"The Top 24"

Jennifer Salopek

T&D

October 2004, pp. 28-66

For the second year, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) has announced its BEST Awards for organizations that "Build talent, Enterprise-wide, Supported by the organization's leaders, fostering a Thorough learning culture."

The measures on which the BEST winning organizations excelled were:

• High percentage of mandatory training time
• Inclusion of learning objectives as part of individual performance goals
• A C-level learning or knowledge officer in place
• Leaders who support learning enterprise-wide
• A clear link between learning and performance
• Contribution to strategic objectives for the enterprise
• Appropriate blend of learning delivery methods
• Consistent standards for assessment of learning
• High percentage of employees that receive learning and development opportunities

This article profiles all 24 winners:

1. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Fort Belvoir, VA (public administration)
2. The Schwan Food Company, Marshall, MN (manufacturing)
3. Unisys Corporation, Blue Bell, PA (information technology)
4. PeopleSoft, Inc., Pleasanton, CA (information)
5. BoozAllenHamilton, McLean, VA (professional services)
6. TELUS, Vancouver, BC (telecommunications)
7. Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (manufacturing)
8. American Express Company, New York, NY (financial services)
9. Toshiba America Business, Irvine, CA (manufacturing)
10. AT&T Corporation, Bedminster, NJ (information)
11. Old Mutual, Capetown, South Africa (life insurance)
12. Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (manufacturing)
13. Wipro Technologies, Bangalore, India (information)
14. HP, Palo Alto, CA (information technology)
15. Equity Residential, Chicago, IL (real estate)
16. Sterling Bank, Houston, TX (financial services)
17. Accenture, Chicago, IL (professional services)
18. The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI (manufacturing)
19. Northwire, Inc., Osceola, WI (manufacturing)
20. Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA (health care)
21. Deloitte & Touche USA, New York, NY (professional services)
22. ICICI Bank Limited, Mumbai, India (financial services)
23. KLA-Tencor Corporation, San Jose, CA (manufacturing)
24. MTR Corporation, Hong Kong, SAR, China (transportation)

Back to top of page