Project Management Case Studies

Advance Auto Parts

Advance Auto Parts uses Novations’ RealTime Management Series program to teach the core foundations of leadership, curb employee turnover, and develop staff for long-term success.

Industry: Auto

In 2004, senior leadership at Advance Auto Parts found themselves unable to sustain the expansive growth the corporation was experiencing. Employee turnover was high, and management practices were focused on operations, rather than the coaching and communication skills necessary to develop staff and allow for succession planning. Novations put together a two-day program combining four standard RealTime Management Series modules that would give managers the skills and strategies they needed to turn things around.

Critical Issues

• Reduce employee turnover by transforming management style from a tell/direct approach to an ask/coach style more conducive to staff development and long-term job satisfaction.
• Provide managers with the skills they need to better communicate with their teams, peers, and upper management.
  
• Teach the core foundations of leadership, communication, and coaching—maintaining and enhancing self-esteem, focusing on specific behaviors and outcomes, using reinforcement techniques, listening effectively, asking for feedback, setting goals and follow-up dates—to create a better working environment in which associates feel valued, stay longer, and embrace opportunities to grow and develop.

Solution

Novations’ REALTIME MANAGEMENT SERIES program was rolled out to more than 3,000 managers across the country, beginning with division managers and store managers and eventually reaching distribution and logistics managers as well as corporate office managers. The module-based format of RealTime Management Series allowed Advance Auto Parts to work with Novations staff to combine the core skills and strategies of the course with the specific modules that would serve their needs: Communicating Performance Standards, Coaching a Performance Problem, and Coaching for Maximum Performance. Classroom learning included client-specific case studies, guided skill practice sessions, and the completion of strategy plans that would allow participants to immediately use the skills learned on the job.

Results

Ninety-eight percent of Division and Regional Managers who participated in the program rated the sessions as worthwhile or very worthwhile. According to one participant, “This is an impactful training course that every new Division Manager should go through--it will give them the tools to be a confident leader.” Others said the coursework would help them “re- engage store managers and refocus priorities,” “enhance performance through better communication with team and customers,” and “keep the team focused on the plan.”

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