Every year #ASTD presents the Excellence in Practice Awards to deserving organizations for the work they are doing in L&D. We complile a brief write up about these winning practices in the ASTD Awards Book. As you plan your learning initiatives for the new year, maybe you'll find some inspiration in these pages.

Here's one example from Booz Allen Hamiliton's New Hire Onboarding practice:

To accommodate a rapidly growing workforce, Booz Allen Hamilton transformed its legacy orientation program into a comprehensive, year-long onboarding model that ensures

a consistent, high-quality experience that increases new hires’ affiliation with the organization, reduces redundancies, and drives accountability.

The firm developed its comprehensive approach through a collaborative process that considered internal ideas and external best practices while evaluating opportunities for technology and operational improvements that would allow program scalability. Key program enhancements included

• a pre-boarding phase and online portal that automates data collection and engages new hires with critical information and resources– even before their first day on the job

• onboarding program elements that are interspersed throughout the new hire’s first year; are tailored to specific audience needs (e.g., executive hires); and feature cutting-edge simulation activities, such as self-paced learning modules, career and personal development support, and increased frontline manager accountability

• use of an internal social networking and knowledge management tool to help new employees build their personal networks within the organization, increase their levels

of affiliation and connectedness, and allow best practices sharing between offices and teams.

Characterized by a systematic approach, Booz Allen’s onboarding program creates value for participants and the firm, while still maintaining the firm’s unique history and culture.