Manhattan Beer and Beverage Distributors

Andrea Pellettiere

Andrea Pellettiere is the Director of Talent Management at Manhattan Beer and Beverage Distributors in NYC. Holding an M.S. in Human Resources and SHRM CP certification, she excels at designing and implementing employee development programs. Her focus is on retention, engagement, and empowering managers to foster a growth-oriented workplace.

In an exclusive interview with Manage HR, she shared invaluable insights on learning programs require aligning skillbuilding with cultural change, clear success metrics, and behavior reinforcement to drive meaningful, long-term organizational growth.

The Culture Behind Effective Learning

It’s common knowledge that providing development opportunities is a hallmark of a progressive company. Beyond basic salary and benefits, employees want to know that they can grow and learn within their organization. Investment in development is linked to retention, engagement, and productivity, whether the focus is the current role or progression to the next. However, if you do not have a current program in your organization, where to begin and how to create the most impact?

If you are starting from absolute ground zero, a good first step is to separate the “what” from the “how.” As in, “what” does the organization need to learn and “how” would that best be accomplished? For example, the “what” could encompass processes, procedures, and guidelines around a particular area in the organization. The “how” could be the learning methodology itself. Is learning best accomplished on the job, online, in a classroom or by a blend of varying approaches? However, the “how” goes beyond the mechanism of delivery. It also encompasses the underlying cultural beliefs and values that govern how goals are accomplished in the organization.

For instance, “how” will your learning create success or “how” will behaviors, attitudes and beliefs change as a result? Some organizations may dismiss the significance of change management and its’ effect on the success of learning of development, focusing on “what” needs to be learned, as opposed to the underlying layers. Consider that learning and development, by definition, involves modification and change, so how we navigate that transformation is critical. However, what does that really look like on a practical level?

“True development isn’t just about what people learn it’s about how they grow, adapt, and bring lasting change to the organization”

Like any business initiative, you want to begin with a clear picture of success in your mind, then focus on what learning needs to occur, how it will be implemented and what new behaviors need to be embedded in the organization. Let’s use the example of implementing a new client tracking software to illustrate how this thought process could play out.

What will success look like?

The implementation of this client tracking software will allow us to capture leads more effectively, increasing sales volume by X% and will decrease our customer response time by X%. The new system will be fully rolled out by Q3 of next year. Managers and frontline staff will utilize X features of the system and will fully embrace the new technology as crucial to their success.

How will it be implemented?

Since our frontline staff is in the field, most of our learning will be self-directed and online. Managers will attend more intensive live training, so they will be able to support on the job training.

What new behaviors are required?

To achieve successful implementation, managers should be more involved in the training of frontline staff. This will require patience, reinforcement, and clear feedback. Managers should also solicit feedback from frontline teams to identify any barriers to success.

How will the new behaviors be implemented and reinforced?

To support managers in their expanded training duties, we will contract a learning and development professional to teach learning methodology, coaching skills and how to provide feedback. This individual will periodically observe interactions between managers and frontline staff and will report progress to senior leadership. By the end of the contract, a self-sustaining plan for ongoing engagement will be in place, developed in conjunction with the learning professional.

In this example, we are presupposing an existing culture in this fictional organization. We can surmise that there is a sink or swim element to performance and managers may not be accustomed to providing additional learning support. They may not have the skillset to provide constructive feedback, in a manner that would support adoption and enthusiasm for the new system. We can also intuit that there is a hierarchical structure that is not necessarily conducive to two-way feedback. These are all factors to be addressed in your learning program.

In conclusion, a successful learning effort is not just about superimposing a process on an organization. To use an analogy, it is like a ship charting course. On the surface, the sailing may appear smooth, but the currents swirling beneath will greatly influence how you arrive at your destination. The deeper you layer your learning initiative, the more you can account for unexpected obstacles.

True development goes beyond knowledge transfer it requires a shift in behaviors, mindsets, and sometimes even core values. Start with a clear vision of success, and don’t underestimate the role of cultural context in shaping how people learn and grow. With the right foundation, your development efforts can become a powerful driver of performance, engagement, and long-term success.