The Field Force division provides a vital link between Chiesi and the Health Care Professionals (HCPs) that they service. To provide the best possible support, these professionals need to strike an effective balance between helping to educate their HCPs and at the same time listening to and learning from them. Mannaz has been instrumental in helping the Field Force division manage this balance.
Mannaz has been responsible for helping to create significant improvements in the perceived effectiveness of Chiesi’s Field Force teams. We have done this by helping their Field Force professionals develop their emotional intelligence and build their skills as ‘Trusted Advisors’ to the health care professionals that they serve. We have done this by providing face-to-face workshops and online training sessions to help facilitate dialogue and idea exchange. We have also provided a practical ‘Playbook’ and a variety of tools for easy reference back at work – With multiple opportunities for team members to exchange their experiences with each on in how they have applied their learning. An 18mth follow up survey found that client conversations that had indeed been qualitatively improved by the application of these techniques back in the workplace.
Over the past three years we have combined a mixture of different learning methods to help Field Force professionals add additional skills and tools to their already word-class approaches. We have utilised both face-to-face workshops and online training sessions to help facilitate dialogue and idea exchange. We also created and facilitated small group coaching sessions to help build best practices in specific markets. In addition, we utilised our digital expertise to deliver a variety of online webinars and have created bespoke video content. These traditional and asynchronous components of our learning journeys have helped to impart ideas, knowledge and practical tips from the world of applied psychology and professional services consulting. They have also provided a valuable opportunity for discussion and community building.
The topics we have covered have been varied, including the building of interpersonal competencies (such as psychological safety, being a trusted advisor, story-telling and critical conversations) and the development of more ‘vertical’ personal competencies (such as purpose, EQ and self-awareness). In 2022, we also took additional strides in helping the Nordic Field Force team to integrate all of this knowledge into a ‘Playbook’ – A comprehensive ‘field guide’ that enables field force professionals to apply their learning back at work. The Playbooks provides real-life examples to illustrate how some of these models can be brought to life.
In order to cement learning even further and to create a more enduring and systemic approach, we also worked with the managers of these Field Force professionals and with other departments that work closely with them. In addition, we have recently implemented a number of ‘refresher’ sessions to give participants the opportunity to share their experiences of applying these ideas.
The impact of this work has been significant. Before starting our programme, Chiesi instigated an impact questionnaire based upon a global framework for client-facing professionals. The results to this initial survey informed our programme design. After the first 18months, the same questionnaire was readministered showing significant improvements in perceived Field Force effectiveness. In support of this, programme participants have also reported having client conversations that have been qualitatively improved by the application of these techniques. This has been aided in part by the ‘Playbook’ which has been reported as being helpful in providing not just useful tips, but also as acting as a conduit to capture experiences and stories from the field.
Chiesi are an international biopharmaceutical group, research-oriented, with over 85 years of experience. It is one of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies in the world and has a strong reputation for researching and developing innovative drugs, particularly for respiratory diseases.
