Executive
Onboarding Process
at John Deere
Mindy Moye, Ph.D.
Manager, Employee Engagement
12 May 2010
Agenda – Key Topics to be Covered
• Online onboarding before day one
• Paced learning for new leaders and transitioning internal
leaders
• New Employee Integration roadmaps for new employees,
hiring managers, Unit HR, and peer advisors
• Talent and manager surveys to confirm effectiveness
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| Executive Onboarding
John Deere
• John Deere, a Fortune 500 Company, founded in 1837
• Approximately 53,000 employees globally
• World’s leading provider of advanced products and services for
agriculture & forestry
• Also a major provider of:
• Advanced products & services for construction
• Lawn & turf care
• Landscaping & irrigation
• In addition, Deere provides financial services worldwide and
manufactures & markets engines used in heavy equipment
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| Executive Onboarding
Executive Onboarding
Executive Onboarding (also know as assimilation, orientation,
and transitioning):
• A support process that accelerates the integration of
leadership hires into the organization.
• Research indicates the most important differentiator of
performance of leadership hires is the experiences they go
through during their first few weeks and months on the job.
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| Executive Onboarding
Derailers for New Executives
According to the Corporate Leadership Council there are 6
common derailers for new executives:
• Failure to establish key connections & partnerships
• Lack of political savvy or support to navigate the organization
effectively
• Failure to establish a cultural fit
• Confusion about role expectations
• Lack of feedback & coaching
• Ineffective people management/team building skills
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| Executive Onboarding
Business Case
• 40% of leadership hires under perform in the first 18 months
• On average, direct reports of a new leader who is transitioning
effectively outperform direct reports of a struggling new
leader by 15%
• Factors that inhibit a new manager’s integration have little to
do with “technical competence”
• Onboarding provides a competitive advantage (Not many
organizations onboard effectively)
• Promotes retention, employee engagement, & long-term
organizational success
• Less than 1/3 of executives worldwide were positive about
their onboarding experience (Korn/Ferry, 2006)
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| Executive Onboarding
Business Case
Workforce demographics are expected to put even greater
pressure on organizations to get new managers/executives up
to speed
• As baby boomers begin retiring, organizations will need to
cultivate a large number of managers to replace them
Corning Glass Works Study:
• Employees who participated in a structured onboarding
program were 69% more likely to stay with their company
after 3 years than those that did not go through the program
Capital One (2003)
• Executives cited lack of support during transitioning to their
new role as a significant reason for leaving
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| Executive Onboarding
Global Talent Management
Delivering world class talent
Integrity
John Deere Values
Quality
Commitment
Business Strategy
We aspire to distinctively
serve through a great
business, a business
as great as our products
Team Enrichment
Attract, develop and retain
the best global talent,
from all backgrounds,
that will enable us to build
the strongest John Deere
team to support our
SVA-growth goals
Strategic
Workforce Planning
Identify, understand, and plan
for the talent needs
to successfully execute
the business strategy
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| Executive Onboarding
Can do
Sourcing
and
Recruiting
Talent
Create a
talent
pipeline
John Deere
Learning
and
Career
Development
Develop
the right
capabilities
Innovation
Know what to do
Effective
Manager/
Employee
Dialogue
Set objectives
Review
Performance
Want to do
Employee
Engagement
Select and
Onboard
Talent
Ensure the
success
of new
employees
Performance
Management
Reward
Performance
Engage
people to
perform at their
best
Leadership Development
Ensure Quality Leaders
Talent
Results
Attract
Talent
Engage
Talent
Leadership Education & Developmental Experience
Exceptional
Operating
Performance
Disciplined
SVA Growth
Build
Talent
Leverage Talent
Succession Planning
Talent Review
Organization
Results
Retain
Talent
Aligned
HighPerformance
Teamwork
Employee Engagement
Organizational Results:
• Exceptional Operating
Performance
• Disciplined SVA Growth
• Aligned High
Performance Teamwork
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New Employee Integration (NEI) Process
NEI process is for all new salaried employees
Goals of NEI
• Implemented to ensure new hires have information and tools
needed to succeed in the workplace.
• Integrate employees within the first 12 months of employment
in an exceptional way so they understand and value the
company and its culture
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New Employee Integration (NEI) Process
Components of NEI Process:
• New Employee Website: Designed to communicate advance
information about benefits, culture, and of points of interest
prior to employee’s first day
• Electronic HR Forms: Enables employees to complete their
personnel record, direct deposit, & W-4 form prior to their first
day
• New Employee Orientation E-Learning Module: Provides
information on the company, its policies, and employee
development
• On-site Orientation Programs: On-site orientations available
at all of our locations
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New Employee Integration (NEI) Process
Components of NEI Process:
NEI Roadmaps Tool: Includes a series of roadmaps or action
items to help assimilate new employees into the JD business
and organization
Roadmaps exist for:
• New Employee
• Hiring Manager
• NEI Advisor
• Unit HR
Measure effectiveness of NEI process:
• Survey new employees at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year
• Survey managers of new employees after 90 days
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Executive Onboarding at John Deere
Target Audience
• External new hires – senior manager level
Goals
• Accelerate integration and shorten the learning curve
• Enhance awareness of company culture
• Enable relationship building essential for future success
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Executive Onboarding Process External New
Hires at John Deere
• Goal was to “bullet proof the process”
• Complement New Employee Integration (NEI) process for all
employees
• Weekly reports identify new senior managers/executives
• Set up meeting with hiring manager
• Set up 16 weekly meetings with employee
• Set up follow-up meeting with employee
• Send on-line survey to get feedback on the process
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Meeting with Hiring Manager
Familiarize Hiring Manager with process
Discuss Hiring Manager’s Role:
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Emphasize importance of Performance Management
• Helping set stretch goals, identify job responsibilities, and define
developmental goals
• Match employee with mentor (Mentor provides insight &
advice on culture, team, & other guidance as needed)
• Emphasize importance of Manager/Employee relationship in
driving employee engagement
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Stakeholder Analysis
Complete Stakeholders Analysis with Hiring Manager
Key Stakeholder’s List includes:
• Senior Leadership Team
• Direct Reports
• Peers
• Key Internal Stakeholders
• External Stakeholders (i.e. customers, partners, suppliers)
Hiring Manager then requests stakeholders to set up meetings
with new hire within the next month
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External Executive Onboarding Topics
Overview of Process & Employee Engagement
Global Talent Management Topics (covered in 3 meetings)
• Performance Management
• Career Development
• Open Mentoring
• Succession Planning
• Leadership Education
• Coaching
• John Deere Learning
• Staffing & Recruiting
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External Executive Onboarding Topics
Corporate Compliance
Public Relations & Crisis Communications
Compensation & Benefits
Legal
Finance
Team Enrichment
Environment/Engineering Standards/Product Safety
JD Lean 6 Sigma/Quality
Engineering Product Development
John Deere Credit
Corporate Citizenship
Follow-up
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Follow-up Executive Onboarding Survey Items
• The executive onboarding process helped me to successfully
transition into the organization.
• The executive onboarding process enabled me to begin
building my network across the company.
• The executive onboarding meetings provided a good
foundation on a broad spectrum of topics.
• My manager has provided strong support in helping me
integrate into the organization.
• Overall, how satisfied were you with the executive onboarding
process? What specific suggestions do you have to improve
the executive onboarding process? (open-ended item)
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Executive Onboarding Program for Internal
Transitioning Employees
• Designed an onboarding program for internal employees who
are transitioning to a higher leadership level (director level &
above)
• 13 weekly meetings
• Follow-up survey at the end of the process
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Internal Executive Onboarding Topics
Overview of Executive Onboarding Program
Corporate Compliance
Crisis Management
Public Relations & Crisis Communications
Work & Life Safety
Environment/Engineering Standards/Product Safety
Enterprise Health & Medical Services
Legal
Building Leadership Talent/Leadership Presence
Public Affairs
Investor Relations
Finance
Corporate Citizenship
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Internal Executive Onboarding Survey Items
• The executive onboarding meetings provided good information
on a broad spectrum of topics.
• My manager has provided strong support in helping me
transition into my new position.
• The following meetings provided valuable information that I
will use or reference in my new role:
• Include list of topics in a table
• Overall, how satisfied were you with the executive onboarding
process for internal transitioning leaders?
• What specific suggestions do you have to improve the
Executive Onboarding process for internal transitioning
leaders? (open-ended item)
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Questions?
Mindy Moye, Ph.D.
Manager, Employee Engagement
12 May 2010
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John Deere
Executive
Onboarding
Process
Appendix
New Employee Integration Survey – 1 Month
• I felt welcomed at John Deere.
• I had an active telephone number and telephone on the first day.
• I was able to log into my computer on the first day.
• The number of days from my start date that it took to obtain the appropriate computer
access needed to perform my job was:
• During my first few weeks, I was introduced to the people in my work area.
• I was satisfied with the formal orientation I received to John Deere at my unit.
• I was able to get my questions regarding benefits addressed.
• Having a new employee advisor was useful to me during my first month at John Deere.
• I found the new employee roadmap useful during my first month.
• In comparison with other companies, John Deere's recruiting and interview process
would rate:
• Did you access the New Employee Web Site before your first day of work?
• *If yes, please answer the following question:
•
How satisfied were you with the information you found on the web site?
• What suggestions do you have that would improve our recruiting and interview process?
• Additional Comments
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New Employee Integration Survey – 6 Months
• I have been assigned challenging work.
• My job matches the expectations that were set and initially described to me.
• My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
• I understand the objectives and strategies of my Division.
• I feel comfortable in this local community.
• My manager is approachable and addresses my questions in a timely manner.
• My manager is considerate of my need to balance work and personal life.
• Having a new employee advisor was useful to me during my first six months at
John Deere.
• I work in an environment where diverse cultures, people, and ideas are respected.
• I found the new employee roadmap useful during my first 6 months.
• How could John Deere do a better job of integrating new employees?
• Considering everything, I would rate my overall satisfaction with the company at
the present time as...
• Additional Comments
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New Employee Integration Survey – 1 Year
• My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
• My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment.
• I have the tools and resources necessary to perform quality work.
• I see a clear link between my work and my unit's objectives.
• I feel comfortable in the local community.
• I feel connected to John Deere.
• John Deere does a good job integrating new employees into the company.
• How satisfied are you with the training you receive for your present job?
• How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job?
• How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on
what's going on in the company?
• Considering everything, I would rate my overall satisfaction with the company at
the present time as....
• My manager is approachable.
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New Employee Integration Survey – 1 Year:
Items continued
• My manager is considerate of my need to balance work and personal life.
• My manager creates a work environment where diverse cultures, people and ideas
are respected.
• My manager coaches and supports me in my development.
• My manager provides timely and useful feedback regarding my performance.
• Communications from my manager are timely and effective.
• My manager is available to me when I have questions or need help.
• My work group has accepted me as a member of the team.
• Joining John Deere was the right decision for me.
• I have the resources to communicate my career goals and objectives within John
Deere.
• I feel it is likely that I will achieve my personal career objectives at John Deere.
• I intend to stay working at John Deere for the foreseeable future.
• I would recommend John Deere as a good place to work.
• Additional Comments
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New Employee Integration Survey – Early Fit
Survey Completed by Hiring Manager at 90 days
• Managers Name:
• Employees Name:
• The new employee is a good fit for the position for which he/she was
hired
• The new employee has the skills and abilities to perform his/her job
• The new employee demonstrates a genuine interest in being a part of
John Deere
• The new employee is transitioning well into his/her new position
• Based on what I know about this new employee now, I would have
hired him/her for the same job
• If you would not hire this person again, please provide feedback as
to why not:
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