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Part One

Opening Case: Training to Respond to the Ebola Outbreak of 2014

On September 30, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Thomas Eric Duncan, a 45-year-old Liberian national visiting the United States, was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, Texas. Duncan, who had been visiting his family in Dallas, was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. By October 4, Duncan’s condition had deteriorated from “serious but stable” to “critical.” On October 8, Duncan died of Ebola. In the wake of this, there was a great deal of public fear and political demands for public safety.

As early as August 1, 2014, the CDC released Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in U.S. Hospitals. The CDC recommendations indicated, among other things, the need for a comprehensive approach to training all those employed or otherwise associated with health-care facilities. The following is typical of how health systems’ responded and illustrates the significant role of training in getting hospitals throughout the country prepared to deal with this deadly disease.

WakeMed in North Carolina 

WakeMed Health & Hospitals is a private, not-for-profit health-care system based in Raleigh, North Carolina. In September 2014, WakeMed’s education team, led by Amar Patel, director of the WakeMed Center for Innovative Learning, had to quickly prepare all 8,500 of WakeMed’s employees to respond to an Ebola incident safely, while continuing to provide its usual excel-lent care and service to its patients. The training had to be robust enough to address not only employees at WakeMed’s main campus, but also the needs of the smaller hospitals, physician’s offices, outpatient clinics, stand-alone emergency departments, and rehabilitation centers. The majority of WakeMed’s staff had never encountered a disease like Ebola and did not have a clear understanding of the virus or its transmission.

In spite of the urgency, it still took three hard working months to develop the training that would provide the levels of understanding needed by various groups affiliated with WakeMed. Knowing how easily Ebola can spread without proper precautions, the training emphasized the importance and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE)—that guards the wearer’s body from infection through the air or from touch. The team researched the various types of PPE available to identify the best ones for protecting WakeMed staff from Ebola. With all of this in mind, the team identified WakeMed’s overall training needs:

· Provide staff with an understanding of the Ebola virus.

· Show staff how they should respond to an Ebola outbreak.

· Educate staff on the proper use of PPE.

The level and type of knowledge needed in terms of understanding the Ebola virus and the correct steps for responding to a potential outbreak varied across groups. Four educational tracks were designed to offer training that was appropriate for each job function. Those tracks were:

1. Awareness

2. 2. Awareness++

3. 3. Epidemiological Operations

4. 4. Just-in-Time Training

The Learning Programs 

Awareness: 

All staff This 30-minute online training was required of all employees. It provided an understanding of Ebola and WakeMed’s plan to contain a potential outbreak.

Awareness++: 

Frontline employees at risk of coming in contact with a patient with undiagnosed Ebola This was a four-hour training session that included online and face-to-face sessions. The online training session covered the threats associated with Ebola, and how to use PPE when treating an infected person. The in-person training session allowed employees to demonstrate their knowl-edge of PPE use by putting on and removing the PPE properly. Patel emphasized the importance of this practice, because taking PPE off improperly could result in infection.

Epidemiological Operations:

Infectious disease response team called in to care for patients diagnosed with Ebola This was a 40-hour blended training program that focused on equipping bedside-care providers with the knowledge they needed to manage various types of infectious diseases, particularly Ebola. The different knowledge components were completed online and in live classroom sessions. In addition, participants participated in infectious disease simulations. This activity was designed to give medical responders the experience, flexibility, and agility to handle an Ebola outbreak seamlessly. However, simulations require intensive resources, such as medical equipment, and securing them was a challenge.

Just-in-Time Training: 

Just-in-time education for staff members on the unit caring for patients with suspected Ebola This was a rapid training program. Should the Ebola virus make an appearance at one of WakeMed’s locations, this in-person training would be deployed. It gives all responders the immediate knowledge they need to care for the person with Ebola and ensure the staff and other patients remain safe.

The Results 

The Awareness program was successfully rolled out to all employees. Although WakeMed has never had a suspected Ebola patient, a nearby hospital affiliated with Duke University did. The training that was developed at WakeMed provided reassurance to the community and the employees as well as preparing them for an outbreak of other infectious diseases. By the end of 2015, WakeMed delivered Awareness++ to more than 640 people. WakeMed employees continue to receive this type of training to ensure that they are prepared to respond to any infectious disease outbreaks.

Videos & Resources for Case:

· The Fight Against Ebola (Full Length)

· 1:57 / 3:27 Ebola Virus Outbreak 2014: A Village Devastated | The New York Times

· WakeMed Health and Hospitals

· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov)

Case Questions - Use Word or Google Docs Only

1. Would WakeMed have engaged in the highly infectious disease training without the recommendation of the CDC? What factors were pushing for and against the training?

2. Why was it necessary for all those affiliated with WakeMed to have training at some level?

3. Take the phases of the training model presented in the chapter and describe what was likely to have happened in the WakeMed case. Begin with the triggering event and provide a rationale for what should happen in each phase.

Part two

1. Did Hershey follow the process outlined in Table 2.2 in successfully implementing their strategic plan?  List what they did and did not do.  For anything they did not do, can you identify any reasons?

2. Describe Hersey's new strategy in terms of market position.  Also, identify the type of external environment Hershey is operating in and the degree to which the strategy matches the environment.

3. What problems were associated with Trade Funding?  How did blue chip alleviate these problems?

4. Identify the type of structure and the competitive strategy.  Describe any structural adjustments.  Hershey should make to maximize the effectiveness of the strategy.

5. Assume that you are the HRD manager and the competitive strategy was given to you prior to its adoption.  Using principles and concepts from the chapter, what recommendations would you give to the strategic planning team?

6. Given the strategy, what tactical activities can the HR unit in general, and HRD specifically, develop to support the strategy?

Questions for Review - Aligning Training with Strategy

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Part 3 Using Word or Google Doc, respond to the following questions in detail. 1. What factors might inhibit HRD managers from developing a strategic planning approach to training? How might these factors be overcome? 2. Think of possible strategic training alternatives other than those described in the text. Under what conditions would these be important in developing a training strategy? 3. Why do training professionals need CM competencies, and why do CM professionals need trainer competencies? 4. What is the relationship between competitive strategy, external environment, and internal strategies Part 4 SWOT Analysis: A technique that enables organizations or individuals to move from everyday problems and traditional strategies to a fresh perspective.  A SWOT analysis looks at your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats business faces. SWOT can help a company face its greatest challenges and find its most promising new markets. Select a company of your choice.  Examine its mission statement. On the basis of your personal knowledge of the company and information that you gather through web research, use the organizations information to perform a SWOT analysis. In your examination of the opportunities and possible threats, what major changes needed with the organization in your opinion? How will those changes impact the company?  What training might be necessary to meet these changes?

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