MAN Truck & Bus is one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles and transport solutions. Since 1758, its offer has ranged from trucks to financial services, technical assistance and post-sales services related to the operation of MAN vehicles.
In 2015, the Training and Development department of the company decided to enter the field of the video game with a big goal in mind: to improve employee motivation. An initiative which has involved 84 workers of different profiles and which pursued an even greater challenge: to increase the competitiveness of the workforce as a result of having better motivated and committed employees.
Challenge: The training as the core of a strategic plan
To provide a suitable response to the new paradigms of the market (globalization, efficiency, performance optimization or digital transformation) has become the great challenge for MAN Truck & Bus Iberia. To achieve this, training has become the core of a strategic plan divided into three points which are closely connected:
- Better motivated workforce
- Improved performance
- More competitive workforce
For the strategy to work properly, it was necessary to set the masterpiece in place: to increase the motivation of the employees of MAN Truck & Bus.
The HR and Training and development departments were responsible for developing a program that would have a positive impact on the motivation of the employee.
To that purpose, it was necessary to provide efficient solutions to vital needs:
- To turn training into a real, useful tool for the employee.
- To connect training with development.
- To turn training into a collaborative experience that will help improve the work environment.
- To transform learning into a challenge, both personal and collective.
Solution: motivate by playing
To meet the established requirements, the Training and Development department has opted for the game as the ideal training solution. Thus, the serious games developed by Gamelearn have been presented as the answer to the defined needs:
- Each set of developed skills (negotiation and time management) has become a set of tools that the employee has put into practice within a secure environment, applying them in real life from day one.
- Courses in video game format (serious games) are designed and based on a powerful simulator which represents real life situations and not just related to the workplace. Thus, the training has been connected with the personal and professional success of the employee.
- The introduction of game dynamics such as rankings, badges and challenges has turned training into a challenging and engaging learning experience for the employee, who has increased their level of commitment and involvement with the training.
- The competition generated within the video game has created a feeling of belonging to a single group. As a result, we have developed social learning with feedback from the experiences of the participants.
Results: the motivation for 98% of employees was raised
The results obtained with the training program through video games implemented by MAN Truck & Bus have been classified into two levels.
FIRST LEVEL
Here is the main goal of the training program with overwhelming results:
Better motivated employees
Having better motivated employees translates into employees who are better prepared to face the new challenges of the market. In this section, the results of the training show a significant increase in the level of employee motivation: 98% of the employees who have completed the program have increased their work motivation, according to the job satisfaction survey.
SECOND LEVEL
In this second level, the rest of indicators from the project are added:
1. Efficient development of the program
To achieve the goal, the efficient development of the training program has been necessary.
This point has put an emphasis on minimizing the drop-out rate. Reports after the conclusion of the program confirm that: The completion rate of the program has exceeded 94%, notably improving the results obtained in previous experiences.
2. High degree of applicability
One of the requirements established by MAN Truck & Bus has focused on turning training into a really useful tool for the employee. Connecting the training with the professional and personal success of the employee has been vital to the success of the project. This is confirmed by the quality survey conducted within 90 days of completion of the course: 97% of the employees ensure that they apply the techniques, strategies and skills learned in their daily work and in their personal lives.
3. High degree of acceptance
The training experience has enjoyed a high degree of acceptance among employees of the company. The challenge of turning training into a social and challenging experience for the employee is defined by the degree of satisfaction shown by the participant.
According to surveys conducted: 98% of the employees who have completed the training recommend and even state that they would take the program again. The job satisfaction ratio, after completion of the program, has been set at 96.8%.
4. Optimization of training costs
Although not the initial goal sought by the Training and Development department, this training program has had a significant result for MAN Truck & Bus Iberia in the area of training costs.
On the one hand, the easy implementation of the online access platform (without additional software), and on the other hand, the e-learning nature of the training (it has only required a device with Internet access) have allowed for more than significant savings: Training costs per employee have been reduced by a 63% compared to the average investment in the rest of training solutions, especially classroom lessons.
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This way, MAN Truck & Bus has secured an efficient ‘tool’ to increase the motivation of its workforce, becoming one of the first experiences worldwide to demonstrate the effectiveness of the video game in this field.
After the good results obtained by the Training and Development department of MAN Truck & Bus Iberia, work is already being done on creating a new group, formed by the Team Manager of the company (senior officials, managers, area managers and team leaders), whose aim is to promote the development of new managers in leadership skills and team management.