Strategic Consulting

Comprehensive staff development programs can have a significant impact on your bottom line. A recent survey showed that companies who offer strong employee development programs have shareholder returns 8 time higher than companies who don't. Of course, employee development means more than just sending people out to training, but figuring out what else to offer, when to offer it, and who should get it, is a big job. Making sure you provide sufficient budget is also critical, but that investment has to be justified and allocated in the best possible manner.

Cranial Expansion can help you determine where the needs are, what solutions will fit, and how to make it all a success. Our consultants are experts at finding the right mix of solutions for every organization, helping you produce winning programs everytime and getting the most out of every training dollar.

Our Strategic Consulting services focus on supporting you in three main areas:

• Needs Assessment - Our consultants understand your business and they know how to ask the right questions to find out exactly where the gaps are. We balance that information against your corporate objectives to create a prioritized gap list that's detailed, actionable, and unbiased.
• Solution development - Addressing skills gaps is more than just planning training courses, but it can't require a complete corporate restructuring either. Our consultants provide recommendations that make sense within the existing organizational culture and budget.
• Implementation - When it's time to take action, we're there to support you. We'll assist with program development and management, get your people up to speed through knowledge sharing and coaching, and help you develop organizational self-sufficiency.

Course Development

Cranial Expansion Course Development services give you exactly what you need, the way you need it. Whether it's classroom, web-based, virtual classroom, satellite, performance support, or a combination of the above, we have the answer.

Cranial Expansion consultants have extensive experience building all kinds of learning materials, and we've worked on both sides of the desk - as producers and purchasers - so we understand that we're there to help you. We work in partnership with you to design a solution that fits your needs, rather than trying to tell you what's "right". We also understand that every engagement is structured differently, and we're equally comfortable taking on the entire project, working with others as a joint effort, or just providing extra help where you need it.

Our course development approach focuses on excellence in three main areas:

• Deliverables - Everything we give you, from initial requirements to finished courseware goes through rigorous review and testing before it goes out the door. Instructional design reflects current research and best practices, and everything works the way you expect it to.
• Project Management - Producing quality deliverables isn't enough, so expert project management keeps everything on track from start to finish. Our PMI-based methodology ensures that everything gets done the right way, on time, on budget.
• Customer Service - No project can be a success without a satisfied client, and we want every project to be a success. We don't take your material and disappear to work on it, and we don't farm out the work to overseas contractors. We maintain regular touch points through every phase and we collect your feedback throughout the entire engagement.

LEX™

Cranial Expansion's innovative LEX™ (short for Leadership EXcellence program) represents a revolution in corporate leadership training. Rather than corralling all your managers into a 2-day session that's forgotten within a month or two, LEX provides an ongoing program of learning and behavioural intervention that develops your management team quickly and effectively, within the context of their daily routines.

Instead of having a management guru stand at the front of class and tell inspirational but ultimately ineffective stories, our program digs into the heart of the issues facing your team today, giving them the tools they need to resolve those issues now and in the future.

LEX comprises a series of short, regularly scheduled group sessions where leadership concepts are introduced, discussed and practiced. Between sessions, participants have opportunities to utilize those concepts and start working them into their own routines. Any difficulties with that integration are dealt with directly in group sessions, empowering participants by allowing them to find solutions that work within their specific environment. The result is a stronger management team, practiced and ready to tackle organizational challenges.

LEX's innovative approach and structure also provides benefits in the following areas.

Teambuilding
Our program encourages your leaders to work together to solve problems and overcome challenges. Because our program is so tightly integrated with daily tasks, this collaboration begins to permeate everything participants do, leading to better organizational communication and efficiency. Rather than creating a group of individual leaders, LEX creates a unified management team that understands how to work effectively together.

Scheduling
With a traditional leadership training course, you face two challenges - finding a time when everyone can attend, and supporting new managers hired after the course is finished. Plus, if something happens and one of your managers misses it, they're out of luck. LEX is designed to provide scheduling flexibility and keep everyone involved. If someone misses a session or gets hired part way though, no problem! They can pick up at the next session without missing a beat. The result is greater consistency and no more new hires being out of the loop.

Control
LEX is designed to foster independence and ownership among your team. Content is heavily weighted towards your business activities and scenarios, so participants can relate to it easily. Topics are also scheduled to coincide with relevant corporate activities, so participants have the opportunity to use their new skills right away.

Contact us for more information about how LEX can help make your management team stronger.

• Services

  Cranial Expansion provides a variety of services to address different client needs. Whether you want to outsource your initiatives completely, learn to do it yourself, or some combination of both, we've got the services you need to get things done quickly and effectively.

  • Strategic Consulting Analysis of the broader skills development needs across the organization, and expert advice on the most effective ways to address them.
  • Course Development Complete project outsourcing, joint development, or just extra hands at the right time - whatever the need, we've got it covered.
  • LEX - Leadership Excellence The leadership training program that guarantees strong managers over the long term.
• Industry Solutions

  Cranial Expansion industry solutions are custom tailored for each industry's specific needs. Our consultants understand your business and the issues you face, and we have the learning solutions that fit.

  • Transportation & Manufacturing The first comprehensive online training solution designed specifically for the Canadian trucking industry.
  • Financial Services Busy institutions with continually evolving needs. We've got the services to provide the right help at the right time.

Transport

Cranial Expansion's CarriersEdge® suite is the first comprehensive solution that allows transportation companies to train drivers without sacrificing mileage. Designed specifically for the Canadian trucking industry, CarriersEdge® provides a complete, cost-effective training package for carriers of any size.

For more information, visit http://www.carriersedge.com.

Financial Services

Whether it's system and process upgrades, new compliance or certification programs, or just ongoing staff development, you've got a lot of training that needs to be done. Getting the most out of external Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), providing ongoing course maintenance and support, and making sure all the loose ends are dealt with - it all needs to be done on time and within budget.

Cranial Expansion solutions can help you get the most out of your training investments.

We can work in conjunction with your outside SMEs to ensure your custom courses give you exactly what you're after - whether that means supplementing and customizing existing materials, or complete repurposing into new delivery formats.

Once your courses are launched, we can keep up the momentum with regular updates and maintenance services. We can also take care of all the little things that contribute to a great learning experience - whether it's CD duplication, job aids, intranet maintenance, or just extra support here and there.