BBVA Compass charts a new course for talent development with eCornell
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Case Study
BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass charts a new course for talent
development with eCornell
BBVA Compass is a Birmingham, Alabama-based financial
institution operating 717 branches with more than 10,000
employees. Today, BBVA Compass ranks among the top
15 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market
share, and among the largest banks in Alabama (3rd), Texas
(4th) and Arizona (5th).
But in 2010, the newly realigned Talent Management and
Training (TM&T) group was sailing in uncharted waters.
Compass Bancshares had been acquired in 2007 by
Spain-based BBVA Group, and the entire HR department was involved in the daunting task of integrating
human capital, talent, and culture across multiple affiliate banks, while aligning with corporate priorities.
Talent Management and Training added a new department to ensure that leadership development was a
central theme.
“Structured, company-wide leadership development was extremely limited prior to the creation of the
leadership development department in 2010,” said Eric Simpson, Director, Leadership Development for
BBVA Compass.
The Challenge: Big impact with small-scale resources
To support the business, leadership development needed to align its work with BBVA’s
corporate competency model and global talent management process. But significant
challenges existed: a limited budget, a staff of two people, competition from multiple
corporate change initiatives and a multi-million dollar banking platform technology upgrade.
Given the situation, the decision was made to target development options for high-
potential employees (HIPOs), starting with the firm’s junior top talent. A needs analysis
found a large gap in essential management skills in this group, and closing the gap would
ensure BBVA Compass had a solid first string and leadership pipeline for the future.
The bottom line: BBVA Compass needed a high-quality, high-touch learning solution to
target 300 junior HIPOs that minimized cost, maximized application, improved retention
and made an immediate business impact.
950 Danby Road • Suite 150 • Ithaca, NY 14850
866-326-7635 • +1-607-330-3200
corporateprograms@ecornell.com • ecornell.com
Case Study
BBVA Compass
The Solution: Blended curriculum at its best
After researching several other e-learning vendors and instructor-led development
options, BBVA Compass chose eCornell.
“Given our wide geographic footprint, we liked the program’s asynchronous options, and
the ability to use private cohorts allowed us to be more targeted. We also wanted to have
sufficient options to adapt to changing needs and align with corporate global offerings.
In the end, eCornell was the best high-quality vendor that could do what we wanted,”
said Simpson.
Three programs run in 2011 tested the strategy and confirmed the methodology, but the
approach came into its own in 2012 when BBVA Compass launched seven programs in
its eCornell Leadership Development Series. Co-facilitated by eCornell, each program
included 22 members of the junior talent pool for a total of 150 participants across the
seven programs:
• Facilitating Group Decisions
• Tactics and Skills for Negotiating
• Influence Without Authority
• Impact of Personality Styles on Communication
• Understanding Team Dynamics
• Leading People to Higher Performance
• Leading Through Creativity
Each six-week program represented roughly 18 hours of training, including:
• Pre-work—online articles, videos and
discussions, as well as providing a brief
bio and photo for a virtual roster.
• One eCornell online course.
• An action-learning project—cross-
functional teams worked over four
weeks to analyze and respond to a
business-relevant case study.
• Three live WebEx meetings—used for
an interactive, team-building program
kick-off; eCornell course debrief and
case study setup; and final case study
presentations and program wrap-up.
• “Insights and Action”—participants set goals (and recorded them) for implementing
program learnings.
950 Danby Road • Suite 150 • Ithaca, NY 14850
866-326-7635 • +1-607-330-3200
corporateprograms@ecornell.com • ecornell.com
Case Study
BBVA Compass
The Results: Impactful and in demand: New program leaves managers, participants eager for more
In its first full year, the BBVA Compass/eCornell program has created serious internal
buzz. Simpson and his team were thrilled with post-course evaluations, which yielded
stellar feedback on all eCornell metrics; the average rating across 12 questions was 4.33
out of 5. And most importantly, participants’ managers assessed the program as having
a significant positive impact on their employees’ behavior.
“My employee, Kent Seacat, said that if he were
to give the [eCornell] program a letter grade, he
would give it an ‘A’. Kent had not previously been
exposed to online courses, but he was very
positive about the format. He has also been able
to integrate a best practice he learned—soliciting
the involvement of the employee he is coaching in
the resolution process so they feel some ownership.
Again, it [the eCornell program] was a wonderful
experience for Kent,” said David C. Latshaw, SVP,
Regional Investment Sales Manager for BBVA
Compass Investment Solutions.
Latshaw’s experience echoes what Simpson is
hearing from participants. He said most past
participants, as well as those in the junior talent
pool not yet selected, want to attend additional
sessions. For Simpson, who has limited capacity
to deliver training, this high demand for limited
supply is a good problem to have.
The BBVA Compass/eCornell learning partnership continues today. Programs for the
junior talent pool are chosen to consistently align with BBVA Compass’ desired business
outcomes and the competencies the talent pool needs to make them a reality. Without
eCornell’s adaptability, world-class content, and turnkey solutions, none of this would
have been possible for BBVA Compass.
“We’re a small department with limited budget, so having support from a vendor
on delivery made sense. We have a great relationship with the eCornell staff. The
initial setup … and relationship was smooth, and we’ve had great eCornell instructors,”
said Simpson.
950 Danby Road • Suite 150 • Ithaca, NY 14850
866-326-7635 • +1-607-330-3200
corporateprograms@ecornell.com • ecornell.comCase Study
UNITED NATIONS
Department of Field Support
The United Nations Department of Field Support (UNDFS) manages personnel, finance, logistics, and other
support for UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Among other things, the UNDFS provides
human resources training and certification for 600 United Nations HR personnel.
Target Audience: 600 HR staff worldwide
Learning Needs: HR management best practices for the UN,
consistent HR business practices,
common HR language
Dates of Service: October 2010 – September 2013
The Challenge:
The UN had discovered core-skills competency gaps in a large contingent of global HR practitioners,
and specific deficiencies in leadership and strategic management skills among higher-level
supervisors and managers. Because HR practitioners and supervisors face all manner of social,
political, and physical challenges in the field, establishing UN-standardized practices and protocols
for human resources is particularly vital.
Reaching a uniform HR training standard for all UN missions everywhere was proving difficult,
however. “Because our units are spread across the globe, providing training consistent with UN
organizational policies was challenging—not to mention astronomically expensive,” explains Eran
Schweiger, Chief of DFS’s Quality Assurance Unit. “We never want our Field Managers out there
operating without proper HR training. It can open up a whole world of liabilities and legal setbacks
and have adverse managerial and financial implications.”
UNDFS urgently needed a cost-effective solution for global HR training.
In 2010, they turned to eCornell.
The Solution:
From the outset, eCornell’s online delivery platform met the UN’s stringent standards for training and
development. It provided a problem-based, collaborative learning environment. UNDFS staffers in
the field only needed access to a computer and the Internet. They had round-the-clock
access to courses and eCornell support from expert HR facilitators. Completion times were flexible,
within reasonable limits, and all participant information was strictly confidential.
eCornell then created a custom nine-course certificate program to address competency gaps among
HR practitioners. A similar program contained four additional high-level HR courses for more seniorCase Study
HR practitioners and managers. By completing the same core courses as their HR practitioner
subordinates, HR field managers and supervisors assured that there was continuity in processes
and staff field missions.
Both curricula are closely aligned with specific training needs of both DFS contingents. By
completing the same core courses as their HR practitioner subordinates, HR field managers
and supervisors can ensure continuity in processes and staff field missions with assurance and
complete confidence.
The Results:
Since the program’s launch in December 2010, over 400 UNDFS staff members (260+ HR
practitioners and 150+ managers) have completed more than 1,700 eCornell courses. eCornell
surveyed field managers at critical points, allowing eCornell and the UNDFS administrative staff
to refine services and tailor business practices to meet learners’ needs.
The UNDFS survey data show high satisfaction and relevancy scores.
On a 5-point scale, students rated their experience as follows (average of all respondents):
● The content met my expectations of high quality: 4.4
● Overall rating of the instructor in this course: 4.3
● The skills and knowledge presented in this course
transfer directly to my workplace responsibilities: 4.5
● Overall rating of the online learning experience: 4.2
The most important results don’t come from surveys, however—they come from workplace
outcomes.
“The UN’s principal expense and greatest asset is human resources. By
providing higher-quality HR training to our field support staff and delivering
it globally through eCornell, we’ve definitely seen a compounding effect on
the competence and quality of mission personnel. People are more
motivated than ever before, which has unquestionably led to improved
delivery of the missions’ mandate.”
“I’ve heard firsthand from participants that the credential from Cornell
University gives them extra motivation to complete the certificate program.
The Ivy League name adds value to the certificate earned, and ensures a
high standard of quality.”
Eran Schweiger
Quality Assurance Group Director
UN Department of Field Support
Visit eCornell’s UNDFS Case Study to watch video clips of UNDFS stakeholders discussing how they used
custom Cornell University HR certificates: www.ecornell.com/corporate-programs/case-studies/united-nationsYou can also read
