Craig Gregersen Case Analysis 1

Craig Gregersen Case Analysis

Balancing a Range of Stakeholder Interests When Designing Instruction

Kristina Miller
EDCI 672
Purdue University


Craig Gregersen Case Analysis 2


Stakeholders
Dr. Craig Gregersen, a law school graduate and instructional design PhD, was recently hired
(five weeks earlier) as the lead designer on a project to that would focus on the design,
development, and implementation of a product liability course for Electron Corporations
employees worldwide. This international company was in need of raising employee awareness of
the issues surrounding product liability as they affect the daily job functions and behaviors of its
employees (Ertmer, Quinn, & Glazewski, 2009).
Stakeholder Role Primary Concerns
1. Craig Gregersen 1. Project Lead
2. Law (liability) SME
1. Training wont satisfy ALL stakeholders
2. Training will not accomplish its intended purpose
3. Establishing positive relationships
4. Vast training spectrum
5. Challenging timeframe & employees' needs
2. Electron Corp.
a. Louise Masoff
b. Stan Neuhaus
c. Richard Mull
a. Ensure the project completion
b. Representative of the
engineering staff
c. Legal counsel

1. Training must be relevant and build awareness
2. Liability issues of products in relation to
consumers and employees
3. Appropriate product designs and warnings for
consumers and employees (international law
must be considered)
4. Course is received well & completed within the
allotted amount of time
5. Address communication issues
6. Protect the company from liability suits
3. Other Employee

1. Engineers, management, other 1. Specific job training
2. Decision-making, installation, & maintenance
3. Repair concerns
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Design Challenges & Potential Solutions
The first challenge Dr. Gregersen is faced with is the scope of the project. Ms. Masoff, as the
project manager has not developed a front end that is clear and concise. Instead, Craig has
discovered that the training objectives are fuzzy and defining the real issue for course development
is entirely more complex than he anticipated based on the discussion he had when he was hired.
Identifying the needs and building relationships to create a course for all stakeholders involved will
require Craig to build his community early. He must invite everyone to help define the problem, so
that he can show that he values each of their insights and that he will incorporate those insights
into the course itself. This will give him buy-in from every level. As he shares his vision of the
project with Ms. Masoff, he should ask her what her vision is, as with Richard Mull and Stan
Neuhaus as well. The two weeks speaking with employees could work, but he will need to use his
team and develop a risk assessment and needs analysis online to follow up and use so that he
continues to get buy-in so the project is successful. Craig needs to make this recommendation and
meet with Louise, Stan, and Richard to review the past course, develop objectives on their behalf,
and then work backward from there to design the best possible course development.
Working backward, as you can with the Kirkpatrick Model, ADDIE, and HPT should be
implemented in order to complete his course design. By working backward, I am referring to the
ideal end result would look like, then design the modules, lessons, and objectives by working back
to put in as much of the ideal as possible. If Craig tries to please every stakeholders need
specifically, it will just make minor improvements, but if you start with a big picture in mind and
work your way down, he will produce a more acceptable and well managed course with objectives
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for each stakeholders needs based upon initial interviews and input. Using the steering committee
as information and needs collectors- they could disseminate, track, help interview, and compile the
data for presentation when discussing the lessons or modules for the course. The only issue I really
see is that Stan may not deliver the message in a way that is ethical for Craigs design, since he is the
chair. However, together with the committee, the issues at hand can be recognized and situations
presented that may be used in lesson development later. Coming to a consensus may be challenging
at first, but if Craig and Louise could meet with the committee and share their goals based on
employee feedback (needs and risk assessments), and explain how they will incorporate and
include the committee throughout the planning phase they could possibly get more buy-in.
Since it is a global training course and audience, there are varying regulations in regards to
product liability due to different legal systems, and languages as well. Acknowledging the
companys greatest compliance risks and recent litigations- if any. From that the courses need to be
designed and regulated strategically for each country. Designing surveys to measure the
effectiveness of the course as far as meeting the stakeholders needs and support issues to ensure
they are satisfied would be a step needed to be developed as well. Collecting data from these
surveys helps to improve the course for future implementation, but the data collected will allow for
ROI analysis. How the training impacts the reduction of law suits of noncompliance suits will be
easy to produce and the financial reporting department can produce a report that can provide Craig
with an estimate of annual savings if 30%, 40%, 60% of the claims were reduced.
For the employees who are in need of specific job duty training, guidance on job duty
training, decision making, installation, and maintenance (repair concerns), quick reference cards
made by managers would be helpful, in addition to short 5-7 minute videos that cover specific
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topics that are available for each department and created in conjunction with the managers of the
departments using the needs analysis data collected during level one analysis. I do not think at this
time this is a particular priority for Craig. I assess this is a managers job to collect and evaluate the
needs of his/her employees as far as job duty specifics and repairs concerns. However, I do believe
that Craig could develop the managers via training to get them to comply and commit to the mission
of the company.
Recommendation
Design an online course that covers critical content for product liability. Craig needs to
ensure the employees possess the skills and knowledge required to perform at an optimal level. It
has been my experience that this is a vital step in the planning process because it identifies the
needs of your target groups. When the needs are not identified and training is just thrown out
there, it is not well received and 100% participation isnt a reality. This will provide the training
and records needed to prove that each employee, at every level, has taken the course in the case
there are any future claims. I would consider the following lessons/content areas: Introduction to
Product Liability, Introduction to Safety, Failure to Label and Provide Proper Warnings, and
Legislation (country specific). This would be a web-based training completed by everyone in the
company. Since it is online, 100% of the employees will complete the training. This can be done
either on their own time within a given training window.
Since Craig could hurt his reputation, he needs to have major discussions with Louise, Stan,
and Richard to express his concerns and resolve any conflict that is lingering. Via collaboration, a
web-based course that hits each one of their targets while addressing the needs of the employees
will be developed as long as the risks, but this cannot occur if there is no resolution.
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Issue Plan of Action Responsible Party
New Program Development for
Product Liability
Conduct a needs assessment
and collaborate to create the
scope
Craig Gregersen
Louise Masoff
Instructional Content Analysis Project manager needs to
define the content for the
product liability courses (by
lessons) for ALL employees
Louise Masoff
Training Requirements Develop lesson accessible to all
(use analysis reports to help
determine this and specific job
duties)
Craig Gregersen
Louise Masoff

Effective Communication Create a climate that develops
a chain-of-command for each
department and the company
(ALL stakeholders will
participate in a climate survey
to define roles of individuals in
each department and within
the company)
All Stakeholders

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References
Dick, W., Carey, L. & Carey, J.O., (Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J. O., (2009). The Systematic Design
of Instruction (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
Ertmer, P. A., & Quinn, J. (2007). The ID Casebook: Case Studies in Instructional Design (3rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.