One company adding an LMS in 2008 is emerging midsize firm Daiichi Sankyo. The company's head of training, John Sjovall, hopes
the LMS—combined with a new enterprise-resource-planning system—will allow his department to better measure the impact of
their training. "Our goal is to start doing clinical-type trials of our training programs," Sjovall says. "We'll run one group
through a training segment, separate another group as the control, and then we'll compare the results."
Methodology of the Study
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In the meantime, he has found other ways to gauge the value of his company's training programs. For example, all Daiichi Sankyo
trainers are required to spend time in the field with representatives and managers at least twice a quarter. Trainers also
get valuable feedback when working with DMs on plan-of-action meetings, which Sjovall's department now manages. "In the past,
POAs have been business meetings primarily. But since we have taken ownership, we are making them learning events to help
fill in the gaps between classroom training. Basically, we are now building a business and training meeting in a box for our
DMs to roll out to the reps," he says.
Trend 5: L&D Departments Seek Productive Partnerships
As training departments in pharma, biotech, and device organizations continue to achieve higher profiles, one of the challenges
will be finding the right consultants to provide the missing knowledge, skills, and technology. Currently, outsourcing accounts
for about 27 percent of the departments' total budget.
Another challenge for trainers will be adapting to their growing consultative role, which may involve less action and more
analysis. "It's becoming clear that if the industry doesn't address customers' concerns about the value of our sales forces,
we put our traditional marketing approaches at risk," says Brian Fagan, executive director of SPBT. "Training can be part
of the solution as the marketplace is becoming more complex. Some of the strategies that training departments are implementing
to help the industry adapt include continuous quality-improvement processes, increasing trainer headcount, and providing physician
and patient value beyond product. These L&D initiatives have worked in other industries, and we expect that they will help
our sales organizations maintain their relevance to our customers." And as this unfolds over the next few years, it's possible
that a pharma, biotech, or device company could stake out a reputation as an innovator—not only in battling disease, but in
advancing learning.
Rayna Herman is a principal at Health Strategies Group. She can be reached at rherman@healthstrategies.com
. Laura Ramos is editor of SPBT Focus magazine. She can be reached at lramos@spbt.org
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