3D Research Corporation | Huntsville, Alabama
Company Information:
3D Research Corporation is an 8a company serving government agencies and aerospace industries with high tech engineering services. The company specializes in systems engineering, test and evaluation, environmental technology and energetic materials. The company was founded in 1997; it currently has 40 employees and provides work for Department of Defense, NASA and other prime contractors.
Situation:
3DRC is a rapidly growing company; over 48% of its 40 employees have come onboard in the past year. The company’s commitment to fostering teamwork and developing the abilities of its employees has been challenged by such rapid expansion. President Lisa Williams recognized that providing training in leadership, team effectiveness, stress management and customer service in this time of rapid organizational change was important to the continuing success of her company.
Center Assistance:
The ATN-UAH Center partnered with a small, woman-owned business, Monte Sano Learning Center, Inc. (MSLC), to provide training to 3DRC’s leadership team. In order to customize the training to the company’s needs, Dr. Mary Spann, ATN-UAH Senior Business Advisor and Dr. Marcy Lawton, President of MSLC, conducted a series of structured interviews with a cross-section of participants. Spann and Lawton, working with ATN-UAH Business Advisor Lea Ellison, developed a nine-module curriculum based on the information on company challenges discussed in those interviews. The program that was developed included workshops in the areas of leadership, workgroup effectiveness, conflict management, decision-making, team building, stress management and customer service. Each workshop included self-discovery and team participation activities using the Myers-Briggs approach to understanding personality as a tool for improving effectiveness.
Results:
The 3DRC leadership team unanimously rated the training as excellent. 100% of the participants wanted others in their work group to have the same leadership training, and 83% wanted additional training for themselves. One participant commented the training resulted in “a better ability to manage interpersonal relationships.” Another responded to the evaluation question “How would you improve this training?” with the words “Couldn’t be done!”
Client Comments:
“The impact of our leadership training has been very positive. We now have the tools to help each of us understand and work more effectively with our workmates in order to build a stronger 3D team.” – Lisa Williams, 3D Research President