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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Sean O’Donohue
Colorado State University
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
In the pharmaceutical industry much of learning is self-directed. Many times
the instruction is conducted through web-based modules or PowerPoint
presentations that are self-paced with the representative being responsible for the
knowledge and then tested on at a later date. The sheer logistics of assembling sales
people and educating a sales force of 1200+ people makes it difficult to conduct
routine live and in-person Plan of Action, or “POA” training as it is referred to
industry wide. Despite these logistical nightmares, in an average year two of these
live POA trainings take place. In these sessions sales personnel are faced with four
days of general meetings, brainstorming, classroom role-plays and didactic training.
The current POA training that exists does have an appropriate flow; moving from
one topic to another starting at a national level and ending with groups broken
down into their respective teams of 10-12 people. Unfortunately, due to the lack of
clear goals, the general consensus after these meetings is typically lukewarm in
regards to the direction received. For example, marketing, human resources, and the
ethics and compliance departments are all allotted time to get their message and
workshops into a POA meeting. It gets to be so much information that one cannot
possibly be responsible for all the pull through, back in the field, on the multiple
directives received. Therefore, with all of these meetings and brainstorming
sessions there is typically a lack in the direction of where to go when the
representatives get back into the field. Here lies the crux of the problem; companies
want to capitalize as much as possible with live bodies in the room that the message
gets muddled in the singular priorities of different departments. Typically the end
results of this training involves the individual deciding on what they see most valid
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
or useful and executing their own plan. The problem that exists from a company
perspective is there are plans and resources set in motion at these live POA
trainings that are referenced back to, and resources allocated to, that go wasted and
unused.
After a recent meeting I was speaking with the 11 people in my district
grouping in regards to what they got out of the meeting and they echoed the same
concerns I have laid out here. As the District Sales Trainer, I am responsible on the
company’s behalf to conduct some training to these 11 people on a day-to-day basis.
Although I do not design the curriculum or agendas for these live POAs, I also act as
a company representative for follow up and feedback on the live POA trainings we
attend. I simply take the feedback, compile it, and pass it along. The small sample of
representatives here are the people this directly effects and when taken over a
region (approximately 60 people) or national (1200 people) the need is
compounded and the representatives become the primary stakeholders. However,
the secondary stakeholders are the departments themselves. They work diligently
on their own agendas and then ultimately leave disappointed after very little
engagement from a sales force that is saturated with directives.
In today’s economic environment it is crucial to capitalize on the investment
that companies have already made and a huge part of their investment is in the
employees themselves. In the above example the cost of flying, housing and feeding
people is an investment in itself. So why when the live POA trainings actually
happen is the consensus from the group that training is designed are lackluster
reviews? It is from no lack of effort from individual departments attending the
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
meeting, all of them put in the time and effort to make their section a quality
experience. The gap happens because there are so many departments making their
point instead of working as a collaborative force that can create a comprehensive
training including important messages from each department, and apply them in a
very experiential and effective way, so the field sales representatives can make
sense of and have clear direction on.
Although there is some pull through materials available and sent home with
the representatives, it usually consist of multiple handouts that get put into a bag
and ultimately thrown away at a later date, never being looked at again. Admittedly,
that could also be a problem in itself, however, with a standardizing POA session, a
meeting conducted a month before the live POA training, giving an appropriate
amount of voice to the various departments through the lens of a sales professional,
this problem could be remedied. Therefore, it is my goal to design a standardizing
POA session, incorporating all departments involved, which will allow the most
“bang for your buck” for the representatives and ultimately making it more
applicable their business in the field.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions Audience Analysis
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
An audience analysis was performed to assess the need to revamp live POA
(Plan of Action) trainings in the pharmaceutical sales industry. The analysis was
taken over a week timeframe among sales representatives, marketing and
management staff. The week covered a span of time that lead up to, during and after
a three-day regional live POA training in Salt Lake City, Utah. All those surveyed
were employees that had attended a minimum of 4 previous meetings. The survey
itself was conducted in two parts. First, was a ranked questionnaire that consisted of
five questions designed to gauge the effectiveness of the training they had received
at POAs in the past. The second part was two questions that had set responses for
each question with the goal of getting some clarity on the specific gaps they would
like to see filled. In total 17 people were surveyed: 14 were representatives from
multiple districts, 1 from marketing and 2 from management staff. It was conveyed
that the survey was confidential and the company’s name would not be reveled.
Questions and Rationale
The following 5 questions were part of the ranked survey. The respondents had to
rank their responses from 1-10 (1 being disagree and 10 agree).
1. Live training (POA) is more effective then self-paced training?
This question was posed to get a general sense to see if representative’s put
value on live POA training. As mentioned in the opening self-directed learning
through modules and webinars are commonplace in the job, so I wanted to assess
whether the live POA trainings illicit some type of different response then our
standard self-directed learning does.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
2. The pre-work (webinars and modules) done before live training (POA) are
clear
The idea behind this question serves two purposes. The first is to separate
training as a whole to the person taking the survey. It is important to do this
because the focus of the design will apply only to the live POA training and I want
the participants to be clear on that. Second, is to see if the pre-work has a clear and
defined flow as that is the springboard to the live POA training. It is my experience
that the pre-work is very defined and focused but want to ensure the problem did
not begin here.
3. The flow (national to individual business/product to product) of live training (POA) is appropriate?
The history of these live POA trainings begin on a macro level with a national
perspective on our given products and how they are doing, eventually moving to a
regional, district and finally an individual level. The reason for asking this question
is that I theorize in my opening statement that the flow is appropriate. I wanted to
check that notion. Also, it was important to address the format of the meeting to
clarify to those surveyed that the focus is on the content within the live POA
training, not the layout itself.
4. When attending a live training (POAs) the goal of the whole training is clear and concise with attention paid to the most important factors of your business?
This question is the crux of the new design. It has to be asked to assign value
or need to the new session design. It was the most important piece of data I could
collect, because it shows the need for a change.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
5. The past live training (POAs) sessions have been valuable?
Although this question seems similar to the last it was designed to show a
whole feeling towards the past POA trainings. Also, I wanted to see if the
participants would still consider the live POA trainings valuable and gauge their
motivation. Every person would obviously feel a little different because for some,
live POA training, is about speaking with others on a one to one basis and others for
it is about the training itself.
The second half of my survey involved two questions within the subject but
had a structured set of answers that were given as multiple choices.
1. Before attending a live training (POA) what below best describes your personal expectations?
a) To leave with a concise plan of the upcoming year, semester or quarter b) To sharpen your skills in a particular focus area of your businessc) To leave with a few pearls of wisdom to incorporate into your individual territoryd) To get to know your colleagues better and socialize on a face to face basis
2. If you could change one thing in regards to live training (POA) what would that be?
a) More time spent analyzing your personal business.b) Representative prepared workshops with group participationc) Attention paid to the real world application of workshops d) Nothing
These questions were asked to get a sense of direction for upcoming training.
From my experience most everyone would fit somewhere in the scope of the
answers. I made it clear to the participants that the responses were of the general
sense and to choose what they felt best described their feelings.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Responses to Survey
After conducting the survey the responses were tallied, entered into an excel
spreadsheet and sorted. Each question on the first part of the survey was averaged
for its ending numerical value of the 1-10 system. On the second part of the survey
the percentage was calculated for each given response. The results of both are in
Table 1 and Table 2 below.
Table 1
Ranked Survey for Live Training AnalysisPart 1
Survey # Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 51 9 8 10 6 72 8 7 8 3 63 9 7 6 5 84 9 8 6 7 65 6 6 4 5 66 8 8 7 7 77 10 9 9 6 78 7 7 9 7 69 9 10 8 6 610 8 9 7 4 911 7 8 8 2 512 8 7 7 5 713 7 7 9 2 514 8 9 10 5 815 9 7 8 6 816 10 10 7 8 1017 7 8 9 7 7Results 8.2 7.9 7.8 5.4 6.9
Table 2
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Part 2 ResultsQuestion 1 Question 2 Question 1 Question 2
1 a a a 24% 24%2 c c b 47% 12%3 a b c 24% 59%4 a c d 5% 5%5 b c6 b a7 a c8 c c9 b b10 b c11 b a12 b c13 c a14 b c15 c c16 d d17 b c
Results and Instructional Development
To begin the discussion on the results and what it will mean when
developing a method to fill an instructional gap it is most effective to examine the
results of the survey questions one by one:
Live training (POA) is more effective then self-paced training?
Out of the 5 initial questions asked in part 1 of the survey this received the
highest vote of confidence from those surveyed, 8.2. It speaks to the excitement and
fun of getting to travel somewhere and interact with people on a face-to-face basis.
From the beginning the focus has been to develop a live POA training that is more
effective and these results, at the very least, show a strong interest idea of the live
POA training itself.
The pre-work (webinars and modules) done before live training (POA) are clear.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
This response to this question was very positive with an average of a 7.9. The
sample of people surveyed clearly have adapted to module or web based training
and this result proves it. In the development of the live POA training this is a critical
step as it offers the base knowledge one must be responsible for at the POA.
Although my instructional design will not be on this style of learning it will be
assumed those entering will have completed these base knowledge trainings.
The flow (national to individual business/product to product) of live training (POA) is appropriate?
Again, this question also elicited a strong response averaging a 7.8. It will be
helpful to know that this “flow format” of live POA training is preferred and makes
sense to those in attendance. In my design, I will incorporate this macro to micro
movement in the revamped live training.
When attending a live training (POA) the goal of the whole training is clear and
concise with attention paid to the most important factors of your business?
With this question the gap in the live POA training becomes evident. A
average ranking of 5.4, the lowest of all questions, there is a clear message from
those surveyed there is a need to fix this issue. This was also the gap that I
presumed it was; however, I did not expect it to be this vast. In my instructional
design I will strive to narrow this gap by prioritizing what is important to the reps
being trained.
The past live training (POA) sessions have been valuable?
This scored a 6.9, which at first glance may seem in contrast to the last
question. However, as I hypothesized in the opening statement, I believe people
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
make of it what they can and still find some value. I will keep this in mind in the
development of my instruction because the sheer competitiveness of the
pharmaceutical sales environment breeds a lot of self-motivated people that are
able to bridge the training gap with their own self instruction. With a revamped
program I feel they can strive even further.
Before attending a live training (POA) what below best describes your personal
expectations?
If you could change one thing in regards to live training (POA) what would that be?
I grouped these together because they can be summarized collectively. In
each of the questions the majority of the respondents indicated that attention paid
to the real world application of workshops and to sharpen their skills in a particular
focus area of their business were the most important items from a live POA training.
Here is the crux of my design, to make it real world applicable and focus on how
those representatives can improve their individual territories business. The point is
well taken that their time is valuable and important; the training needs to be about
them.
Reflections
The cliché rings true here that “hindsight is 20/20”, meaning when one
reflects back it is easy to see the solution or what would be different. In this case
there were two questions that could have enhanced the analysis. The first one
would be to ask the direct question of: “Would you see the value making live POA
training more real world applicable?” The clarity of this question would even more
validate the instructional design. The second question would be compiling more
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
direction on where to go with the new live training proposal. Although my goal is
not to get the ins and outs or the exact content ironed out it would still be nice to see
what representatives would value the most. My goal is to create and prioritize, or
balance, the information being given out to deliver the most “bang for the buck” not
only for the representative, but also the company itself.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions Learning Goals and Objectives
The standardizing POA (Plan of Action) session will be presented to the
leadership of each individual department in a collective group over a half-day
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
meeting consisting of three workshops: a messaging workshop to determine what
the most important factors are, a molding workshop to create a message that is
applicable to the field sales, and a melding workshop to combine similar messaging
of differing departments. Learning goals must be established to determine whether
or not the implementation of the standardizing POA session is successful. Here are
the overall goals of each workshop accompanied by the specific learning objectives.
Messaging Workshop
Goal: When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they
will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner that
is simple.
a. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant
to the field sales personnel.
b. Given the structure of a live POA training, outline messaging that
would fit into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or
long (20-40 minute) class session.
Molding Workshop
Goal: When designing live POA training the department heads will
understand the day-to-day operations of a sales representative and apply
their respective goals to fit within the representatives operations.
a. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where
your departments messaging would have involvement.
b. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area
where your department can benefit the representative.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Melding Workshop
Goal: Department heads will work as a team with other departments and
sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the live
POA training.
a. Given the skeleton structure of a live POA training, identify where
your respective messages can be applied so the live training can be
inclusive of your message.
b. Given the live POA training messaging of the other departments,
identify what your messaging may have in common so there can be
elimination of overlapping agendas.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions Classroom Content
Background
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
After gaining corporate approval the standardizing POA (Plan of Action)
session will be established as a joint collaboration between departments for the
benefit of the representatives experience once the actual live POA training takes
place. This document will outline the content for the standardizing POA session. The
departments themselves will largely drive the structure of the content, as every
standardizing POA session will have different priorities and messaging. This section
will provide an outline for those participating.
Syllabus and Schedule
Time/Date/Place
The standardizing POA session is scheduled to take place a month before any
live POA training. The training department will be responsible for the session and
subsequent instruction that goes along with it. The session will be held in home
office as all departments are located there and the convenience of meeting space is
available. Half of a day (total of 4 hours) should be allowed for the session.
Expectations
All participants are expected to communicate with members of not only their
department, but other departments as well. Respect of other department’s priorities
and agendas are crucial to the success of the workshops and expected from all
involved. Lastly, it is expected every effort will be made to work through the goals
and objectives of each workshop. Meeting these goals and objectives will enhance
the final product for the sales representatives at their live POA training.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Content Outline
Messaging Workshop (1 ½ hours)
Here are the stated goals and objectives for the messaging workshop:
Goal: When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they
will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner that
is simple.
c. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant
to the field sales personnel.
d. Given the structure of a live POA training, outline messaging that
would fit into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or
long (20-40 minute) class session.
-15 minutes
-In your own department group, brainstorm all messages your
department would give to the field sales representatives, given there
was an infinite amount of time. Write these on a flipchart.
- 15 minutes
-From that flipchart circle the 5 most important messages, making
sure they are applicable to the field sales team and number them 1-5
in order of importance.
-60 minutes
-In your department group create a rough outline, using your
numbered messages that would fit into a presentation 10 minutes
long. It will be helpful to assign a time value to each section of the
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
outline and think in a typical presentation format such as PowerPoint,
keeping in mind how long it would take to cover each slide.
-Using the same outline, expand the presentation and add the next
bullet points allowing for a 20-minute presentation.
-Using the same outline add the final bullet points, this time planning
for a full classroom session of 60 minutes. Feel free to incorporate
different learning formats as you normally would (i.e. role-playing,
flip charting)
-A five to ten minute break should be worked in here for a formative
evaluation. The evaluation should be at the tail end of the break after the
attendees have a chance to use the restroom, return emails, etc. (Refer to the
Program Evaluation section of this document)
Molding Workshop (½ hour)
Here are the stated goals and objectives for the Molding Workshop:
Goal: When designing live POA training the department heads will
understand the day-to-day operations of a sales representative and apply
their respective goals to fit within the representatives operations.
c. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where
your departments messaging would have involvement.
d. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area
where your department can benefit the representative.
-15 minutes
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-As a whole class, using your experience and what you know,
brainstorm and flipchart what a representative does in a typical day in
the field.
-In your department groups, using your outline created in the
Messaging Workshop, cross-reference 3 places where your
department’s message can fit into a representative’s day.
-15 minutes
-In department groups, identify the most pertinent place your
message can apply in the representatives day-to-day operations.
-Using a generic representative, create an example or a role-play
where your most pertinent message would have an effect.
-A five to ten minute break should be worked in here for a formative
evaluation. The evaluation should be at the tail end of the break after the
attendees have a chance to use the restroom, return emails, etc. (Refer to the
Program Evaluation section of this document)
Melding Workshop (2 hours)
Here are the goals and objectives for the melding workshop
Goal: Department heads will work as a team with other departments and
sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the live
POA training.
c. In departmental groups, given the skeleton structure of a live POA
training, identify where your respective messages can be applied so
the live training can be inclusive of your message.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
d. Given the live POA training messaging of the other departments,
identify what your messaging may have in common so there can be
elimination of overlapping agendas.
-45 minutes
-Sales training will provide a skeleton structure for the upcoming live
POA training. Included will be time allotted for key information that is
required by the legal department. In your departmental groups, find
places in the structured messaging where your department’s message
could be applied, paying special attention to what would matter to a
representative.
-1 hour 15 minutes
-The instructor will lead the rest of the standardizing POA session by
putting the agenda on a screen for all to see.
-Rounds to each department in the room will be made aloud with the
department representatives voicing where they feel is best for their
messaging to fit into the agenda.
-All attendees are encouraged to speak up if they can see their
department’s representative focused message could parallel what is
being proposed.
-With the instructor making adjustments to the master document and
each department having their say, the result will be a definitive
representative centered training document that each department can
leave with to further develop before the live POA training.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Conclusion and Next Steps
With a set and structured schedule for the live POA training being
established at this session the respective departments will return with a month left
before the training. In this month they will work on what they have already
developed in the standardizing POA session and create a live POA training, except it
will be within the scope of the new structured schedule. In the instances where they
are able to work with other departments, they will have to find time to work on joint
messaging, which should not be a huge task since they are already developing a
representative centered training.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions Learning Assessment
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
It is important to the success and long-term sustainability of the
standardizing POA (Plan of Action) session to be able to assess if the meeting had
the desired effect. Evaluation serves two purposes in instructional design: to assess
individual students’ performances and to provide information about what kinds of
revisions are needed in the instructional materials (Smith & Ragan 2005). In this
particular instructional design the focus will be on the latter. Individual
performance is not as crucial as it would be in a typical classroom setting as the
course is designed around groups coming together to streamline the more
traditional classroom learning. Nevertheless, the process of participant assessment
is crucial to the design of future standardizing POA training sessions. The goal is to
make sure the existing materials established for the course are clear, effective and
well developed enough to continue using them for audience in which they are
intended. The stakeholders in this process are not only the departments that will be
participating in the standardizing POA session but also, more importantly, the sales
representatives that will ultimately benefit by receiving a more comprehensive
training as a result of the participation of the various departments in the
standardizing POA session ahead of time.
The participants of the evaluation process will vary depending on how they
participated in the workshops. The evaluations are designed to gauge whether the
written goals and objectives previously discussed were met. Here are the specific
goals and objectives:
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Goal: When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they
will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner that
is simple.
e. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant
to the field sales personnel.
f. Given the structure of a live training, outline messaging that would fit
into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or long (20-
40 minute) class session.
Goal: When designing live POA training the department heads will
understand the day-to-day operations of a sales representative and apply
their respective goals to fit within the representatives operations.
e. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where
your departments messaging would have involvement.
f. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area
where your department can benefit the representative.
Goal: Department heads will work as a team with other departments and
sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the live
POA training.
e. Given the skeleton structure of a live training, identify where your
respective messages can be applied so the live training can be
inclusive of your message.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
f. Given the live training messaging of the other departments, identify
what your messaging may have in common so there can be
elimination of overlapping agendas.
Three different evaluations will be taken at different times in the
standardizing POA session. The first, (see Appendix A) a “specific feedback form”, is
offered to a select number of people that participate in the standardizing POA
session itself. They will be chosen by the instructor ahead of time, given the
evaluation sheet and instructed to make notations as the session progresses. The
goals and objectives are clearly stated on the form so they have some indication of
what to look for in the workshops and observe whether or not they have been met.
The requirements should be one person from each of the departments participating
in the standardizing POA session should fill out the evaluation. The instructor
should choose the person they feel would be an effective communicator or whom
they feel would offer the most balanced perspective that will ultimately strengthen
the course. Some effective people to target for this would be senior leadership, as
they have the most invested in the live POA trainings and may have knowledge of
extraneous factors, such as budgeting and future development, that may help mold
the course over time. This form of assessment was chosen because it will add a few
more sets of eyes on the group that the instructor could not be present for, giving
the instructor feedback that is specific to the goals that the course has, also ensuring
they have been accomplished. After the completion of the course the forms will be
gathered and reviewed with the instructor and key personnel to gauge if the
learning objectives were obtained and if not how the gap could be filled.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
The second assessment will be a “participant questionnaire” (see Appendix
B), that all of the participants in the standardizing POA session will take. The goals
and objectives, although not explicitly stated as they are for the specific feedback
form, are incorporated into the questionnaire using a simple 1-5 scale. It should take
approximately five minutes to complete and will be provided by the instructor upon
the conclusion of the session. Due to the amount of participants in the session the
questionnaire is designed with the interest of time in mind, but the information
gathered from this assessment will prove valuable in the future of the course. It will
point out any blatant oversights and allow for more or less development around the
stated goals. This type of assessment was chosen because it will be able to produce
quantitative data that can be averaged and examined pointing towards the strengths
and weaknesses in the course that may need to be remedied.
Lastly, a “live POA training assessment” (see Appendix C) will be given to the
representatives that participate in the live POA training, the event which the
standardizing POA sessions are designed to improve, to measure their attitudes
towards the new vs. previous trainings. The overall goal of this instructional design
was stated:
“to design a training standardizing session before the live training,
incorporating all departments involved, which will allow the most “bang for
your buck” for the representatives and ultimately making it more applicable
their business in the field.”
Being that the design of this standardizing POA session is a meeting that takes place
before the time of the live POA training to improve its effectiveness, it is critical that
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
the latter is examined. It is here that all representatives that participated in the live
POA training will have their say, ultimately rendering the standardizing POA
sessions that took place ahead of time successful or not. The “live POA training
assessment” will be a comparative form that puts a number weighting on the old vs.
new live POA training, examining if the representatives have responded to the
revamped system and ensuring the live POA training was applicable to their daily
job. Again, although the representatives did not participate in the standardizing POA
session it is their opinion in which is most crucial to the continued success of the
live POA trainings.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Standardizing POA Sessions Program Evaluation
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Evaluation of any given course is a crucial part to the overall success of
future learner’s experience. In this case the standardizing POA (Plan of Action)
session will contain two separate types of evaluations as the course progresses. The
first will be an informal formative evaluation. The second evaluation is a summative
evaluation at the end of the standardizing POA session. These evaluations differ
from learning assessments, which exist to determine if those participating have
accomplished the goals and objectives of a particular workshop.
A formative evaluation is a designed to determine the weakness in the
instruction so that revisions can be made to make them more effective and efficient
(Smith & Ragan 2005). Specifically, the formative evaluation for the standardizing
POA session will be an informal, but scheduled, “check-in” designed to gauge the
pace, understanding and obstacles around the course thus far. This evaluation will
be done two times during the session, after the Messaging Workshop and after the
Molding Workshop, described earlier in the course content section of this paper. The
evaluation itself should be conducted after a break, allowing people personal time
then refocusing them before the start of the next workshop. Being the evaluations
are informal the questions can be asked aloud to the attendees as a group and the
feedback should be written down on a flipchart in the room to document the
suggestions and act as a visual reminder for the instructor. The instructor can use
any questions they feel appropriate for the session as every session may face
different challenges, however, there are important issues that should not be
overlooked. The time limit should be five minutes on the evaluation. Below are some
examples of questions to pose to the attendees:
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
-Is the pace of the session good?
-Is there a clear understanding of what we are accomplishing in the
workshop?
-Are you facing obstacles that are difficult to overcome? Does time need to be
allocated to address any of these issues?
-Any suggestions as to what would make the session more effective for the
rest of the time we have together?
Another suggestion is to pull aside some key departments heads and ask them for
specific feedback in a one-on-one conversation. The individuals that were chosen to
conduct the learning assessments would be good resources.
Upon receiving the feedback from the attendees the suggestions need to be
examined and then determine whether or not they can be incorporated into the
remaining session work. For example, if feedback is received that the pace is an
issue be prepared to slow down or speed up when reviewing goals and objectives or
be prepared to amend some objectives. The session is designed to address the most
crucial elements first then move towards a more comprehensive plan with the latter
objectives, it is most effective but not necessary to finish every part of every
objective. Another example would be the feedback suggests there are difficult
obstacles to overcome. If extra time needs to be allocated to these obstacles it can be
taken from the latter objectives. The instructor must determine how much time to
allocate towards a topic if the need exists and the attendees may have an opinion on
what they need. However, if more time is allocated it is ultimately the instructors job
to set a limit of how long to stay on one topic. Although some freedom is designed
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
into the session the end goal, leaving with a training plan that will benefit the
representatives day-to-day job, should still be met.
After the materials have been implemented a determination must be made to
continue the use of the materials (Smith & Ragan 2005). This is the second type of
evaluation, summative evaluation, and should be given at the end of the
standardized POA session. The summative evaluation will be done in the form a
questionnaire with five multiple-choice questions and two direct opinion questions
and should take about 10 minutes to complete (see Appendix D). Since the
standardizing POA session takes place before and leads up to the actual POA
training, but has the interest of the end product in mind, the evaluation will be
administered after the actual POA training. It will be given to those that participated
in the standardizing POA session beforehand, as they will need the time to evaluate
the representative’s feedback they received after the actual POA training. It is
important the representative’s feedback is received as they are the real stakeholders
and are the reason the standardizing session exists in the first place. A standard
already set is the feedback from the representatives is required a week after the live
training. Therefore, the summative evaluation should be e-mailed to participants a
week after the representative’s feedback is received and asked to be completed
within 48 hours to give each department opportunities to evaluate their needs.
Upon receiving the questionnaires from those that participated in the
standardizing POA session, the data should be collected and averaged to identify
trends that may need to be addressed. A good practice is to archive the
questionnaires received and write on the folder the major trends pulled out of them
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
as an easy reference tool to look at later after the course design has progressed. In
these cases the evaluations become more valuable over time, after multiple sessions
trends can be identified and examined to see if they have been solved or are still an
issue. Although every question should be examined, those with the lowest averages
are the priority; this will help to identify those trends of what may be needed. It is
crucial to not have a “knee jerk reaction” to changes that may be brought up, which
is the very reason we identify trends in the first place. If changes do need to be made
for the next session look for the specific feedback in the questionnaire. For example,
if the questionnaires returned show a increased need for time to be spent in the
standardizing session an adjustment may need to be made to make the session a full
day, which may require more specific goals and objectives within the session.
Solutions implemented can be brainstormed with colleagues or those who
participated in the session but hopefully the changes will be small and manageable
for the instructor. One must also keep in mind the possibility of the session missing
its goal altogether, the time and resources spent may not be worth it and the session
may need to be discontinued. Working with the department heads ahead of time
and after the sessions should alleviate this possibility, which is another reason the
evaluations serve a powerful purpose.
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Appendix A: Specific Feedback Form
Please use each form for its respective workshop. In the comments and observations section please identify if the challenges the group faced and any opinions you may have that would increase the probability or efficiency of the group reaching the goals and objectives.
Messaging WorkshopGoal Objective Objective
When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they
will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner
that is simple
Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most
relevant to the field sales personnel.
.
Given the structure of a live training, outline messaging that
would fit into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or
long (20-40 minute) class session
Goal Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N
Comments and Observations Comments and Observations Comments and Observations
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Molding WorkshopGoal Objective Objective
When designing live training the department heads will understand the day-to-day operations of a sales
representative and apply their respective goals to fit within the
representatives operations
Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas
where your departments messaging would have
involvement.
.
Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area where your department can
benefit the representative.
Goal Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N
Comments and Observations Comments and Observations Comments and Observations
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Melding WorkshopGoal Objective Objective
Department heads will work as a team with other departments and
sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the
live training session.
Given the skeleton structure of a live training, identify where your
respective messages can be applied so the live training can be inclusive
of your message..
Given the live training messaging of the other departments, identify
what your messaging may have in common so there can be
elimination of overlapping agendas.
Goal Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N
Comments and Observations Comments and Observations Comments and Observations
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Appendix B: Participant Questionnaire
Please rate the following:
Your group was able to prioritize their messaging and make it simple?
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
It was easy to identify what would be most pertinent to field sales
representatives when it came to your departments agenda
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
Messaging broken into the given time increments still made for a
comprehensive overviews of your departments information
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
You understand what the representative’s day-to-day job looks
like
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
It was easy to find places in a representative’s day where your
departments messaging may benefit them
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
Finding a place in live training for your departments messaging was clear
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
By examining other department’s priorities it was easy to eliminate
redundancies in messaging
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
Melding your messaging with other departments still allows for your messaging to come across clearly
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly
Agree
What is one thing that would enhance this workshop?
The largest benefit of this workshop would be?
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Appendix C: Live POA Training Assessment
In regards to the recent training:
The flow was appropriate (National-Regional-District)Disagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
The direction received during the POA was clearDisagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
The goals of the POA were clearDisagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
The goals of the POA were achievedDisagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
Information obtained in the POA will benefit you in your daily job
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
You have a clear strategic direction to head after attending the POA
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
You enjoy live POA’s in generalDisagree 1 2 3 4 5
Agree
Rank the last live POA training you received (previous to this one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rank the current POA training you received (this one) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rank how applicable to the field the last POA training was (previous)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rank how applicable to the field this POA training was 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Do you feel the new POA training was more applicable to your day-to-day job vs. the previous training?
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
1. Yes2. No3. Same
Did the messaging seem congruent throughout the different department’s?1. Yes2. No3. Same
Is there any improvement or something you would like to see as far as the structure of future live POA trainings?
Is there anything you found particularly valuable in the new format of live POA training?
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
Appendix D: Standardized POA Training Follow Up
You were happy with your department’s representation and priorities after the live POA.
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree
The stated goals of the standardizing POA session were met.
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree
The standardizing POA session was valuable to the representatives.
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree
The resources put into the standardizing POA session were appropriate.
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree
The standardizing POA session should be implemented before the next POA.
Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree
In regards to the live POA is there any aspect that needs to be addressed in future standardizing POA sessions?
In regards to the amount of time spent on the standardizing POA session, are there areas to spend less or more time? Is the ½ day session appropriate?
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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY
References
Smith, P., & Ragan, T. (2005). Instructional design. (3rd ed., p. 104). Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
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