In the competitive life sciences landscape, staying ahead in employee training and development is crucial for success. Eisai, a leading global pharmaceutical company, has been recognized and awarded the LTEN Excellence Award in the Training for Change category for its initiative, the Eisai Learning Journey.
The LTEN Excellence Awards is an annual awards competition that spotlights and recognizes innovative L&D initiatives, teams, leaders, and partnerships. Learn more about the awards competition here.
Read on to learn more about Eisai’s entry and meet the other finalists in this category, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Intracellular Therapies, Sanofi, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Pictured above: The Eisai CT+D Team Poster Presentation
Eisai Learning Journey
Paced, Experience-Bound New Hire Training
The Eisai Learning Journey was driven by the need to bring about a significant change in the way new hire training was approached. In the past, the focus was on rushing new hires to the field, resulting in less retention and limited time for the application of knowledge. Eisai recognized this challenge and aimed to create an exemplary learner experience that would maximize performance for new hires and in-role representatives.
The key goals of the Eisai Learning Journey were:
- To provide a sequenced training approach that enhances retention through the application of knowledge.
- To introduce continuous learning for in-role representatives, enhancing their clinical, business, and selling acumen.
The change strategy implemented by Eisai involved a collaborative effort from various departments, including sales, marketing, human resources, legal, and compliance. These stakeholders were consulted throughout the development of the Learning Journey, ensuring a comprehensive and holistic approach.
To address the need for change, several key steps were taken:
- Strategic Staff Positions: Eisai secured staff positions that would allow for the necessary evolution in new hire training.
- Communication Plan: A clear and effective communication plan was developed to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged.
- Involvement of Sales Leaders: Sales leaders were actively involved in the process, providing valuable input on the training design.
- Field Experience Implementation: Field experience was introduced after the newly implemented PI certification training, enabling new hires to interact with customers and apply their knowledge effectively.
- Continuous Evaluation: Surveys were conducted to gauge the impact of the new program, and feedback was shared with leadership to inform further improvements.
Despite its success, Eisai faced some challenges during the implementation phase. Resistance to change is not uncommon, and some sales leaders initially questioned the delay in training on certain resources. However, through effective communication and showcasing the benefits of the new approach, these concerns were eventually overcome.
The business impacts of the Eisai Learning Journey have been substantial and measurable:
– Increased involvement of sales managers and trainers throughout the training journey.
– Improved efficiency in territory management, clinical acumen, and selling skills among sales professionals.
– Faster time to impact for sales representatives, resulting in a positive impact on patients’ lives.
One of the key strengths of the Eisai Learning Journey is its integration into the company’s culture. By involving various departments and stakeholders, Eisai successfully embedded the training initiative throughout the organization. This collaborative approach not only enhanced the learning experience but also reaffirmed Eisai’s commitment to its people.
Eisai’s Training and Development team’s innovative approach to learning has revolutionized the new hire training process, resulting in improved performance and a positive impact on patients’ lives. The LTEN Excellence Award recognizes Eisai’s dedication to continuous improvement and its mission to prioritize patients and families. As Eisai continues its journey of excellence, other organizations can look to it as a prime example of successful change-focused training.
Meet the Finalists
Endo Pharmaceuticals — The One-Endo Learning Strategy
Endo Pharmaceuticals has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious LTEN Excellence Awards Training for Change category, specifically for their One-Endo Learning Strategy. This transformative initiative aimed to unify the company’s various business units under a single set of Endo Values to foster a cohesive organizational culture.
The need for change was determined through customer-facing focus groups and engagement surveys, which highlighted inconsistencies in behavior alignment with the company’s core values. Additionally, disparities in access to training and development programs, coaching practices, and investment in learning were identified.
The change strategy comprised a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches, leveraging a core competency model based on Endo Values, a self-assessment tool, and a competency-based curriculum. The strategy involved active senior leadership support, keynote speakers, manager training, communication, and the involvement of One-Endo Learning Ambassadors to drive adoption and diffusion across the organization.
Despite encountering challenges, such as limited time and a major financial event (Chapter 11 filing), Endo’s leadership remained committed to the initiative. They adjusted the pace and communication strategy to address distractions and offered flexibility to different parts of the organization. The impact of the training was evident in increased employee engagement scores, positive work environment, and improved satisfaction with career development and team leadership.
Participation in the various One-Endo Learning programs was strong, with close to 80% of the organization participating in the Core Competency Self-Assessment. Additionally, engagement scores saw significant improvements, especially in areas related to career development and culture.
The One-Endo Learning Strategy succeeded in unifying the enterprise, promoting behaviors aligned with shared values, and encouraging individuals to invest in their learning and development. The cultural change efforts will continue, driven by permanent programs established as part of Endo LeadershipYOU.
As the company emerges from Chapter 11, Endo’s long-term goal is to link the change initiative to metrics related to employee retention, diversity, equity, inclusion, organizational effectiveness, and business outcomes. The success of the One-Endo Learning Strategy has positioned Endo as a company with a unique and unified culture, primed for growth and future success.
This entry was in partnership with Prestera FX.
Intracellular Therapies — Field Sales Training Program
Intracellular Therapies has been recognized as a finalist for the LTEN Excellence Awards Training for Change category due to their impactful change-focused initiative in their young and growing commercial organization. The initiative involved the launch of the National Field Sales Trainer (FST) program, where high-performing sales representatives were promoted to full-time FST roles. One of their key projects was optimizing the onboarding support process for new hires, resulting in standardized practices that enhanced the learner experience.
The need for change was driven by the company’s expansion, with new hires exhibiting a broader range of experience in psychiatry. This necessitated improved support to ensure consistent understanding across the new hire class groups. The frequency of live virtual workshops also required considerable effort from the training staff. To address these challenges, the FSTs were introduced, and they took ownership of optimizing the onboarding process.
The FSTs created detailed checklists for regular touchpoints with new hires during the home study period, one month after new hire training, and a field ride 6 to 10 weeks post-training to ensure successful transfer of learning concepts. They executed their proposal, regularly refining it based on feedback and observations.
Incorporating the change into the organizational culture was facilitated by strong internal communication, a focus on building a positive company culture, and standardization of practices. Excel workbooks and MS Teams groups were used for seamless communication and efficient tracking of progress, fostering engagement throughout the onboarding process. The initiative’s success has positioned Intracellular Therapies as a leader in driving effective training and development within their organization.
Sanofi Dupixent Commercial Training Team & CLD 2022 — Escape the Room Heist Workshop
Sanofi’s change-focused initiative has earned them a spot as a finalist for the LTEN Excellence Awards in the Training for Change category. They partnered with Custom Learning Designs (CLD, Inc.). The company’s innovative approach to training, the Escape Room Heist workshop for DUPIXENT’s sales teams, proved to be a game-changer in engaging learners and maximizing training impact.
Recognizing the challenges of traditional workshops in encouraging extensive role-play, Sanofi’s Training team took the initiative to introduce an immersive workshop experience. This approach allowed learners to engage in verbalizing, strategizing, and honing their sales skills extensively. The need for change arose as Sanofi faced the transition to remote training during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in limited face-to-face mentoring for their new hires.
With determination and effective communication, the Training team convinced stakeholders and coordinated complex logistics to make the Escape Room Heist workshop a reality. The workshop’s success was evident in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from both leaders and learners, prompting a request for a similar experience in DUPIXENT’s next national sales meeting.
Sanofi’s initiative not only provided a “safe place to fail” for learners but also offered a unique and unforgettable learning experience. As a result, the company witnessed greater enthusiasm among stakeholders for this immersive training approach, ensuring its embedding in the organizational culture.
The impact of the change-focused training was immediate and tangible, with managers and trainers gaining valuable insights into the field’s overall skill levels. Learners appreciated the engaging learning opportunities with their peers and expressed how the experience continued to benefit them in the field.
Looking ahead, Sanofi is already working on the development of their second immersive training workshop, reinforcing the positive impact on the organization’s training culture. The company aims to extend learning opportunities and assess training impact through metrics, ensuring ongoing growth and development for their sales teams.
Sanofi’s commitment to innovative and impactful training strategies showcases its dedication to employee development and organizational excellence. Their Escape Room Heist workshop exemplifies the power of immersive learning experiences, making them a strong contender for the LTEN Excellence Awards. Congratulations to Sanofi for this well-deserved recognition and their inspiring journey toward transformative training!
Takeda Field Capabilities & Learning Strategy Team — Initial Field Training Evolution
Takeda’s outstanding commitment to training excellence has earned them a spot as a finalist for the LTEN Excellence Awards in the Training for Change category. The company’s change-focused initiative aimed to standardize and align their Initial Field Sales Training (IFT) programs, addressing the challenges posed by their acquisition of Shire. The need for change arose from the variations in training programs, resulting in inefficiencies, inconsistent learner experiences, and outcomes.
With determination and a comprehensive strategy, Takeda’s Training team worked diligently to create a cohesive program, providing new sales representatives with a positive onboarding experience. By adopting contemporary learning approaches and processes, they ensured all programs met regulatory requirements, and the training curriculum could be seamlessly transitioned to new learning professionals.
The project was in partnership with TiER1 Performance.
The impact of the change-focused training was profound. Mobility across training programs improved, enabling seamless transitions for training managers across business units. The certification rubric for sales representatives ensured consistent and compliant therapy discussions, which did not exist before this initiative. Furthermore, the integration of the Shire and Takeda learning organizations fostered a new centralized learning operation, resulting in greater collaboration and innovation in learning solutions.
Takeda’s dedication to driving organizational change through training has resulted in a remarkable standardization of programs, fostering a positive impact on both learners and the company’s culture. Their initiative exemplifies the power of transformative training, making them a strong contender for the LTEN Excellence Awards. Congratulations to Takeda for this well-deserved recognition and their inspiring journey toward elevating training effectiveness and unity within the organization!
Teva Commercial Training & Development Team & CLD 2022 — New to Pharma Curriculum Project
Teva Pharmaceuticals has been named a finalist for the prestigious LTEN Excellence Awards in the Training for Change category, and for good reason. Their change-focused initiative, spearheaded by the Commercial Training & Development (CT&D) Team, tackled the critical challenge of high sales force turnover during the pandemic. The need for change arose as Teva sought to quickly recruit, train, and deploy new hires to support their sales teams, and their innovative approach to training addressed this need head-on.
Teva’s CT&D team partnered with Human Resources and Sales, drawing a new sales team from digitally native applicants, a previously untapped group with the technological aptitude to communicate the benefits of Teva’s products effectively. Understanding the urgency of their task, the team expanded their onboarding training program and designed training with more practice time, coaching, and guidance from experienced reps.
The challenges faced during the initiative were met with remarkable resolve. Timing constraints were overcome by bringing the full creative energy of the CT&D team, along with their trusted vendor partner, Encompass Communications and Learning, to collaborate and deliver impactful solutions. Understanding the needs of the new-to-pharma candidates was facilitated through close collaboration with HR, ensuring successful design decisions.
The business impacts achieved were profound. The CT&D team successfully onboarded 50 digital native new hires, dramatically reducing field vacancies and boosting sales from 600 to 1500 prescriptions per week. The cost of labor was significantly reduced, and attrition rates diminished. Moreover, the knowledge gained from cross-functional collaboration is influencing global product launches and inspiring other teams within Teva to adopt similar new-to-pharma recruiting strategies.
Teva’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, and transformative training has not only driven sales success but has also fostered a positive transformation in their approach to bringing on new hires. Their initiative exemplifies how aligning HR, Sales, and Training can create positive change and elevate the performance of an organization. Congratulations to Teva Pharmaceuticals on being named a finalist for the LTEN Excellence Awards, a well-deserved recognition of their exceptional achievements in Training for Change!
About the LTEN Excellence Awards
The LTEN Excellence Awards recognize the innovative and inspiring work done by life sciences training professionals at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostics companies (“practitioners”) and the strong support, innovation and creativity of training industry partner companies (“providers”).
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For additional questions, please contact Awards@L-TEN.org.
Interested in sponsoring this year’s awards program? Contact Gregg Haunroth at ghaunroth@L-TEN.org
