce?
Boomers
 Focus on the Process Over Socialization
 Clearly Defined Onboarding Roadmap
 Frequent Feedback Mechanisms
 Trad'l Recruitment & Retention Mechanisms (Benefits, Retirement Plan)
 Forms Management
 Show Respect
 Extend Onboarding Beyond 6 Months
GenX
 Mentor Program
 30-60-90 Day Performance Reviews
 Tasks Management
 Planned Lunches On Day One
 Pre-Employment Gift
GenY
 Internal Social Networking
 Enable Contribution
 Assignment on the First Day
 Interactive Media Tools
 Socialization in the Company Culture
 “New Hire Clubs”
 “Buddy System” - Starbucks Coffee
 Link Onboarding to Learning
Bersin by Deloitte

13. direction
Onboarding
Processes
networking
Performance
Management
Strategic Onboarding

14. The Goal

15. What does 'success' look like?
Types of KM initiatives (in relation to the business):
Independent - Aligned - Embedded

16. What does 'success' look like?
Types of KM initiatives (in relation to the business):
Independent - Aligned - Embedded
Factors of 'Success':
1. real, demonstrable business value...
2. for more than 3 consecutive years

17. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
1. Context
2. Challenge
3. Case History
4. Conclusions and Discussion

18. Challenge: Dept of Fisheries and Oceans,
and the Canadian Coast Guard
• two organizations, 11 regions
• 10,000+ employees, 85% spread across Canada
• $3B new money (Oceans Protection Plan)
• 1500+ new jobs
• new programs, functions, org structures, jobs, plans, etc
• many years of stifled 'growth' -> outdated/non-existent
'orientation' materials/processes
• HR Enablers Readiness Office (HERO) - project vs program
components
• 1 year - 2017/2018
• $750K funding - Nov 2017-Mar 31 2018
• 'Gold Standard'

19. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
1. Context
2. Challenge
3. Case History
4. Conclusions and Discussion

20. Strategic Onboarding Program Components
20
Portal for
New
Employees
Learning
Program
Welcome
Centre

21. 21
WorkPlace Environment Preparation
letter of offer
acceptance
first
day
first
week
first
month
first
year
first three
months
Staffing Recruiting hiring
Pre-arrival
Performance Management
Learning & Development
1. Portal for New Employees – to improve the hiring process and
provide valuable information for new employees, before they arrive
Strategic Onboarding Program Components

22. 22
WorkPlace Environment Preparation
letter of offer
acceptance
first
day
first
week
first
month
first
year
first three
months
Staffing Recruiting hiring
Pre-arrival
Performance Management
Learning & Development
2. Welcome Centre – to welcome new employees on their first day, provide
valuable information and a welcome gift, answer questions, and streamline the building
security process
Strategic Onboarding Program Components

23. 23
WorkPlace Environment Preparation
letter of offer
acceptance
first
day
first
week
first
month
first
year
first three
months
Staffing Recruiting hiring
Pre-arrival
Performance Management
Learning & Development
3. Onboarding/Learning Program – to accelerate the
learning development and engagement of new employees throughout their
onboarding period until they are fully productive
Strategic Onboarding Program Components

24. Program Launch
• Top-down, bottom-up, middle-out
• Staff Onboarding leads for all regions - 4 key attributes
• Training: basics, tools, collaborative tool/repository for OL CoP
• Weekly CoP teleconference meetings
• Monthly plans/reports
• CoP workshop - facilitation, KT, change, learning styles, coaching
• National purchase of banners, posters, SWAG, video
equipment/software,etc
• Financial oversight and tracking
• Coordination/collaboration with other groups (allies and partners)
• HQ (NCR) Onboarding activities and programs
Tools, guides, materials:
• best practices, templates, guides, comm'n/engagement products, surveys,
data analysis, advice, contacts, references, workshop materials/videos
• videos, graphic animation, gamification, infographics, orientation/welcome
materials

25. Four key attributes for an Onboarding Lead (KM):
• Knowledge and experience in their region. The Onboarding Lead must
understand the key aspects of the work in their area and have
developed good working relationships within and across their region.
• Experience and/or a keen interest in the development, coaching and
training of colleagues and staff. Onboarding Leads will play the most
critical role in ensuring that any informal learning approach or activity
is focussed on real, practical business value.
• Strong coordination and collaboration skills. The Onboarding Lead will
need to coordinate and collaborate with a wide variety of individuals
across their respective region, and with the National Onboarding
Team.
• Initiative and good judgment.
Regional Onboarding Leads

26. • Conduct/coordinate gap analyses and identify needs for their region
• Develop and organize/coordinate onboarding events and experiential
learning activities (e.g. tours, visits)
• Establish Welcome Centre/Function
• Establish CoPs
• Knowledgable resource for new employees
• Develop and organize/coordinate regional informal learning
opportunities (SME-led workshops, info sessions, team building/learning)
• Oversee performance coaching across region
• Train regional/program staff in best practice informal learning tools
• Report to Regional management
• Post good materials to the Onboarding Repository
• Coordinate with Managers, Peer Partners, National Onboarding Project
Team, other Onboarding Leads, the YPN, unions, and many others
Regional Onboarding Leads
26

27. Program Launch
• Staff Onboarding leads for all regions - 4 key attributes
• Training: basics, tools, collaborative tool/repository for OL CoP
• Weekly CoP teleconference meetings
• Monthly plans/reports
• CoP workshop - facilitation, KT, change, learning styles, coaching
• National purchase of banners, posters, SWAG, video
equipment/software,etc
• Financial oversight and tracking
• Coordination/collaboration with other groups (allies and partners)
• HQ (NCR) Onboarding activities and programs
Tools, guides, materials:
• best practices, templates, guides, comm'n/engagement products, surveys,
data analysis, advice, contacts, references, workshop materials/videos
• videos, graphic animation, gamification, infographics, orientation/welcome
materials

28. 1. Organizational Orientation session
2. ‘Boot Camp’ learning session
3. Performance-based, SME-led Coaching
4. After Action Review
5. Stand-Up
6. Communities of Practice
7. Experiential Learning
8. Special Purpose, SME-led workshop
9. Generic Onboarding Learning Map
Informal Learning Approaches and Tools
For Strategic Onboarding in DFO/CCG

29. Learning Map

30. Applying KM to a Business Need:
Strategic Onboarding
A Case Study
1. Context
2. Challenge
3. Case History
4. Conclusions and Discussion

31. Conclusions and Discussion
• Strategic Onboarding represents an organizational transformation
initiative, drawing heavily on KM
• Drive change top-down, bottom-up, middle-out
• Embed KM in jobs to focus on real business value
• Lead and nurture
• Relationships, not roles and responsibilities
• Positive culture change can happen but one person at a time, one
positive (business value) change at a time
• project vs program
• Success is real business value for more than 3 consecutive years

32. Paul McDowall
Know How Works Consulting Ltd
www.knowhowworks.com
knowhowworks@gmail.com